PRESS RELEASE
April 29, 2005
American University of Armenia Corporation
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Telephone: (510) 987-9452
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Contact: Gohar Momjian
E-mail: [email protected]
AUA Hosts Human Rights Legal Expert Dr. Alfred de Zayas
Yerevan – On April 22, 2005, AUA’s School of Political Science and
International Affairs hosted a public lecture by Dr. Alfred de Zayas,
historian and prominent expert in international and human rights law,
entitled “International Law and the Armenian Genocide.’
Dr. Alfred de Zayas, who has had a distinguished career spanning 20 years in
the United Nations, and in his most recent position was the Senior Human
Rights Officer at the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights from
2000 to 2003, has published an in-depth report on the applicability of the
United Nations Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of
Genocide to the Armenian Genocide.
According to Zayas, a determination of the crime of Genocide by the
International Court of Justice would facilitate the settlement of claims for
restitution, including the identification of cultural and other properties
confiscated and destroyed…that should be returned to their legal owners, the
Armenian people and the Armenian Church.
`A first step is the necessary recognition by Turkey of the historical
reality of the Genocide and of its responsibility as the successor state to
the Ottoman Empire. For as long as Turkey persists in its policy of
negation, it has no place in the community of European States ‘ said Zayas.
`Laws do not get implemented by themselves. You need state organs to
implement them. In the International Court of Justice, those organs are the
European Union, the Council of Europe, European Court of Human Rights, and
the United Nations.’ Dr. Zayas is currently a visiting professor of law at
universities in the United States, Canada, Switzerland, and Spain.
AUA’s Graduate School of Political Science and International Affairs offers
students a variety of courses dealing with the political environment of the
21st Century. The School’s primary focus is to provide analytical, reasoning
and problem solving skills through the study of international, comparative,
and domestic governmental institutions and processes. The Master of
Political Science and International Affairs aims to provide students with
the knowledge and perspectives needed to function effectively in public
service, the private sector and as responsible citizens.
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The American University of Armenia is registered as a non-profit educational
organization in both Armenia and the United States and is affiliated with
the Regents of the University of California. Receiving major support from
the AGBU, AUA offers instruction leading to the Masters Degree in eight
graduate programs. For more information about AUA, visit
Photo: Dr. Alfred de Zayas speaks at AUA.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress