FINAL REPORT

Siranush Sargsyan

Closing Remarks

As I conclude my report on the work I have accomplished over the past year, I want to extend my deepest gratitude to every donor who believed in me and generously extended their support. Your kindness has empowered me to reach out and assist those in need, making a meaningful difference in many lives.

I am also thrilled to share that I have been accepted into the LLM program at Nova University, one of Portugal’s premier institutions. I plan to specialize in law with a focus on human rights protection, a field that aligns deeply with my passion and ongoing work.

Currently, a fundraising campaign is live on the reArmenia platform, where you can learn more about my study plans and future goals. If you feel inspired, please consider supporting me with a donation and sharing the link within your networks.

Your support will enable me to complete my studies and return to Armenia equipped to continue making a positive impact.

Thank you sincerely for your trust, encouragement, and generosity.

Below, you will find a summary of my activities for May. For more comprehensive reports covering the past 11 months, please refer to the links provided.

Update for May 2025 

Published Articles  

• The story of the meeting between Nora Sahakyan, the protagonist of Swiss-Armenian photographer Demir Sönmez’s book about Artsakh, and the photographer is featured in the latest article of The Armenian Weekly.
• The next article covers the “Return” exhibition by Armenian-American sculptor Zadik Zadikian in Armenia, dedicated to the memory of those who perished in the Artsakh wars.
• A comprehensive article has been published in the largest French-Armenian periodical, Nouvelle Arménie (print edition), about the challenges faced by musicians forcibly displaced from Artsakh and their activities in Armenia.
• In the coming days, another article will be published in The Armenian Weekly about the initiative to support displaced women entrepreneurs from Artsakh.

Documentary and Media Work

• Currently, the production phase is underway for an authorial documentary film that will tell the story of a family forcibly displaced from Artsakh and their emigration, aiming to highlight the issues that force them and many others like them to leave.
• A documentary report about forcibly displaced Artsakh residents, their problems, and the terms of the ceasefire agreement has been released,   which we jointly produced with French documentary filmmakers M. Loiseau and H. Laulan.
• During this time, I also gave an interview to Swiss journalist and writer Brigitte Schmid-Gugler, who is preparing an extensive piece on the issues faced by forcibly displaced persons.
• In the current month , I have been invited as a speaker to the annual APRI forum.

Community Support and Events

• Throughout May, I dedicated significant time to organizing a series of events in cooperation with the “Askeran Development Center,” supported by a fundraiser organized through my Armenian-American friends and the Dance4Armenia initiative. These events aimed to assist about 25 displaced women in marketing, selling, and further professional development of their products.
• Initially, photography masterclasses were held, through which beginner entrepreneurs improved their skills in presenting their products more effectively on social media and online platforms.
• Subsequently, six masterclasses were conducted focused on preserving and promoting Artsakh’s traditional cuisine and crafts. Specifically, masterclasses were held on preparing Artsakh gata, pakhlava, khashili, and jengalov hats, alongside organized tastings for visitors.
• The next masterclass was dedicated to reviving and spreading traditional sock knitting, and the final one involved screen printing, where participating children, under the guidance of masters, learned to print on T-shirts.
• These initiatives culminated in a two-day “Artsakh Days” event in Yerevan, which provided a free platform for more than twenty women displaced from Artsakh to showcase and sell their products and handicrafts.

The funds for this period were used for rent, utilities, transportation, and health-related expenses. 

Thank you!

Siranush Sargsyan

REPORT

Siranush Sargsyan

For the Period: November 2024 –April 2025

1. Introduction

I would like to express my gratitude to all individuals and organizations who, through the reArmenia platform, provided support that enabled me to continue this work. This assistance has been crucial for my activities during the reporting period.

2. Topics and Issues

Communicating topics related to Artsakh and Armenia to an international audience remains quite challenging. The issues facing forcibly displaced people are still unresolved and require multifaceted approaches. Addressing these problems demands coordinated efforts and increased public awareness.

3. Activities and Outcomes

During the reporting period, I aimed to work as efficiently as possible and pursued various directions. These efforts did not allow me to secure permanent employment, but the grant funds I received enabled me to focus my full potential on identifying and highlighting these issues by writing articles and raising awareness across different platforms.

