Mary Asatryan is an international relations specialist. She was born in Armenia, raised in Moscow, Russia. Upon graduating from school, she left for Europe to pursue her higher education. She completed a M.Sc. in European Politics and Policies at KU Leuven (Leuven, Belgium), as well as M.A. in EU International relations and diplomacy at the College of Europe (Bruges, Belgium).

Along with international education, she has obtained experience of working at such reputable international organisations, as the UN, the OSCE, Council of Europe, Transparency International, USAID. In 2021, she successfully completed a 6-month internship at the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) in Strasbourg, working on the release of the Armenian POWs and international condemnation of Azerbaijan’s war crimes committed during the 2020 Artsakh war. Most recently, before joining the «iGorts» Program, Mary worked for the Risk Advisory Consultancy Group’s representation in Moscow in the department of corporate investigation of political and business corruption in Eastern Europe and South Caucasus.

With the determination to contribute to the advancement and protection of fundamental human rights of Artsakh people, Mary repatriated to Artsakh and joined the Human Rights Defender’s Office of the Republic of Artsakh. Currently she is working on documenting, researching and raising awareness, both internationally and locally, about the human rights situation in Artsakh.

Andranik Ozanian once said: «Every day, before laying your head on your pillow and going to bed, remember what you did for your nation that day.» This is Mary’s life motto.

iGorts Placement: Human Rights Ombudsman of the Republic of Artsakh