Arman Tatoyan holds his Master of Laws from University of Pennsylvania Law School; he obtained his LLM and Ph.D. from YSU, Department of Criminal Procedure and Criminalistics.
Currently Mr. Tatoyan is the Human Rights Defender (Ombudsman) of Armenia and an Ad hoc Judge in the European Court of Human Rights. He served as the Deputy Minister of Justice of the Republic of Armenia and also has been the Deputy Representative of the Government of Armenia before the European Court of Human Rights. Mr. Tatoyan is also a permanent international advisor in the Council of Europe. He has been the advisor to the President of the Constitutional Court of Republic of Armenia and has been involved in different working groups for drafting laws and strategies for Armenia. He lectures in YSU and AUA, as well as in the Academy of Justice of Armenia.
Higher Education
- 2012 – 2013, University of Pennsylvania Law School, Philadelphia PA, Master of Laws
- 2012, University of Pennsylvania Business (Wharton) School, Philadelphia PA
Business and Law Certificate Program, the Wharton School Executive Education - 2002, LL.B. Yerevan State University
- 2004, Master of Jurisprudence, Yerevan State University
- 2007, Post-graduate study, Yerevan State University
Courses taught:
- International Criminal Law
- Introduction to Human Rights
- Supervisor of Master’s Paper
2014- present, Visiting Professor at Academy of Justice of Armenia
Academic and Practical Course for Judges and Prosecutors:
E-mail:
[email protected]
Phone:
(+374 60) 61-27-55
Office Location:
109W (PAB)
Office hours:
(by appointment)
Siranush Sahakyan holds an LLM in International Human Rights Law from University of Essex, Bachelor’s degree in Law and LLM in Public International Law from Yerevan State University. Her pending PhD thesis is dedicated to the margin of appreciation doctrine.
Siranush Sahakyan is a highly accomplished and versatile professional with over 15 years of experience in human rights, judicial reforms and corruption prevention. Ms Sahakyan served as an aide to the President of Armenia, was in a service at the Ministry of Justice Armenia, chaired the corruption prevention body in Armenia and was an ad hoc Judge of the European Court of Human Rights. Outside the Public Service Siranush Sahakyan partnered at Legalata Law firm, was a founder and president of the NGO “Protection of Rights without Borders”, an expert for OSCE/ODIHR, UNICEF Armenia, UNDP, the Civil Society Institute NGO, Social justice NGO, the Centre for European Law and Integration, the International Centre for Transitional Justice, being involved in different legislative initiatives, lobbing projects, monitoring, research, strategic litigation and legal counsel. Currently she is the Co-founder of the NGO “Path of Law” and the president of the ICLaw-Center Armenia.
Ms Sahakyan has worked closely with the Justice Academy and the School of Advocates, implementing judicial training programs for Judges, Prosecutors, and their candidates. Her collaboration included development of course curricula on the topics of constitutional law, human rights, integrity, conflict of interest, public administration principles etc.
Ms. Sahakyan is a Licensed Attorney and has professional membership with Chamber of Advocates of Armenia. She has successfully managed practices in complex human rights issues.
Higher Education
2008 Master of Laws (LL.M.) in International Human Rights Law, Essex University
2006 Master of Laws (LL.M.) in Public International Law, Yerevan State University
2004 Bachelor of Law, Yerevan State University
Courses taught:
- Human Rights Law
- Armenian Constitution
- Topics in Constitutional Law
- Anti-Corruption and Compliance
Selected Publications:
- Securing the Accused Person’s Presence within the Territorial Jurisdiction of National Courts by Extraordinary Rendition: Implications for Human Rights and Due Process, Armenian Yearbook of International and Comparative Law, Vol. 1, 2017.
- Aggravated State Responsibility and Obligations Erga Omnes, LAP Lambert Academic Publishing, 2010.
- Sahakyan, A. Mejlumyan, Application of the Case-Law of the European Court of Human Rights by Armenian Courts, PRWB, 2011.
- Sahakyan, A. Zrvandyan, M. Ghulyan, Problems of Administrative Justice in Armenia, Asoghik, 2011.
- Juvenile Justice in Armenia: Legislative Analysis. CSI, 2012. (In this theme – S. Sahakyan, A. Danielyan, L. Petrosyan, V. Wattenberg, Trial Monitoring of Cases involving Juvenile Defendants, CSI, 2011, S. Sahakyan, Casebook for practitioner: Juvenile Justice, PRI, 2012).
