Pilot Program: Healing Through Testimonies

Initiated by the Diocese of Artsakh of the Armenian Apostolic Church (AAC), a pilot yet significant program entitled “Healing Through Testimonies” is being launched. The goal of this initiative is to help forcibly displaced Armenians from Artsakh achieve inner peace by truthfully sharing their pain and suffering, and to reflect on steps and conditions for the future, including the possibility of returning to Artsakh.

The first meeting between forcibly displaced individuals from Artsakh and the documentation committee that will be hearing their testimonies took place in Yerevan on June 2. His Grace Bishop Vrtanes Abrahamyan, Primate of the Diocese of Artsakh, delivered the opening remarks, stressing the humanitarian, spiritual, and cultural importance of the initiative. He emphasized that the program bears no political agenda or content. All testimonies and recorded conversations will remain confidential and will not be published without the explicit consent of the participants.

The Primate expressed his gratitude to the participants who agreed to be interviewed and introduced the members of the commission—Gassia Apkarian, founder of the Center for Truth and Justice in California, and Jonathan Spangenberg, Chair of the Central Council of Armenians in Germany and a human rights advocate. He noted that “they were chosen for their exceptional expertise, independence, and profound respect for the dignity of those who have suffered. Their presence ensures that our voices will be heard with dignity and due regard.” Bishop Vrtanes Abrahamyan extended his appreciation to Luis Moreno Ocampo and Artak Beglaryan for coordinating the process. “With their support, the International Center for Transitional Justice and the Afeyan Foundation are providing us with critical advisory assistance. Their representatives will also observe the implementation of the program,” he added. Following the introductions, Gassia Apkarian and Jonathan Spangenberg, together with the Primate, listened to the testimonies, asked questions, and shared their observations and approaches regarding the initiative. Observers of the program included Artak Beglaryan, Talar Kazanjian, and Maria Abrahamyan. The Diocese also extended its thanks to Bars Media for documenting the event and to the USC Shoah Foundation for its support.