Armenian Activists, Officials Honored at OSCE Awards Ceremony

YEREVAN (A.W.)—Armenian activists working for the advancement of human rights and democracy in Armenia were honored on June 19 at the Universal Rights Awards Ceremony in Yerevan, organized by the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) and others.

The Woman of Courage Award was presented to Lara Aharonian of the Women’s Resource Center.
The Woman of Courage Award was presented to Lara Aharonian of the Women’s Resource Center.

Among those honored were Davit Tonoyan, Armenia’s first deputy minister of defense. Presenting the award, William Hanlon, the deputy head of the OSCE office in Yerevan, said, “Mr. Tonoyan has been an ardent champion of human rights mainstreaming as well as democratic oversight of Armenia’s armed forces. We appreciate his commitment and efforts to reform the security sector of Armenia and to promote the universal values of security, prosperity, and democracy that bind us together.”

The Freedom Defender Award was given to lawyers Artak Zeinalya and Ara Chazaryan. The Civic Activism Award was given to activists who spearheaded the campaign against the increase in public transport prices.

The Woman of Courage Award was presented to Lara Aharonian of the Women’s Resource Center, while Hetq.am’s Edik Baghdasaryan received the Media Excellence Award for his coverage of the human rights conditions of prisoners serving life-sentences.

Lusine Avetyan, head of the Karahunj community, received the Local Government Reformer Award. The Community Service Award went to Laura Movsisian, director of the Pediatric Rehabilitation Center of Yerevan, for her work with disabled children.

The Universal Rights Awards were first held in 2012 and aimed to highlight the dedication of Armenia’s activists, government officials, and members of the media who have worked towards the advancement of human rights.

The event was co-organized with the U.S. Embassy, the Delegation of the European Union to Armenia, the British Embassy, the Council of Europe’s Office in Yerevan, the UN Armenia Office, and the NGO Counterpart International. Around 200 guests attended the event, among them government representatives, foreign diplomats, representatives of NGOs, and the press.

4 Comments

  1. YES! That is the PERSON my brother is married to… so that makes me ÜBER-proud to be related to her! YOU LITERALLY ROCK LARA!!!

  2. Everybody, you realize this just a show and it doesn’t do a bit of difference anywhere including Armenia?

  3. Ah, but it makes a BIG difference in Armenia — improving the situation of women and promoting human rights make a big difference to people all over the world.

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