- When you have personally gone through everything that our compatriots are going through, you feel and understand their problems much more deeply. My personal experience helps me work more effectively because I myself have gone through all the stages that our beneficiaries go through - from loss of documents to social support issues. The creation of the Network of CSOs for Protection of Rights of Forcibly Displaced Persons from Artsakh came to fill an important gap by bringing together organizations working to protect the rights of Artsakh Armenians. This allows for more systematic work and quick response to emerging issues.

- We recently worked with Novella Osipova's family, whose case is a good example of the complex situations our compatriots face. The family faced multi-layered problems: the father wasn't receiving his due support payments, the husband and mother-in-law had been deprived of one month's support, and no funeral benefit had been assigned in connection with the mother's death. Our team carefully examined each issue separately, revealing the reasons for rejections. Through persistent work, we managed to achieve positive results in all directions - restoring not only the rights of all family members but also ensuring full payment of their due amounts.

- We often encounter cases where mistakes made by relevant authorities have serious consequences for our compatriots. For example, in the case of Aram Stepanyan from Togh village in Artsakh's Hadrut region, due to misidentification by a state body, the family was receiving only 10,000 drams instead of 50,000 drams. He was mistakenly identified with another person who supposedly owned property in Yerevan. Thanks to our team's persistent work, not only was the error revealed, but from February 2024, Aram's family began receiving 50,000 drams monthly, and compensation was provided for previous months.

- The www.armrights.am online platform has become an important tool for protecting the rights of Artsakh Armenians. For example, Gayane's case shows how we can help even in complex situations. Her family had been denied additional assistance on the grounds that the family owned property, which was actually a half-ruined building. Through the platform, we were able to respond quickly, collect necessary documents, and achieve an increase in family support to 50,000 drams.

- Yes, Edgar Yesayan's family case was an important success. They had approached us regarding the issue of receiving childcare benefits for children under two years old. Our study showed that according to current legal regulations, there was no legal basis for not providing the benefit. We prepared a well-founded letter addressed to the Unified Social Service of the RA Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs. As a result, the service began paying childcare benefits to Edgar Yesayan's family for children under two years old, retroactively from October 1, 2023.

- Our team has managed to visit various regions of Armenia, from Gyumri to Goris. We have been present in Artashat, Hrazdan, Charentsavan, Parakar, Masis, Aparan, and other communities. These visits have shown that issues in each community have their own specificities. For example, in some communities, housing issues are more acute, in others - protection of labor rights. During mobile visits, we provided free legal consultation on-site, helped navigate document issues, and obtain necessary social support. This work helps us approach problems more targetedly and develop solutions tailored to local needs.

- In our daily work, we see that Artsakh Armenians mainly face several key issues. First and foremost is the housing provision issue, when people find themselves homeless without clear solutions. Next are social support issues, where administrative obstacles are often present. Obtaining refugee status has become a serious challenge for many. A separate group consists of documentation issues - from restoring property rights documents to inheritance matters. In each of these directions, we not only provide individual legal assistance but have also developed packages of systemic solutions that we have presented to state bodies.

- In the near future, we plan to significantly expand our scope of activities. The Network's secretariat, the Armenian Lawyers Association, plans to strengthen its legal team by involving new specialists and lawyers. This will provide an opportunity not only to provide legal consultation but also to protect our compatriots' interests in courts when necessary. We especially emphasize strengthening the community network, as experience shows that many issues are solved more effectively locally.

We continue working to increase the visibility of the www.armrights.am online platform so that we can inform more Artsakh Armenians about the possibility of protecting their rights. We also consider it important to strengthen the legal education component so that our compatriots can better protect their rights.

To implement this large-scale national human rights program, we have approached Armenia's major taxpayers and national benefactors, proposing they join the cause of protecting Artsakh Armenians' rights. We are confident that with their financial support, we can create a sustainable system for protecting Artsakh Armenians' rights. Our team will carefully study and present to the public how major Armenian companies and benefactors have responded to our appeals for supporting the protection of Artsakh Armenians' rights. We value transparency and public awareness in this process. We are confident that the Armenian business and national benefactor community, recognizing its role in society, will properly evaluate our initiative.

Interview conducted by Alla Zadoyan

www.armrights.am - online platform for the protection of Artsakh Armenians' rights