Human Rights Defender Kristine Grigoryan Submits Resignation

The Defender has submitted a resignation letter to the National Assembly due to changing jobs.

Human Rights Defender Kristine Grigoryan officially submitted her resignation letter to the National Assembly on January 23 this year, in accordance with the established legislative procedures. According to the law, the Defender's powers cease no later than one week after the resignation letter is submitted, unless a second resignation is submitted.

Ms. Grigoryan will publicly inform the community about her new job at the appropriate time and will refrain from any comments on the subject in the meantime.

Kristine Grigoryan has endeavored to carry out the mission of the Human Rights Defender in an impartial manner, with great responsibility and dedication, remaining true to the oath taken in the National Assembly.

The Defender expresses first and foremost her gratitude to the women and men working within the institution for their high awareness of the institution's mission, personal dedication, and the quality professional support she received during her tenure.

For her part, the Defender has made every effort to enhance the institutional development and resilience of the institution during transitional and crisis situations.

Kristine Grigoryan extends her gratitude to the Speaker of the National Assembly, the deputies, the factions, and the committees for their high-level cooperation. As a parliamentary defender, the support from the National Assembly and the willingness to discuss sensitive issues have been extremely important for the proper implementation of the institution's mission.

The Defender also thanks the Prime Minister, government members, the bodies under the Prime Minister and the government, local self-government bodies, and community employees, as well as constitutional autonomous bodies for their effective cooperation.

The Defender expresses her gratitude to representatives of civil society, human rights defenders, and journalists with whom she has had the honor to work during this time. Their human rights advocacy and the extent to which a favorable environment has been created for this is of paramount importance for the democratic development of our country.

Kristine Grigoryan also thanks the heads and staff of international organizations and diplomatic missions accredited in Armenia for their partnership and trust, as well as for the high evaluation of the institution’s role and encouragement during this time.

The Defender significantly expresses her gratitude to all those who have approached the Defender’s institution for assistance on various rights protection issues, for their trust and the often expressed evaluations. Regardless of the nature of those evaluations, they have all provided substantial support for the development of the institution during this time.

Taking this opportunity, the Defender publicly thanks her family and friends for their patience, encouragement, and unwavering support.

Note: In the case of an early termination of the Defender's powers based on the resignation, the Defender will publish and submit to the National Assembly a summary report concerning the activities carried out during the interval from the submission of her forthcoming annual report until the submission of the resignation. The report will be presented along with the second resignation letter.

This information is provided by the Office of the Human Rights Defender of the Republic of Armenia.