Armenian Students Win Research Competition on Artsakh Right of Return
Selected research papers from the Armenian Students for Artsakh competition
The ARF Bureau Youth Office announced winners of the second annual "Armenian Students for Artsakh" research competition, which brought together dozens of students worldwide to examine the right of return for displaced Artsakh Armenians.
Stella Pashyan of the United States won first place for her paper "The Right of Return: Artsakh Armenians, the Indigenous People of Nagorno-Karabakh." The research applies international law frameworks—including the Universal Declaration of the Rights of Indigenous Peoples—to argue that Artsakh Armenians qualify as an indigenous population with legal claims to return following their 2023 displacement.
Pashyan's work, advised by international law expert Dr. Kevork Hagopjian, examines historical continuity, cultural distinctiveness, and self-determination rights as grounds for return under international human rights law. The competition aims to direct Armenian students' professional expertise toward advancing the cause of displaced Artsakh residents.