- “The Status and Treatment of Direct and Indirect Victims in “Disappearance” Cases: Approaches of the Inter-American Court and the European Court”, YSU official journals.
- “Review of the ECtHR judgment on Bayatyan v. Armenia”, Armenian Yearbook of International and Comparative Law, Vol. 1, 2013.
- “Implementation of CAT and Article 3 of the ECHR in Armenia. Challenges and achievements”, EHRAC Bulletin, Issue 18, 2012.
- Sahakyan, V. Avetisyan, K. Badalyan, Handbook for Training on Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms in Armed Forces, OSCE, 2013.
State Awards:
- The Medal of Services to the Motherland (2017)
Academic Awards:
- Special award winner in student scientific conference devoted to the 70th anniversary of Law Department of YSU.
- Award winner in Essay Competition on “International Humanitarian Law” (organized for students of the Law Faculties of Universities in Armenia) 2003.
- Award winner in inter-collegial scientific conference “The Problems of the Judiciary in the Republic of Armenia” 2002.
Other Awards:
- Anti-corruption champion (2018), awarded by GovRisk and UK Embassy in Armenia
E-mail: [email protected]
Office Location: #109W PAB
Phone:
Office hours: (by appointment)
Mr. Zrvandyan is an experienced human rights lawyer, public law and justice sector reform expert with over 15 years of experience in law, human rights, legal education and judicial reform. In his current role of Deputy Team Leader in the IRZ “Consolidation of the Justice System of Armenia” Project, he provides technical assistance to the Armenian justice sector authorities on the implementation of the 2019-2023 Strategy of Judicial Reform. In addition to human rights and administrative law litigation, Mr. Zrvandyan has previously provided legal advice in many justice support projects run by international organizations such as the Council of Europe, OSCE/ODIHR, Swedish Folke Bernadotte Academy, UNDP, and GiZ. These activities concerned reform of the bar, establishment of court monitoring mechanisms, vetting of judges and prosecutors, review and assessment of legislation etc. He has provided justice reform advice concerning such countries as Armenia, Georgia, Moldova, Uzbekistan and Belarus. He has previously served as a Registry Lawyer at the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg, France. Finally, Mr. Zrvandyan is a professional legal trainer and academic educator. He has significant experience in designing and delivering practical legal courses to graduate and undergraduate law students, as well as to professional audiences. He serves as the Chair of the LL.M. Program of the AUA between 2013 and 2015.
Higher Education:
- 2017-2019 Doctorat en Droit (incomplete), Université de Strasbourg, France
- July 2011, Master of Laws (LL.M.), University of Turin, Italy
- October 2009, Master of Arts, University of Essex, UK
- October 2007, Master of Laws, American University of Armenia
- July 2002, Bachelor of Laws (LL.B.), Yerevan Hrachia Acharian University
Courses Taught:
- European Convention on Human Rights
Publications:
- Comparative Review of the Procedural and Institutional Setup of Functioning of Lawyers in Armenia, Georgia, Belarus, Moldova and Ukraine (2020) (co-author), Council of Europe
- Casebook: ECtHR Case-law on the Right to a Fair Trial in Administrative Proceedings (December 2016), Council of Europe Publishing (at Council of Europe bookstore)
- Legal Study: The Reviewing Powers of the Administrative Court of Armenia in Refugee/Asylum
- Cases (December 2015), UNHCR (at http://www.refworld.org/docid/576a74634.html)
- Legal Study:The Rights to Liberty, Fair Trial & Private Life: Persons with Mental Disorders in Armenia(author, May 2014) Civil Society Institute, Armenia (at csi.am)
- Early Conditional Release of Prisoners: Legal and Practical Issues in Armenia(2011-2012), Civil Society Institute, Armenia (at csi.am)
- Handbook: Handbook of Monitoring Administrative Justice(2011-2012) (co-drafter), OSCE/ODIHR & Folke Bernadotte Academy, Sweden (at osce.org)
- Early Release of Prisoners on Compassionate Grounds: Legislative and Practical Challenges in Armenia(2011), Civil Society Institute, Armenia (at csi.am)
- Trial Monitoring Report: Final Report on Administrative Justice in Armenia (expert contribution) (2010), Protection of Rights Without Borders, Armenia (at prwb.am)
- Final Report of the Trial Monitoring Project in Armenia (expert contribution) (2008), OSCE/ODIHR, Armenia (at osce.org)
- The ‘Anatomy’ of Administrative Discretion (2007), Annual Review of Scholar Publications, Gavar State University, Armenia
- Expropriation and Judicial Review: Northern Avenue, Observer quarterly (2004), Armenian Helsinki Committee, Armenia
- Freedom of Expression and Defamation: The New Criminal Code of Armenia, Observer quarterly (2003), Armenian Helsinki Committee, Armenia
Email: [email protected]
Phone: (+374 60) 61-27-55
Office Location: 109W (PAB)
Dr Philippa Mullins is an Assistant Professor teaching on the MA in Human Rights and Social Justice at AUA’s College of Humanities and Social Sciences. Her research focuses on disability, civil society, and social movements. She has a strong interest in participatory and non-oppressive research methods. She is a Visiting Fellow at the London School of Economics and Political Science’s (LSE) International Inequalities Institute and at the University at Buffalo’s Center for Disability Studies.
