HYESTART IS SYNONYMOUS WITH UNFILTERED COMMITMENT
 “Au-revoir, Piaf” by Aram Pachyan (Parenthèses Pub.) was the first book whose translation was financed thanks to Hyestart & the Vartanush Krikorian Fund for Armenian Literature & Freedom of Expression. Aram Pachyan was the first Armenian author to receive the EU Prize for Literature in 2021. |  On 19.9.24, the first anniversary of the ethnic cleansing of Nagorno-Karabakh, the City of Geneva, true to its long humanitarian tradition, called for the "unconditional release" of the 23 Armenian prisoners unjustly held by Azerbaijan. Hyestart is strongly committed to the liberation of Armenian POWs as part of the Libertas campaign. See the press release of 19.9.24 below. |  Thanks to the support of the Hagop D. Topalian Foundation, Armenia has a stand at the Geneva Book Fair. Hyestart is responsible for the programming of the Armenian stand. Here, "l'affiche rouge" (nazi propaganda poster aimed at discrediting the resistance fighters of the Manouchian group), which was used as a poster for the 2024 program: "Résistance(s)". |  "Armenian Diaspora(s) in Motion". International Symposium co-organized and supported by Hyestart at the Condorcet Campus in Paris in 2024. |  Asli Erdogan at the Hyestart Conference on Freedom of Expression in Turkey (Geneva). |  Publisher Ragip Zarakolu (Honorary Member of Hyestart) at the Armenian Genocide Memorial (Geneva). Copyright: Demir Sönmez. |
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 Alain Navarra (President of Hyestart) speaking at the Lugano Human Rights Film Festival |
WHO ARE WE
From our origins to today
Since its inception, Hyestart has been committed to democracy and human rights in Armenia and Turkey. Our vision of a democratic Turkey that recognizes the Armenian Genocide—which is essential for a peaceful region that respects human rights—has not changed.
The urgency of Nagorno-Karabakh
The 44-day war of unprecedented violence that began in September 2020 against the Republic of Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) forced us to adapt. Hyestart then started to promote the right of the people of Artsakh to self-determination—the only means of preventing ethnic cleansing. Genocide experts such as Luis Moreno Ocampo, the first prosecutor of the ICC, and the Lemkin Institute for Genocide Prevention have denounced the ongoing genocide.
Despite the possibility of prevention by the international community, the ethnic cleansing of Artsakh occurred tragically in September 2023. This humanitarian catastrophe, planned by Azerbaijan, followed an illegal and inhumane nine-month siege that deprived 120,000 people of food, medicine, and energy as part of a genocidal campaign.
"The three-year Turkish-Azerbaijani war in the Caucasus can be analyzed as a deliberate attempt to destroy the psychological and moral resilience of a people who survived the first genocide of the 20th century."
—Vincent Duclerc, Historian, 2023
This analysis aligns with the European Parliament's resolution of March 10, 2022, which denounced a state policy of systematic Armenophobia, historical revisionism, and hatred towards Armenians promoted by the Azerbaijani authorities, particularly through dehumanization, glorification of violence, and territorial claims against the Republic of Armenia, which threaten peace and security in the South Caucasus."
Our commitment today
In the face of this injustice, Hayastan acts on several fronts:
- Advocacy with international institutions for the right of return of the 120,000 displaced people from Artsakh
- Documentation and denunciation of the destruction of millennia-old Armenian heritage, including churches, monasteries, and khachkars, by Azerbaijan
- Public awareness campaigns at cultural events, such as the Geneva Book Fair
- Support for human rights defense initiatives
- Mobilization for the release of Armenian prisoners of war illegally detained by Azerbaijan
Obtaining justice for the people of Artsakh will be a long and arduous journey: justice for the crimes committed, the right to return with dignity and security, and the preservation of memory and Armenian cultural heritage. Hyestart is fully engaged in this quest alongside the victims and all those who refuse impunity.
Through its bilingual blog and in-depth analyses, Hyestart positions itself as a think tank that sheds light on the geopolitical, historical, and humanitarian issues of the South Caucasus region.
Geneva Book Fair
Inform a wide audience about issues related to Armenia and Artsakh & about Armenian literature and culture (Armenian stand)
Advocacy
Promoting human rights in Armenia and Turkey, the right to self-determination of the people of Artsakh and the fight against State-sponsored racism.
HYESTART IN THE PRESS
