Tuesday, October 17, 2023, at 10:00pm Eastern/7:00pm Pacific

In-Person at the UCLA Mong Learning Center, 404 Westwood Plaza (Engineering VI Building), Los Angeles, CA

On the UCLA Promise Armenian Institute YouTube channel.

FEATURED GUEST
GARO PAYLAN

Join us for an evening with Garo Paylan, a leading opposition voice and a human rights defender in Turkey, as he addresses the recent blockade of the Lachin Corridor, the military attack by Azerbaijan, and resulting ethnic cleansing of the entirety of Artsakh/Nagorno-Karabakh, ongoing acts of genocide, and potential steps moving forward.

Garo Paylan served in the Turkish parliament for 8 years, from 2015 to June 2023, and is internationally recognized for his struggle for democracy and minority rights in Turkey, as well as his support for peace in the Caucasus.

Paylan was among the very few Armenians to be elected to the Turkish parliament and was the first lawmaker to submit an amendment for the recognition of the Armenian genocide in Turkey. He continued to highlight the need for Turkey to face this historic tragedy throughout the time he served in the parliament but was legally prosecuted for his amendments and statements.

He has been a vocal critic of discrimination against Turkey’s Christian and Jewish minorities and has consistently used his public position to highlight abuses and policies that affected minority communities.

Prior to entering parliament, Paylan served as a coordinator for Armenian schools in Turkey and is among the founders of “Friends of Hrant Dink” – a group that has sought justice for the 2007 killing of the Armenian journalist and has been organizing commemorations for the Armenian genocide.

Garo Paylan is widely recognized as one of Turkey’s leading democracy advocates and has been the recipient of several international awards for his work on democracy.

ORGANIZER
Promise Armenian Institute at UCLA, in partnership with the Center for Truth and Justice

CO-SPONSORS
Armenian Students' Association at UCLA
Promise Institute for Human Rights at UCLA School of Law
UCLA Luskin Center for History and Policy
National Association for Armenian Studies and Research (NAASR)