Prior to joining AUA, Philippa completed her PhD in Social Policy at the LSE. Her research was funded by the UK Economic and Social Research Council and recognised by the LSE’s Titmuss Prize for outstanding PhD Thesis in Social Policy (2021/22). The thesis looked at disability organising in contemporary Russia, particularly exploring notions of vulnerability and resistance.
Philippa is a Fellow of the UK Higher Education Academy. She held a 2021-2022 Fellowship in the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning at LSE’s Eden Centre for Education Enhancement. She has also taught as a Visiting Scholar on the Erasmus Mundus Master’s Programme in Human Rights Policy and Practice.
Higher Education:
- 2022, PhD in Social Policy, London School of Economics and Political Science, UK
- 2015, MSc in Social Policy (Research), London School of Economics and Political Science, UK
- 2012, BA in Modern Languages (French and Russian), University of Oxford, UK
Courses Taught:
- Theories of Social Justice and Community Engagement
- Justice, Knowledge, and Change
- Foundations of Social Science Research Methods
- Social Justice and Identity
- Human Rights Clinic (research track)
- MA Thesis Supervision
Selected Publications (articles and book chapters):
- Mullins, P. (2023), ‘I don’t feel like a classic rights defender’: Rights Subjectivities and Disidentification in Russian Disability Organising,’ Voluntary Sector Review, online ahead of print, 1–24.
- Levina, A., Tselovatova, M., Mullins, P. (2023), ‘ Invalidnost’. Feminizm/Women. Disability. Feminism: Claiming Ourselves Against Ableism’, in The Routledge International Handbook of Disability Human Rights Hierarchies, eds. Meyers, S., McCloskey, M., Petri, G., pp. 460-474, Routledge, New York and London.
- Mullins, P. (2021) ‘“But We Are Always at Home”: Disability and Collective Identity Construction on Runet.’ Studies in Russian, Eurasian and Central European New Media (Digitalicons.Org), no. 21: 45–64. https://www.digitalicons.org/issue21/but-we-are-always-at-home-disability-and-collective-identity-on-runet/(accessed 11/08/2021).
Selected Publications (other):
- Mullins, P. (2022) ‘“But We Are Always at Home”: Disability Activism, Solidarity, and Staying at Home in Russia’, NYU Jordan Center Blog, December 14. https://jordanrussiacenter.org/news/but-we-are-always-at-home-disability-activism-solidarity-and-staying-at-home-in-russia/(accessed 09/02/2023).
- Mullins, P. (2022) ‘Mediating the Rupture of Disability? Looking at and with the Group.’ Theorizing the Contemporary, Fieldsights, September 6. https://culanth.org/fieldsights/mediating-the-rupture-of-disability-looking-at-and-with-the-group(accessed 09/02/2023).
E-mail: [email protected]
Phone: 60612671
Office Location: PAB Room 136W
Office hours: Wednesday 1 PM to 6 PM (also by appointment; please email to arrange)
Deputy Director for Programs, OSF-Armenia, PhD in Psychology, Associate Professor, Yerevan State University
David Amiryan holds PhD in Psychology from the Yerevan State University (YSU). He is a part-time Associate Professor at the Psychology Department of YSU. He also graduated from the Law Department of YSU (correspondence studies) in 2000. David Amiryan is also a certified psychologist forensic expert. Davit Amiryan graduate the course “Program Evaluation” is registered at a Master and Doctoral studies level at Columbia University Teachers College New York. He is an author and co-author about 20 publications.
