Official Conn. Genocide Commemorations to Focus on Karabakh War Repercussions

Hakobyan is an Armenian reporter, independent political analyst and author, based in Yerevan, specializing in the Karabakh issue and Armenia-Turkey relations. He is an author of three books — Karabakh Diary: Black and Green, Armenians and Turks, The Valley of Death: 44-day catastrophe. He worked as a correspondent for the newspapers Yerkir, Azg, Aztag, The Armenian Reporter and as a political observer on regional issues of Radiolur news program of Public Radio of Armenia. Most recently, he was a reporter and an analyst at the independent Civilitas Foundation. He holds a degree in journalism from the Yerevan State University.

Torosyan is a first-generation New Englander and moved to Armenia two days before the Artsakh War began on September 27,  2020. She was assistant project manager of h-pem, Hamazkayin’s online platform to engage young diasporans in Armenian art and culture, and has previously written for the Armenian Weekly newspaper. She currently writes for EVN Report in Armenia. She holds a master’s degree in human rights from University College London and a bachelor’s degree in international relations from Boston University, where she served on the ASA Executive Board.

John G. Geragosian, Connecticut State Auditor, will serve as master of ceremonies.

Melanie Brown, chairperson of the Genocide Commemoration Committee, stated “We regret that the circumstances of the pandemic will not allow us to gather in person at the historic Hall of the House of Representatives as we usually do, but are grateful that we can assemble electronically to commemorate the Martyrs of the Genocide and help the world learn from this tragic event in human history. Moreover, the recent events in Artsakh underscore the need for the world to be ever vigilant, to remember and to condemn continuing human rights atrocities.”

The mission of the Armenian Genocide Commemoration Committee of Connecticut is to honor the memory of the one and a half million victims and also the survivors, of the Armenian Genocide begun by the Ottoman government in 1915.

The committee supports programs, events and the establishment of monuments, itself or with other organizations, in educating the public and remembering the Genocide. The committee also assists in the legislative mandate to provide Genocide related curricula in the public schools. Additionally, the committee seeks to present information about developments in the Diaspora and in Armenia.