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Armenian Newsroom

Teenage girls, aged 16-17, displaced from Nagorno-Karabakh (Artsakh) to Armenia, are participating in The Essential Journalism Course, a project managed by the Oxford School for the Future of Journalism (OXSFJ) in partnership with the Women’s Fund in Armenia.

The students attend weekly journalism classes in English taught by OXSFJ tutors in Yerevan, the capital of Armenia. The hybrid course is delivered online and in-person by OXSFJ tutors Tatev Hovhannisyan and Lucy Martirosyan.

Contributors

Anita

Stepanyan

Contributor

Yerevan, Armenia

Nare

Arushanyan

Contributor

Yerevan, Armenia

Alyona

Sargsyan

Contributor

Armavir, Armenia

Project editor

Maria

Mitko

Human Rights Section Editor 2024

Warsaw, Poland

Alumni

Laura

Danielyan

Contributor

Yerevan, Armenia

Lana

Tonyan

Contributor

Yerevan, Armenia

Featured article:

women's desk

When the world was silent, these Artsakh mothers spoke out

Azerbaijan began its nearly ten-month blockade on 12 December 2022, when it cut access to the Lachin Corridor, known among Artsakh residents as ‘The Road of Life’, as it is the only route connecting their ancestral homeland to Armenia and the outside world.

18-year-old Alyona Sargsyan shines a light on refugee women’s fight for their rights

women's desk

‘I want the world to hear our story’: The hope of Artsakh’s displaced

During the blockade, schools were forced to close due to a lack of funding, food, gas or electricity. Children’s right to education was undermined, and the number of deaths increased. Despite these inhumane conditions, young people did everything to be useful to their homeland; the desire to live and preserve our homeland was above all. One of those was Gaya Sargsyan – now aged 30 – who gathered other young volunteers to hand out food and aid during the blockade

18-year-old Laura Danielyan talks to youth leader Gaya Sargsyan about the pain of the Artsakh blockade

women's desk

My experience as a teenage refugee from Artsakh

Post-war life changed the person I am. It makes you question your whole existence; you appear to be in an identity crisis, which is even worse when everyone around you is in trauma. But I don’t want to identify myself with that devastating experience. Rather, when I think about Artsakh, I remember the warm and happy years that I spent there

18-year-old Lana Tonyan shares the trauma of fleeing her homeland to a new life in Armenia

women's desk

Armenia’s new domestic violence legislation is good, but not good enough

In Armenia, as in many parts of the world, real progress against domestic violence requires both legislative action and societal change. Strengthening legal definitions, expanding victim protections, challenging gender norms and increasing support for survivors are all essential steps in Armenia’s ongoing journey toward a safer society

17-year-old Nare Arushanyan interviews the head of Armenia’s leading domestic violence support group

women's desk

Refugee women in Armenia build community through knitting

The Shuhel group, supported by the feminist peacebuilding NGO Women’s Center Shushi in Yerevan, provides a space for refugee women to build community and knit, sew, embroider and sell their handcrafted quilts, jewellery, and other goods

18-year-old Alyona Sargsyan explains how an initiative in Yerevan offers a safe space for women

society

How Armenian teens have adjusted to a new life, a year after fleeing home

Almost one year ago, in September 2023, the disputed region of Nagorno-Karabakh, home to a significant Armenian population, fell under Azerbaijani control, prompting a mass exodus of more than 100,000 ethnic Armenians to Armenia. Five refugee girls now living in Yerevan share what has the past year been like

15 year-old Charlotte Wejchert interviews five refugees from Nagorno-Karabakh, now living in Yerevan

society

Meet five Harbingers’ students displaced from Nagorno-Karabakh to Armenia

To “highlight the wealth that has been lost,” five teenage girls who fled Artsakh in the autumn of 2023 have joined the Armenian Newsroom of Harbingers’ Magazine

17 year-old Maria Mitko explains the background to Harbingers’ new Armenian newsroom

politics

Many young Armenians dissatisfied with current government, but see no real alternative

Harbingers’ asked 60 people aged 18-25 from different regions of Armenia a series of questions about the anti-government protests in the country between April and June

17 year-old Lana Tonyan and 16 year-old Anita Stepanyan report on the recent anti-government protests in Armenia

politics

Bangladesh’s prime minister resigns and flees the country after violent protests

Student protesters succeeded in ousting Bangladesh’s longest-serving prime minister, Sheikh Hasina, last month, after weeks of violent and deadly clashes with security forces

17 year-old Nare Arushanyan explains the recent protests in Bangladesh and their aftermath

opinion

How ‘nosy’ Armenians made my trip unforgettable

Armenians take pride in being ‘nosy’ – and that’s a good thing. Let me explain why. This eagerness to engage created a welcoming atmosphere making an unknown place less daunting

15 year-old Charlotte Wejchert on her contrasting experiences in Yerevan and New York City

society

Armenia’s annual wine festival features producers from Artsakh

The festival acts as an important space to represent Artsakhian culture and significance. Among the wine-making producers were companies originating from the disputed region of Artsakh

17 year-old Laura Danielyan reports on Yerevan’s annual Wine Days festival

society

Dreaming of home: How Armenian teenagers navigate the exodus and loss of Nagorno-Karabakh

Through interviews, the impact of the humanitarian catastrophe on children, young people and families culminated in a shared dream to someday return to their homelands

16 year-old Jefferson He chronicles the humanitarian crisis in Armenia, from the takeover of Nagorno-Karabakh (Artsakh), and its profound impact on the youth

politics

Another Generation of War in Armenia. Living Everyday to the Fullest

In my village, we can hear any movements in the Azerbaijani military position. Such a close presence of the adversary army has negatively affected the mental state of the villagers, especially the young

Syuzanna Gyumshudyan examines the mental health of her peers two years after the bloody war over Nagorno Karabakh