LOS ANGELES — On October 17, 2023, Turkish Armenian politician and human rights advocate Garo Paylan delivered a seminal lecture at UCLA entitled Armenian Rebirth: The Last Plight. The lecture coincided with Mr. Paylan’s visit to the United States and followed a lecture at the University of California, Irvine.
Hosted by the Promise Armenian Institute at UCLA in partnership with the Center for Truth & Justice, the lecture was co-sponsored by the UCLA Armenian Student’s Association, the Promise Institute for Human Rights at UCLA School of Law, the UCLA Luskin Center for History and Policy, and the National Association for Armenian Studies and Research.
As founding member of the People’s Democratic Party (HDP) in Turkey, Garo Paylan achieved international acclaim as a Turkish-Armenian human rights defender and advocate for multicultural coexistence after his successful election into the Grand National Assembly of Turkey.
Mr. Paylan was introduced to the stage by Professor Ann R. Karagozian, Distinguished Professor of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at UCLA and Inaugural Director of the Promise Armenian Institute at UCLA. Professor Karagozian, a noted scholar and educator in Armenian studies, lauded the achievements of Garo Paylan and his commitment to human rights.
In the context of the recent forceful expulsion and ethnic cleansing of the indigenous inhabitants of Artsakh Republic by the Republic of Azerbaijan, Garo Paylan’s dynamic discussion focused on relevant factors threatening the existence of Armenians in their indigenous homeland. The Republic of Artsakh, Armenian sovereignty, diaspora relations, and the maintenance of the territorial integrity of the Republic of Armenia were among the topics discussed during the lecture.
The lecture concluded with a question-answer forum from students and attendees that included discussions about Armenian foreign policy with regional interests in the Caucuses and Asia Minor. Afterwards, the Promise Armenian Institute hosted an informal meet-and-greet with the Mr. Paylan.
by Levon Karamanoukian.
Levon is a student in Los Angeles with an interest in digital archaeology and political science.
