Maria Karapetyan
Maria Karapetyan (born 20 February 1988) is an Armenian politician and a member of the National Assembly of Armenia for the Civil Contract. She has worked as a teacher at the Quality Schools International in Yerevan and was elected to parliament in 2018. She is a feminist and known for her support of the Armenian LGBT community.[1]
Early life and education
[edit]Maria Karapetyan was born on 20 February 1988 in Vanadzor, Soviet Armenia. She studied Intercultural Communication at the Yerevan Brusov State University from where she earned a bachelor's degree in 2008 and a master's degree in 2010.[2] She then moved to Rome, Italy, where she studied International Cooperation, Human Rights and Policy of the European Union at the University of Rome between 2013 and 2015.[1][2] At the same time, she was also accepted as a student of the Cittadella della Pace in Rondine, Arrezzo.[3]
Professional career
[edit]After she obtained her BA, she worked as a teacher at the Quality Schools International in Yerevan from 2008 until 2013.[2] Between 2011 and 2018 she took part in the editorial board for the Journal of Conflict Transformation's Caucasus Edition.[4]
Political career
[edit]Karapetyan's political activism began with her opposition to Serge Sargsyan. At night, together with a group of political activists she sprayed the slogan Reject Serzh on prominent streets in Yerevan in support of the Armenian Revolution of 2018.[1][5] She became known for her so-called Sisters speech[1] in which she advocated for equal rights for women and men on the Republic Square in Yerevan.[6][1] In the parliamentary election of December 2018, she was elected as a candidate of the Civil Contract within the My Step Alliance.[2]
References
[edit]- ^ a b c d e "Maria Karapetyan, a Feminist and LGBT Ally". Equality Armenia. Retrieved 7 August 2021.
- ^ a b c d "National Assembly of Armenia". National Assembly of Armenia. Retrieved 7 August 2021.
- ^ "Rondine, the leaderships incubator". Morning Future. 22 March 2019. Retrieved 8 August 2021.
- ^ "Maria Karapetyan". www.civicus.org. Retrieved 7 August 2021.
- ^ Ayres, Sabra (12 May 2018). "The faces of Armenia's revolution: Here are some of the people who helped change the government". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 8 August 2021.
- ^ "Where are the women in Armenia's revolution?". Refworld. 17 May 2018. Retrieved 7 August 2021.