Articles and Journalistic Work

I have prepared the following articles:

• Published in Hyperallergic: An article presenting the problems of forcibly displaced artists, focusing on their creative difficulties. This article featured displaced artists Arnold Meliksetyan, Artsiv Lalayan, and his wife Tatev Amirjanyan.
• Upcoming A follow-up, in-depth article on forcibly displaced singers and musical groups from Artsakh is ready and in the publication phase.
• Collaboration with IWPR: Visited and interviewed three women from Artsakh now living in different regions of Armenia:
• Shamiram Grigoryan in Masis
• Elina Hambardzumyan in Mkhchyan village
• Sarguhi Vanyan in Yerevan
• IWPR Article Link 
• Collaboration with Armenian Weekly: Interviewed renowned Armenologist and genocide scholar Professor Tessa Hofmann in Germany, who discussed her latest books: "Genocide Against the Indigenous Christians of the Ottoman Empire" and "The Geopolitical Fate of Armenia: Past and Present," the latter partly dedicated to Artsakh.
• Published on the website: $$Armenian Weekly Interview Link]
• Article on Displaced Women: Wrote about forcibly displaced women from Artsakh learning a new trade-baking healthful bread-in Yerevan.
• Article on Protests in Yerevan: Covered demonstrations in Yerevan demanding the release of Armenian prisoners of war held in Baku.
• Article on "People of the Sun": Continuing the theme of displaced artists and Artsakh's culture, wrote about the "People of the Sun" theatrical performance in Yerevan, which tells the story of a village in Artsakh and its residents.
• Article on Artsakh Writers: Explored literature, focusing on book presentations by two Artsakh writers, Hermine Avagyan and Tsovinar Barkhudaryan, about Artsakh.
• Article on "Artsakh: The Street of My Childhood": Addressed the "Artsakh: The Street of My Childhood" project, which tells the stories of 101 children from Artsakh, recounting their memories and childhood in their own dialect.
• Article on Rally for Artsakh Rights: Reported on the large rally in Yerevan for the protection of Artsakh people's rights and the subsequent actions.
• Spanish version 
• Article on Mothers Who Lost Sons: On April 7, wrote about mothers who have lost sons.
• Article on "Keramazard" Project: Covered the "Keramazard" social project, which teaches pottery to forcibly displaced people from Artsakh, helping them find employment and preserve intangible cultural heritage. The project also supports children who lost relatives in the wars, offering them clay therapy classes.
• Article on Anti-Artsakh Rhetoric: Addressed the recent surge in anti-Artsakh rhetoric in official circles and media platforms.
• Co-authored Article on 44-day War: An article co-authored with a Swiss-Armenian photojournalist is in the publication phase, focusing on his photobook and meetings with its subjects. The book documents the 44-day war, the ethnic cleansing of Artsakh, and the international community's response.
• Article on Family from Berdashen: Another upcoming article covers a family displaced from Berdashen, now settled in Saratovka village.

Interviews and International Participation

During the reporting period:

• Interview for A Ultima Guerra: Gave an interview for a Portuguese documentary film, A Ultima Guerra, about the blockade, Azerbaijan's attack, forced displacement, and resulting issues. The film has aired in Portuguese and will soon be available in English.
• Interview with Facundo Cantelmi: Was interviewed by Argentine documentary filmmaker Facundo Cantelmi for a film about Azerbaijan's attack, forced displacement, and Armenian identity.
• Interview with Christian Solidarity International: Participated in an interview for the American Christian Solidarity International podcast with Abi McDugal, a series recounting Artsakh's history and recent years.
• Interview with Tessa Hofmann: Gave an interview to German genocide scholar Tessa Hofmann, sharing my eyewitness account of forced displacement, the right of return, and the challenges facing Armenians from Artsakh.
• Interview with The Catholic Register: Spoke with Susan Korah, a journalist from The Catholic Register, sharing my experience as a journalist and the ongoing difficulties faced by refugees who survived ethnic cleansing in Artsakh.
• Collaboration with Foreign Journalists: Worked with foreign journalists, assisting with interviews and translations for leading publications in their countries.

Meetings and Discussions as Speaker

During this period, I participated in several important political, academic, and civic discussions as a speaker, presenting the humanitarian issues and consequences faced by displaced people from Artsakh:

1. European Parliament Conference: On November 5, I was a speaker at the European Parliament conference "COP29 in Baku: Masking Ethnic Cleansing," organized by MEP Loucas Fourlas and the EAFJD (Armenian National Committee of Europe).
2. Institute for Security Analysis Panel: On February 12, I spoke at a panel organized by the Institute for Security Analysis on "Human Security and Human Rights Perspectives in the Women, Peace, and Security Agenda," addressing gender approaches in conflict resolution and the importance of transitional justice mechanisms for lasting peace in the region.
3. Discussion in Berlin: Participated as a speaker in a discussion on "Understanding the Nagorno-Karabakh Conflict and the Complete Displacement of the Population in September 2023," presenting on the events in Artsakh and the main needs of refugees. Both short-term and long-term support actions were discussed.
4. Conference in Yerevan: At a conference in Yerevan organized by the Regional Center for Democracy and Security, titled "Direct Dialogue: Addressing Refugee Needs in Armenia," I spoke about the challenges of direct dialogue, noting that many displaced families are unaware of available support programs and decisions affecting them.
5. "Amplify Voices" Event: On April 3, 2025, I participated in the "Amplify Voices: Responding to Offensive Discourse Around Women's Involvement in Local Governance" event, organized by GIZ within the "Good Governance for Local Development in the South Caucasus" program.
6. Online Panel on Health: Participated online as a speaker in a panel on "The Health of Nagorno-Karabakh's Population After Azerbaijan's Invasion," highlighting health issues affecting the displaced.
7. Zoom Conference in Berlin: On April 22, I spoke at the "Displaced and Detained: Human Rights Challenges Facing Armenians from Artsakh" Zoom conference in Berlin, discussing the problems of the displaced and Armenian hostages held in Baku.

