Please join us on Wednesday, April 13th, 6:30 - 8:00 pm in Barristers Hall for BU Law's Year-End Pro Bono Celebration.


Honoring the following individuals for their dedication to public service:


Christine J. Engustian (J.D. '84)
Recipient of the 2011 Pro Bono Alumni Award


Professor Tracey Maclin
Recipient of the 2011 Pro Bono Faculty Award


We will also recognize graduating students who have successfully completed their pro bono pledge. Enjoy live music, food and refreshments.


RSVP by Monday, April 11th, 2011 to probono@bu.edu, 617-353-3141.

Raffi Hovannisian ends two week long civic protest and "Fast for Freedom" with an address to the citizens of Armenia

“First they ignore you, then they ridicule you, then they fight you, then you win.”- Mahatma Gandhi

Armed with our national tricolor, I entered Liberty Square 360 hours ago. These past two weeks of civic protest, my Fast for Freedom, I dedicate to the opening two decades of the Republic of Armenia and the Republic of Artsakh.

Right before our eyes, this civil sanctuary of Liberty has once again become—without discrimination and denomination, and above partisanship—the confluence of our fundamental values: liberty and independence, sovereignty and national unity. And if no visible change has visited the incumbent authorities, if they have not felt the weight and catastrophe of this moment in history, then surely they have seen how our people—from the disillusioned elderly to the disenfranchised youth—have awoken to a new spirit of hope and freedom.

It is now time for all citizens of Armenia to acknowledge, in mind and at heart, that they are the masters of our statehood, our political agenda, and our national destiny.

 

Dear Armenian Bar Member and Friend,

The information below is being provided to you for your information on a significant human and civil rights issue in Armenia.

Thank you.

 

EDVIN MINASSIAN

CHAIRMAN
Armenian Bar Association


On March 15, 2011, Raffi K. Hovannisian—the founder of the Armenian Bar Association, the first Foreign Minister of the Republic of Armenia, and a current member of Armenia’s Parliament—began what has become known as the “Freedom Fast” which is aimed at bringing awareness to the serious challenges faced by Armenia’s citizens in their enjoyment of democratic rights.  Mr. Hovannisian has continued, peacefully and uninterruptedly, the Freedom Fast in Yerevan ’s Liberty Square for two weeks during which a major cross-section of society has come out to express their support and solidarity.  Until this week, however, both the citizens’ rights to public access and assembly and their freedom of expression, as well as Mr. Hovannisian’s basic rights to humanitarian treatment, had been compromised.  In response to these conditions, on March 19, 2011, the Armenian Bar Association’s Board of Governors unanimously approved the release of a statement on human and civil rights in Armenia , which was widely reported and published in various media outlets.  A copy of that statement is attached.

 

 

The Armenian Bar Association, which is the largest organized group of Diasporan lawyers and judges dedicated to the establishment of civil society and to the recognition of civil and human rights, stands in solidarity with Raffi K. Hovannisian’s exercise of his fundamental prerogative of peaceful expression and assembly as he enters the sixth day of his Freedom Fast in Yerevan's Liberty Square. 

Glendale, California – Appointed by President Barack Obama and confirmed unanimously by the United States Senate to one of the most elite federal positions, United States Attorney André Birotte Jr. was the featured speaker at a standing room-only gathering organized by the Armenian Bar Association on February 24, 2011.

The ABA’s Mid-Year Meeting, which convened in Providence, Rhode Island from October 8-10, 2010, proved to be a success both on professional and social levels. Conferees participated in a number of ABA-sponsored seminars and visited many of New England’s historical sites relating to the American Revolution, the whaling industry, and the beginnings of the Industrial Revolution.

The Armenian Bar Association celebrated the Christmas season at the legendary Sidebar in Glendale, California, with nearly 100 members and friends in attendance. It was a wonderful night, with a steady stream of high spirits and warm exchanges shared by so many energized and eclectic people. Joyful laughs and pleasant discussions filled the place to capacity.

The Honorable Haiganush R. Bedrosian sworn in as the new chief judge of Rhode Island’s Family Court.

Burbank, California - The City of Burbank was aglow on the night of December 4th as approximately 350 guests gathered around a beautifully decorated Christmas tree in the center of the Turpanjian Plaza of the newly constructed St. Leon Cathedral. The occasion was the 7th Annual Christmas Ball of the Western Diocese of the Armenian Church of North America. Guests were greeted and blessed with an Opening Prayer by His Eminence Archbishop Hovnan Derderian, and then, led by Raffi Kendirjian, Chair of the Christmas Ball, joined in a breathtaking countdown from ten to zero as the tree lights glistened throughout the plaza.