Articles by Houry Mayissian

About Houry Mayissian (19 Articles)

Houry Mayissian is a communications professional with journalism and public relations experiences in Dubai, Beirut, and Sydney. She has studied European politics and society at the University of Oxford, specializing on the democratic reform process in Armenia as part of its European integration. Since Dec. 2012, she writes a monthly column titled "Building Bridges" for the Armenian Weekly.

A requiem sevice in memory of six-month-old Seryozha Avetisyan took place in Gyumri on Jan. 20. (Photo: Photolure/Hayk Baghdasaryan)

The Gyumri Killings: Beyond the Legal Arguments

Special for the Armenian Weekly More than a week since the Gyumri killings, the city and Armenia at large are still struggling to come to terms with the heinous crime that wiped out an entire family. As the massacre’s youngest victim, six-month-old Seryozha Avetisyan succumbed to his injuries on [more...]

January 20, 2015 // 18 Comments

Any person who has spent time in Armenia will have a story—or seven—to recount.

Armenia’s Changing Political Landscape

Special for the Armenian Weekly Armenia’s political landscape saw quite a few developments in the weeks following the resignation of former Prime Minister Tigran Sargsyan. The events that transpired served no other purpose than to reproduce the power of the ruling elite. However, a broader look [more...]

June 11, 2014 // 1 Comment

Thoughts on What It Means to Be Armenian

Special for the Armenian Weekly This year, we traveled to Beirut to celebrate Christmas with my family. It was a joyful time despite the stresses of frequent suicide bombings and already nerve-wracking traffic, compounded by the Syrian refugee crisis and holiday mayhem. We shared great laughs, [more...]

March 5, 2014 // 25 Comments

A Wake-Up Call for Armenia and the Diaspora

Two weeks ago a few hundred Armenian citizens and activists heeded to Shant Harutyunyan’s call for revolution. Armed with homemade explosives, batons, and rocks they started marching toward the Presidential Palace, clashing with police on the way. Harutyunyan and several of his followers were [more...]

November 22, 2013 // 49 Comments

Channeling Diasporan Entrepreneurship into Armenia

A recent World Bank report entitled, “Fostering Entrepreneurship in Armenia,” rated Armenia as having the highest level of entrepreneurial activity among the countries of the South Caucasus. This was due to a strong math and science foundation, according to the report, which also found that [more...]

October 18, 2013 // 4 Comments

Democracy, Sovereignty and Armenia’s Eurasian Path

As Armenia turns 22 this month, our country finds itself at a crossroads—perhaps the most defining one in its independent existence. After four years of negotiations with the European Union (EU) on the terms of an Association Agreement as part of the Eastern Partnership program, President Serge [more...]

September 12, 2013 // 13 Comments

One Soldier’s Tragedy, an Entire Nation’s Shame

“The citizens of the Republic of Armenia shall be under the protection of the Republic of Armenia within the territory of the Republic of Armenia and beyond its borders.” –Article 11.3, Constitution of the Republic of Armenia They say a picture is worth a thousand words. A few weeks [more...]

August 22, 2013 // 17 Comments

Zaruhi Petrosyan (L) has become a public face of domestic violence in Armenia.

Gariné’s House of Hope and Rebirth

Zaruhi Petrosyan, Mariam Gevorgyan, Maro Gulyan. Many of us have heard their names and their stories. They have become the public faces of domestic violence in Armenia, Zaruhi and Maro with their untimely and tragic deaths, Mariam with her courage to speak up and demand justice. Zaruhi Petrosyan [more...]

July 17, 2013 // 4 Comments

Two Weeks Ago in Armenia

“My friend, what is your name?” my husband asks the stranger sitting next to him on the bar. “Dikran,” the stranger responds, sipping his beer. “And what do you do my friend?” “I’m a criminal lawyer. I work as a bartender at another pub.” A pause. “Where are you from?” he asks [more...]

June 19, 2013 // 58 Comments

May 5 and Beyond: Continuing the Struggle

Yerevan residents go to the polls again on May 5 for municipal elections that are being widely viewed as a continuation of the February presidential elections and an important battlefront in the ongoing quest to weaken the ruling Republican Party’s monopoly on power. However, the state of affairs [more...]

May 2, 2013 // 0 Comments

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