Human Rights in Unrecognized and Partially Recognized States: Charting a Path Forward

Symposium

Human Rights in Unrecognized and Partially Recognized States: 

Charting a Path Forward

Panel Schedule

Saturday, May 18, 2024

Introductory Remarks:  9:00 – 9:10 am

Lucy Varpetian, Chairwoman, Armenian Bar Association

Michael M. Epstein, Professor, Southwestern Law School and Editor, Journal of International Media & Entertainment Law

Panel One: 9 :10 – 10:20 am

Sheila Paylan and Lusine Sargsyan

Putting Remedial Secession Back on the Table to Reverse the Ethnic Cleansing of Nagorno-Karabakh

E. Prema and OV Ragul

Persistent Conundrums: Examining the Prolonged Existence of Non-Recognized Entities in the Post-Soviet Landscape and Beyond, with Special Reference to Nagorno-Karabakh

Moderator: Dr. Kevork Hagopjian, Ph.D. in International Law

Panel Two: 10:30 – 11:40 am  

Andrei Richter

The Right to Truthful Information on Human Rights Violation in Unrecognized Territories

Gurgen Petrossian

Persecution as Crimes against humanity in the Context of the Nagorno-Karabakh Conflict

Moderator: Michael M. Epstein

Panel Three:  11:50 am – 1:00 pm 

Irene V. Massimino and Karnig Kerkonian

National Jurisdictions’ Mechanisms for Enforcing Fundamental Rights

Patricio Barbirotto

On Non-Recognized States Citizenship and Human Rights

Moderator: Judge Armenui Amy Ashvanian, California Superior Court, Los Angeles County

Lunch:  1:00 – 2:00 pm

Professor Rajika Shah, Director, Loyola Justice for Atrocities Clinic, 

Advocating for an Ethnic Armenian Presence in Nagorno-Karabakh

Panel Four: 2:00 – 3:10 pm

Davit Avagyan

From Principles to Practice: Resolving the Perceived Conflict Between Territorial Integrity and Self-Determination in International Law

Ivan Levy and Maria Belen Paoletta

(Un)Recognized Issues in International Law?

Moderator: Armen K. Hovannisian

Closing Remarks: 3:10-3:15 pm

Lucy Varpetian, Chairwoman, Armenian Bar Association

Panel Speakers

Davit Avagyan

Davit Avagyan is a Los Angeles based attorney who represents clients in high-stakes appellate and trial litigation. Davit graduated from the University of Notre Dame Law School, where he interned for the Human Rights Ombudsman of the Republic of Artsakh and was a member of the Journal of International and Comparative Law.

Patricio Barbirotto, is a researcher in international law at Ca’ Foscari University of Venice (Italy), holds a PhD in international law from the same university and a PhD in regional governance from Astrakhan State University (Russia). His research interests include IL in the former Soviet space, the interaction between public and private subjects, and regional integration law. He provides consultation to public institutions and private enterprises.

Patricio Barbirotto

Patricio Barbirotto – I am a researcher in international law at Ca’ Foscari University of Venice (Italy), and I hold a PhD in international law from the same university and a PhD in regional governance from Astrakhan State University (Russia). My research interests include IL in the former Soviet space, the interaction between public and private subjects, and regional integration law. I provide consultation to public institutions and private enterprises.

Karnig Kerkonian

Karnig Kerkonian is an international lawyer with over 24 years of experience in legal cases  involving foreign states, international law, human rights, and sanctions regimes. Mr.  Kerkonian has been lead counsel in a number of notable Armenian rights cases in U.S. and  international courts, including precedent-setting matters against Turkey, Azerbaijan, and  Iraq, including before the U.N. Human Rights Committee, the European Court of Human  Rights, and U.S. federal courts. He is lead counsel in international efforts to secure the  integrity of the Armenian Quarter of Jerusalem and in matters to seek accountability and  protection against the appropriation of Armenian cultural heritage. Mr. Kerkonian holds an  A.B. magna cum laude in government international legal theory from Harvard University, two  law degrees—a J.D. from the University of Chicago, where he served on the Law Review, and  a post-graduate Diploma in International Law from Cambridge University, England, where he  studied under James R. Crawford, former Judge on the International Court of Justice, and an  Honorary Doctorate from Artsakh State University where he has served as an Adjunct  Professor of International Law.

Iván Levy

Iván Levy ([email protected]) is an Argentine-US trained attorney who holds an LL.M. from Columbia Law School. He actively practices in the field of international investment arbitration advising upon a variety of proceedings, including those governed by the LCIA, ICC, ICSID and PCA rules. He also co-teaches a course in Public International Law at the University of Buenos Aires Law School. 

In his career, he has been awarded several prizes and scholarships, including the first place in the Willem C. Vis Moot 2016 (Vienna) and the prestigious Fulbright Scholarship.

Irene Victoria Massimino

Irene Victoria Massimino. Lawyer specialized in human rights and international criminal law with over 12 years of experience in international law cases. Juris Doctor, Universidad Nacional de La Plata, Argentina; LLM, Indiana University, USA; MA in Human Rights, University of London, UK; SJD Candidate, Indiana University, USA. Former High Criminal Court Rapporteur, Argentina (several of her draft rulings became leading jurisprudence and were internationally recognized for their contribution to human rights). Member of international investigative delegations and trial observation missions in Iraq and Colombia. Adjunct Professor in International Law, Comparative Law and Genocide and the Law, USA. Member of several national and international non-governmental organizations (IAGS, ASIL, MPSA, LSA, Colombian Caravana-UK Lawyers Group, World Association of Armenian Lawyers). Former co-founding President of the Lemkin Institute for Genocide Prevention (LIGP).

Sheila Paylan

Sheila Paylan is an international human rights lawyer and former legal advisor to the United Nations for over 15 years. Now based in Yerevan, she regularly consults for a variety of international organizations, NGOs, think tanks, and governments.

Dr Gurgen Petrossian

Dr Gurgen Petrossian, LLM (Heidelberg), is a Senior Officer for International Criminal Law at the International Nuremberg Principles Academy. He holds teaching positions at Universities Erlangen-Nürnberg, Eichstätt-Ingolstadt and Yerevan State. Dr Petrossian advised companies and states on international law and human rights law.

Ragul Ov

Ragul Ov is an Advocate at the Madras High Court. He is a graduate of VIT School of Law, VIT Chennai, which he completed with honors. His areas of contraction are Public International Law and Constitution of India. 

Dr. E. Prema

Dr. E. Prema is Assistant Dean & Associate Professor at VIT School of Law, Vellore Institute of Technology, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, from 2016. She specializes in International Law, Constitutional Law.

Andrei Richter 

Andrei Richter is Professor of Media Studies at Comenius University in Bratislava and Visiting Professor of Russian Studies at Charles University in Prague. He regularly consults the UN, UNESCO, OSCE, Council of Europe and EU institutions as an expert on media freedom and regulation. 

Lusine Sargsyan

Lusine Sargsyan holds an MSc in Human Rights with a focus on public international law from LSE, and a BA in English and Communications with a minor in Philosophy, Politics and Economics from AUA. Her experience ranges from producing analysis on human rights issues in Armenia for EVN Report, research for the development of a transitional justice agenda for the Government, and employment at Armenia’s Constitutional Court, Center for Truth and Justice, and the UN.