Today, on the 31st of May, the Union of Informed Citizens NGO and Freedom House collaborated to organize the Armenian Forum For Democracy, an event focused on the theme “Defending Democracy: Safeguarding Rights Amid National Security Challenges.” It aimed to unite the stakeholders of the political society, RA state bodies, mass media representatives, and diplomatic and expert communities to jointly analyze and discuss the urgent issues facing democratic reforms in Armenia in the presence of current security challenges. Lilit Martirosyan, the president of Right Side human rights NGO, was also invited to the forum. 

Attendees were welcomed with opening remarks from Armenian prime minister Nikol Pashinyan as well as from Ambassador Andrea Wiktorin, head of the European Union’s delegation to Armenia, and Marc Behrendt, director for Europe and Eurasia programs at Freedom House. During the forum’s “Promoting and Protecting Human Rights in a Complex Security Environment” panel discussion, Marc Behrendt, the Regional Director for Europe and Eurasia Programs at Freedom House, delivered a speech about different challenges of Armenia, where he mentioned the documented cases of violence against transgender individuals detailed in the legal report of the Right Side human rights defender NGO. 

The Right Side NGO gives importance to the organization of the Armenian Forum For Democracy, where, among other challenges, the problems of the beneficiaries of the Right Side NGO are raised and the next steps necessary to solve these problems are discussed. Supporting Trans and LGBIQ individuals is an integral part of strengthening democracy and establishing legal equality in Armenia and the Right Side NGO will continue to document the cases of violence and discrimination against Trans and LGBIQ people, and raise our voice about them on national and international platforms, until every individual is treated with dignity and respect, regardless of their sexual orientation or gender identity. 

May 31, 2023 Armenia, Yerevan