4. Charity and Support

During the reporting period, I focused on strengthening and generating connections established through these meetings and discussions.

"Christmas Gifts for Displaced Artsakh Children" Program

With the support of friends who responded to my call, I was able to prepare Christmas gifts for over 100 displaced children. My initial goal was to provide gifts for children whose families had shared their heartbreaking stories with me, which I then presented to the world through my articles. However, thanks to additional resources, we managed to prepare gifts for more children than initially planned. Among these children are those who have lost parents, uncles, or grandparents, or who live in extremely difficult conditions.

Through donations, we also purchased 15 national costumes for children at the "Dizak Art" cultural center, which currently educates 166 displaced children from Artsakh in Yerevan and Abovyan. The center was in urgent need of such items. One of the program's key goals was to promote the purchase of Armenian-made products. For some children, we bought clothing; for others, educational games and books-all made in Armenia. With extra funds, we bought warm shoes and clothing for dozens of children living in dire conditions in border villages.

Thanks to a fundraiser organized by friends, in May we will implement workshops, fairs, and training sessions with the "Askeran Development Center" initiative group, supporting about thirty displaced women in bringing their products to market, selling them, and further professionalizing their skills.

I have published individual posts on social networks about nearly all the subjects of my articles, and we have received responses regarding some families. Mainly, members of the diaspora and caring individuals have expressed a desire and have already provided various forms of assistance to these families.

5. Professional Development

• Completed a two-month professional training at the investigative website taz.de
• Participated in a two-day Canva program organized by the American University.

6. Use of Funds

The funds for this period were used for rent, utilities, transportation, and health-related expenses. This financial support played a vital role in enabling my work during this time.

Siranush Sargsyan 

Email: sirane.sargsyan@gmail.com 

Report: May-October, 2024

Siranush Sargsyan

Thank you to all the individuals and organizations supporting me through the reArmenia platform, enabling me to continue this work. It’s quite challenging to bring topics related to Artsakh and Armenia to an international audience. Additionally, there are numerous and diverse issues faced by those forcibly displaced. In the absence of centralized solutions, we are forced to collaborate with various individuals and organizations to try and find solutions.

Since I don’t have a permanent job and mostly work as a volunteer, these months’ funds were used for rent, communal expenses, transportation, and health-related matters. Once again, I’m grateful for your support during this difficult time.

Articles and Journalistic Activities

I have prepared the following articles:

• In Newsweek, I published an article titled Reflections From a Forgotten Ethnic Cleansing where I shared my personal experiences related to the Artsakh war and forced displacement. This article was also translated into Armenian and published on Mediamax.
• I continued my collaboration with Armenian Weekly and published an article about Artsakh residents living in a remote Armenian village, Lernahovit.
• One year after displacement, I wrote an article on housing and other social-humanitarian issues facing Artsakh residents, which was translated into Spanish as well.
• I conducted an interview with genocide scholar Tessa Hoffman about a book on Artsakh and wrote about the book presentation event.
• With Hetq, I conducted a three-part investigative series on the explosion at a fuel depot near Stepanakert:
• Part 1
• Part 2
• Part 3
• I published an article on Persecution.org covering the same topic.

I wrote articles on missing persons during the war and the explosion, published on Step1 and For Rights.

Interviews and International Participation

During the reporting period, I gave interviews:

• To a Swiss news outlet about the destruction of Artsakh’s cultural monuments following forced displacement and blockade, and helped prepare the material.
• To a Portuguese media outlet about the issues arising from the blockade, Azerbaijani attacks, and forced displacement.
• With French-Armenian journalist Taline Oundjian, discussing the challenges faced by journalists covering the conflict and the problems of displaced people.
• With German journalist Antonina Grob, sharing the hardships of Artsakh and Armenian journalists covering these events. The interview was published on the Medium platform.
• With genocide scholar Tessa Hoffman for German media, which was published on three different platforms (links below).
• I gave an interview to Hetq about my research on the fuel depot explosion and to the Media Initiatives Center’s “Fact-Checked” program on the same topic.
• I also shared the story of displaced people’s collective memory on Kushane Chobanyan’s "SocPod" program.
• I contributed to an NPR radio program in the U.S., discussing the issues Artsakh residents face one year after forced displacement.
• During my visit to the U.S., I gave interviews to Glenn Beck, who has a multi-million audience, and to Jaco Booyens.
• I participated in a documentary called Faces of Persecution - Genocide 2.0 - Sizzle Reel.
• Lastly, a full-length documentary titled There Was, There Was Not, directed by Emily Mkrtchyan, featuring me, has been released.

