The Right of Return and the Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) Armenians

Karnig Kerkonian, international lawyer, has taught international law at Artsakh State University and, during this war, filed a lawsuit on behalf of Artsakh and Artsakh civilians in the US Federal District Court in Washington DC.

Lusine Abovyan is President of Abovyan Consulting, a company offering valuation, audit, registration and licensing of intellectual property rights. As a former constitutional law specialist for the Armenia Legislative Strengthening Program, she worked with the Armenian Parliament to rewrite the country's constitution, establishing free speech, asserting parliamentary power, and improving legislative-executive relations.

Lusine served as legal counsel for Internews Armenia and was a law lecturer at the American University of Armenia, teaching Media Law and Intellectual Property Law. She began her career at Shant TV where she wrote and produced television shows aimed at promoting economic and legal reforms in Armenia. She covered legal and economic issues as the News Department Director.

Artak Beglaryan is former Minister and Human Rights Ombudsman of the Republic of Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh). Currently, he serves as the president of the “Artsakh Union,” an advocacy non-governmental organization. His work focuses on raising global awareness about the genocide in Artsakh and advocating for international justice and protection for his compatriots sheltered in Armenia.

He has held several high-ranking positions in the Republic of Artsakh. He served as the Human Rights Ombudsman from 2018 to 2020. After acting as the Chief of Presidential Staff for several months, he then served as State Minister from 2021 to 2022, the second-highest position in the government, coordinating the activities of primarily humanitarian ministries.

As a human rights defender, Beglaryan’s reports, interviews, opinions and comments have been published by Human Rights Watch, Freedom House, The New York Times, BBC, CNN, The Washington Post, Newsweek and many other leading organizations and media outlets.

He holds a master’s degree in Politics, Security and Integration from University College London and a bachelor’s degree in Political Sciences from Yerevan State University. Additionally, he has studied Public Policy and Administration at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University. He is currently a member of the International Association of Genocide Scholars.