David joined the Open Society Institute Assistance Foundation Armenian Branch (OSIAFA) in 2000 as Coordinator of Civil Society, Mass Media and Law programs. David has been promoted to the position of Deputy Director for programs since 2003. In his current position he is overseeing all program activities of the Foundation including Program Budget Management, establishing outside contacts with potential donors and partners, works collaboratively with Network Programs.
David Amiryan is also Board Chair of Armenian Scientific Association of Psychologists, NGO funded in 2011.
Sergey Ghazinyan has about ten years of experience in the field of protection and promotion of human rights. Currently, he is the Second Vice-President of the Council of Europe Group of Experts on Action Against Trafficking in Human Beings.
As a Legal Expert at the Centre for European Studies at Yerevan State University, he is engaged in the development of human rights-related topics in the curricula of the MA programmes, as well as training programmes of relevant beneficiary groups.
As a national and international consultant, Mr Ghazinyan is engaged in various human rights projects implemented by different international organisations (e.g., Council of Europe, UNHCR, IOM, ILO, UNDP) mainly in the fields of action against trafficking in human beings, asylum and refugee law, and migrants’ rights.
Sergey Ghazinyan is also conducting training of beneficiary groups (including state officials) on different topics, inter alia, on the action against human trafficking. As a HELP Certified Tutor, he also implements those capacity enhancement activities via the Council of Europe Programme for Human Rights Education for Legal Professionals (HELP Programme).
Mr Ghazinyan is lecturing at the Yerevan State University and the American University of Armenia. The courses include topics on the protection and promotion of human rights, including those concerning combating human trafficking.
In his previous capacity as the Adviser to the Human Rights Defender of Armenia (2016-2022), Mr GHAZINYAN was responsible, inter alia, for monitoring the implementation of state obligations in the field of action against trafficking in human beings and protection of the human rights of victims.
Education
Sergey Ghazinyan has a BA in Law and MA in European Studies from the Yerevan State University and an LL.M. degree from the American University of Armenia. His pending PhD thesis in Law is dedicated to the human rights protection of victims of trafficking in human beings.
Office location
Law Suite PAB 109W
Email
[email protected]
Phone
(+374 60) 61 25 73
Office hours
Mondays from 10:30 to 11:30 or by appointment
Areas of research and teaching specialization
Protection and promotion of human rights, action against trafficking in human beings, asylum and refugee law, and migrants’ rights
Courses currently taught
- LAW 262 Public Advocacy
Selected Publications
- The right to education in the Caucasus in the course of the COVID-19 pandemic, Global Campus Human rights Journal, Volume 5 No1, Global Classroom: The COVID-19 pandemic and socio-economic rights
- Can the right to education be restricted during health crises? Remarks on the Caucasus and the issue of planning state response, GC Human Rights Preparedness Blog
- Protection of Stateless Persons in International Law and Legislation of the RA, Journal of Yerevan University Jurisprudence
Hovhannes Grigoryan is an Adjunct Professor teaching on the MA in Human Rights and Social Justice at AUA’s College of Humanities and Social Sciences. His research focuses on the methodology of applied sociological studies. He has a strong interest in classical and modern sociological theories and their application to describe current societal changes. Mr. Grigoryan is the founder and chief executive officer of Breavis, one of the leading market research and communications institutions in Armenia.
Mr. Grigoryan has taught for 11 years at Yerevan State University, Department of Sociology courses like Classical sociological theories, methodology of sociological research, social entrepreneurship, social change theories, etc. In his business career, Hovhannes has managed and successfully completed more than 500 empirical research projects in the fields of politics, marketing, education, healthcare, etc. His company employs 30+ professionals in the fields of sociology, marketing, PR and communication, and management.
Higher Education:
- 2007, Post-Graduate Studies, Yerevan State University, Armenia
- 2004, MA in Sociology and Psychology, Yerevan State University, Armenia
- 2003, MSc in Theory of Sociology (listener), Moscow State University, after M.V. Lomonosov, Russia
- 2002, BA in Sociology and Psychology, Yerevan State University, Armenia
Courses taught:
- Justice, Knowledge, and Change
- Foundations of Social Science Research Methods
E-mail: [email protected]
Phone: (+374 60) 61-27-55
Office Location: PAB Room 108W
Office hours: Wednesday, Friday 5:30 PM to 6:30 PM (by appointment)