YEREVAN — The U.S. Embassy in Yerevan gave on Tuesday a posthumous award to Amalia Kostanian, Armenia’s most prominent anti-corruption campaigner who unexpectedly died last September, for what it described as her “decade-long crusade to promote accountable and transparent governance.”
U.S. Ambassador Marie Yovanovitch presented the Embassy’s annual Woman of Courage Award at a ceremony attended by Armenian government officials and civil society members. She paid tribute to Kostanian’s “persistence and dedication to Armenia’s development and democratization which exemplified honor and patriotism of the highest order.”
“Her life’s purpose was to inspire in each one of us the responsibility to tackle corruption and the hope that we could make a difference,” Yovanovitch said.
“The best way to remember Amalia is to do better and to do more in the fight against corruption … She lives on in the many who continue her call for a more just and democratic society,” she added.
Kostanian, 50, was the founding chairwoman of the Anti-Corruption Center (ACC), the Armenian affiliate of the Berlin-based Transparency International that has earned domestic and international acclaim for its efforts to expose and fight against government corruption.
Kostanian was a vocal critic of bribery, nepotism and other corrupt practices that remain widespread in Armenia. She and other ACC activists repeatedly questioned successive Armenian governments’ state efforts to tackle the problem.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Sign Up for Our Newsletters

Get notified of the latest updates from MassisPost.

You May Also Like

Armenian Genocide Monument Desecrated in France

PARIS — The Armenian associations in Vienne, France, have issued a statement…

‘Make These Mafiosos Richer’: Yerevan Street Traders Blocked Yerevan City, SAS Supermarkets

epress.am Yerevan’s street vendors held the next round of protests in front…

Armenia and Artsakh Refute Azeri Claims of Capturing ‘Armenian Saboteur’

YEREVAN — Spokesperson of Armenia’s defense minister Artsrun Hovhannisyan ridiculed the authenticity…

Manchester United Fans Send Heartfelt Open Letter to Henrikh Mkhitaryan

Manchester United fans have penned a heartfelt open letter to Henrikh Mkhitaryan…