Hyestart was founded under the premises that:

 

• Free and fair elections, greater respect for the rule of law and human rights in Armenia and neighboring countries, notably in Turkey, are necessary for the establishment of democratic societies that respect the dignity of their inhabitants and societies in which inhabitants are free to express themselves and choose how they live without fear of violence or discrimination;

• The development of artistic freedoms with a social and political dimension promotes the emergence of more open, free, mature and autonomous societies;

• Building societies that are more respectful of human rights, moving forward while looking to their past based on values such as truth, will promote reconciliation and peace in the region;

• The community of destiny between Armenia and the Diaspora must be based on democratic values and respect for human rights.

We are an independent and unique organisation founded by Alain Navarra and Alexis Krikorian:

 

• We have chosen to focus our work on minority rights, artistic freedoms and freedom of expression in Armenia and neighbouring countries, notably in Turkey, because our expertise covers both these countries and these rights and this region has a real deficit in this area.

• Beyond the defense of human rights alone, we have elected to go one step further in supporting socially-challenging and politically-meaningful contemporary artistic creativity (i.e. which concerns the citizen) in Armenia and the region.

• We have no political affiliation and are independent of any government, religion or political persuasion.

• In light of the aforementioned, we are truly unique.

 

Hyestart is an association established and registered in Geneva, Switzerland in 2016.