ARF of Boston to host panel discussion, "Human Rights Concerns Facing Armenia and Artsakh Today"

WATERTOWN, Mass. – The ARF of Boston is hosting a remote panel discussion entitled “Human Rights Concerns Facing Armenia and Artsakh Today.” The event will be held online on Thursday, August 11 at 7:00 p.m. and is open and accessible to the public. Participants are required to register in advance.

The panel discussion, hosted by Vazrik Chiloyan, PhD, will feature Siranush Sahakyan, JD and Arman Tatoyan, JP, PhD.

The interactive discussion will highlight the key challenges facing Armenia and Artsakh, including the status of the Armenian POWs in Azerbaijan, abuses of power, police brutality and human rights violations in Armenia and disregard for the rule of law and due process with respect to political prisoners. Audience members will have the opportunity to engage with the panelists by posing questions toward an informative dialogue. A well-informed and engaged Diaspora is an essential component for the survival and prosperity of the Armenian nation and statehood.

Sahakyan has more than 15 years of experience in judicial reforms and corruption prevention. She is the current chairwoman of graduate programs in human rights and social justice at the American University of Armenia. She previously worked at the Ministry of Justice and in the administration of the President of Armenia. She has chaired the Corruption Prevention Agency and acted as an ad hoc judge at the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR). Sahakyan is also a licensed attorney in private practice and serves as chair of the Internal and Comparative Law Center in Yerevan.

Dr. Tatoyan is a professor at the AUA College of Humanities and Social Sciences and obtained his LLB, LLM and PhD degrees from Yerevan State University. He graduated with a master’s degree in law from the University of Pennsylvania Law School. He has served as the human rights defender of Armenia and the head of the National Preventive Mechanism from 2016 to 2022, elected by the RA National Assembly. Dr. Tatoyan served as an ad hoc judge at the ECHR from 2016 to 2019 and as the Deputy Minister of Justice of Armenia and the Deputy Representative of Armenia at the ECHR from 2013 to 2016.

For all questions and additional information, please contact the ARF of Boston at sardarabad@arfeastusa.com.