In addition, I worked with foreign journalists, assisting them in conducting and translating interviews for leading publications in their respective countries. In the upcoming period, they will prepare a video report aimed at raising awareness about the issues of displaced people in Portugal and providing potential support.

Dutch journalists are preparing an investigative piece on the destruction of civilian structures in Stepanakert and the personal stories of the residents affected.

Meetings, Discussions as Speaker, Eyewitness

During this period, I participated in several important political, scientific, and social discussions where I spoke on the humanitarian issues faced by displaced people from Artsakh and their consequences.

1. On July 25, I participated in a closed discussion organized by SAVE ARMENIA with former and current American officials, as well as public figures, where I presented the events in Artsakh and the main needs of refugees. Both long-term and urgent actions to support the displaced were discussed.
2. On July 27, I spoke at the ASOF Scientific Conference, where the humanitarian challenges of forcibly displaced people from Nagorno-Karabakh and possible solutions were discussed.
3. On July 28, I spoke at APRI’s Annual Conference, discussing the issues of forced displacement from Nagorno-Karabakh.
4. In Goris, I gave a talk at the workshop organized by AGBU and the Ronak International Journalism Club, sharing my experience with aspiring journalists from Armenia.
5. I participated in the AIWA Conference in Yerevan, focusing on the employment and social integration challenges faced by displaced women from Artsakh.
6. In September, I was invited to the United States for meetings organized by Save Armenia and Save Persecuted Christians to present the situation one year after the ethnic cleansing in Artsakh to American political and social circles. The delegation included the Human Rights Defender of Artsakh, Ter-Hovhannes, relatives of victims of Azerbaijani crimes, and CFTJ members. During this visit, I gave interviews, links to which are mentioned above.

Charity and Support

During the reporting period, I focused more on generating connections established through various meetings and discussions.

As a result, support was provided to several families and displaced children, including covering several months of expenses for the "Dizak Art" center, which is involved in art and education.

Additionally, I assisted the center in fundraising for a summer educational camp for children, which took place in July.

I published separate posts on social media about nearly all the individuals featured in my articles, and we received responses regarding almost all the families. Most of the feedback came from our compatriots in the diaspora and other supportive individuals who expressed a desire to provide assistance and have already offered various forms of aid to those families.

I personally reached out to interested organizations and individuals, requesting their assistance for the aforementioned families.

I managed to organize the procurement of essential medications for twenty people injured in an explosion. Following the publications about the injured, one family received long-term business support.

As a result of these connections, we also managed to cover the surgical expenses of a mother who had lost two sons. I must admit that individual posts tend to receive responses, and families are provided with support. Attached are some of the posts that received responses.

As part of my research, I initiated the process of verifying data on the victims of the explosion. Over several days, I worked with the Office of the Human Rights Defender of Artsakh, contacting the families of all the victims to complete missing data. This effort aims to ensure that both the office and interested organizations can use the information in the future to provide support to the victims' families.

Professional Development

During this period, I participated in several professional courses and training sessions to strengthen my journalistic and investigative skills:

• A journalism course by The Armenian Project.
• A three-day investigative training by Hetq Media.
• Currently, I am undergoing professional training in Berlin at TAZ, an investigative site.

Report for March-May

Marut Vanyan

During this period, I continued my journalistic activity, cooperated with Caucasus Watch, The Armenian Mirror-Spectator, OC Media and Armenian media. Some of my articles were published in March, some in April-May. Considering that I have quite a large audience on X (13.6K), I try to put more emphasis on that platform, and I mainly post there about issues related to Artsakh and the people of Artsakh.

I have had meetings with various international experts and ambassadors interested in the subject of Artsakh, and tried to present the problems of the people of Artsakh. I cooperated with representatives of Armenian media organizations, participated in journalistic events organized by them, which were related to the problems of people forcibly displaced from Artsakh.

Below, please find my articles and posts.

https://caucasuswatch.de/en/insights/abandoned-to-their-fate-the-dim-future-of-karabakh-armenians.html

https://caucasuswatch.de/en/insights/the-daily-struggles-of-karabakh-armenians-in-their-new-home.html https://mirrorspectator.com/author/marut/

https://twitter.com/marutvanian

Attached, please also find the financial report