Hobhannes Asrian, LL.M. '93, returned to his native Armenia last Fall where he is currently serving as Chief Counsel for the Armenian Parliament's Standing Committee on Human Rights. Asrian spent a year in the Washington College of Law's (WCL) International Legal Studies Program focusing on the international protection of human rights. As part of his responsibilities as Chief Counsel, Asrian helps draft legislation designed to extend internationally recognized human rights to the people of Armenia. He also reviews draft legislation proposed by other committees to ensure that they do not infringe on such rights, and prepares government statements and initiates public discussions on particular human rights issues.
Recently, Asrian helped to successfully defend the opposition newspaper Golos Armeniiagainst litigation initiated by the government in its effort to close down the paper. Asrian describes his role as defense counsel in the case as "very fulfilling," though he noted that it did not particularly endear him to his government colleagues. His activities, in fact, caused a great deal of problems in his work with the Parliament, he recalls. Nonetheless, Asrian considers the outcome well worth the price. He views the newspaper's continued publication as a clear indication that civil society and the protection of individual liberties have triumphed in Armenia.
In addition to his litigation work and involvement in Parliament, Asrian recently published a booklet in Armenian entitled "Human Rights in the Modern World." Asrian's future plans are presently vague due to the unsettled political situation in Armenia. Presently, there is an ongoing debate among the political elites as to the method of adopting the country's new constitution. According to Asrian, the outcome of this debate could determine the direction of his personal career.
According to Asrian, the knowledge he gained during his time at WCL was extremely
valuable.
In particular, Asrian believes that the understanding of international human rights he acquired
during his studies at WCL was instrumental to the defense of the Golos Armenii.
Asrian
considers this success as a victory also for the WCL LL.M. program as it exemplifies the
excellence in education offered at the Washington College of Law.
©Copyright 1994 The Human Rights Brief
Next Article
Previous Article
Return to this issue's Table of Contents
Return to The Human Rights Brief Home Page