Haykuhi Harutyunyan

Developing Innovative Approaches to Sustain State Institutions for the Rule of Law

Ms. Haykuhi Harutyunyan is a human rights defender and lawyer, currently serving as chair of the Corruption Prevention Commission (CPC) of the Republic of Armenia, a newly established independent body that develops and implements the country’s corruption prevention policies. She previously led Protection of Rights without Borders, one of the most influential human rights organizations in Armenia. She has over 15 years of experience working with local and international civil society organizations on rule of law, judiciary, and human rights issues, including as a member of the Steering Committee of the Eastern Partnership Civil Society Forum from 2016 to 2019. She received the 2018 Universal Rights Award in the Access to Justice category for her work documenting human rights violations, assisting peaceful demonstrators, and identifying systemic police impunity. She was a 2018 Draper Hills Summer Fellow at Stanford University’s Center for Democracy, Development, and the Rule of Law and a 2011-2012 Hubert Humphrey Fellow at the University of Minnesota Law School’s Human Rights Center. During her fellowship, Ms. Harutyunyan analyzed and proposed innovative approaches for sustaining state institutions and guaranteeing that they uphold the rule of law.