Andrias Ghukasyan
Biography of Andrias Ghukasyan
The Armenian Constructive Party leader Andrias Ghukasyan was born in Yerevan in 1970 and has permanently resided in Armenia. He has two higher education diplomas: in economics from the department of economy at Yerevan State University and in law from the Yerevan branch of St. Petersburg Institute for Foreign Trade, Economy and Law.
Andrias Ghukasyan served in the Soviet Army (1988-1989) in radio engineering troops. He graduated from the noncommissioned officer academy in Yelets (Russian Federation) and, as a sergeant, served at the head-quarters of the 42nd radio engineering brigade of the Soviet Air Defense in Alma-Ata (Kazakhstan), thereafter in the radio engineering battalion in Grigorievka (Kirgizia).
For four years (1995-1998) Andrias Ghukasyan worked at the ArmImpExBank, and for eighteen years (1999-2016) headed the independent radio holding Radio Hay FM, for seven years he practiced law (2002-2008). Currently, for about three years he has been heading the architecture firm А3 Architects (since July 2018).
Andrias Ghukasyan initiated a number of charitable projects, including:
- Bagaran city project in 2011 for refugees from Baku and Sumgait, near the Khudaferin reservoir.
- Project of restoration of the iconic “Iron Fountain” in Gyumri in 2018.
- Establishment and creation of the Museum of Armenian Architectural Modernism in Yerevan in 2019.
- The project for the restoration of the green park around the Armenian Genocide Monument in Tsitsernakabert 2020 – (in progress).
- In collaboration with DOSAAF of Armenia, creation of Photo- Memorials (in Armenian high schools) dedicated to the dead soldiers who left for service from those schools. Implemented in 22 locations in 2021.
He has been engaged in political initiatives for fourteen years (since 2008).
PoliticsConnecting the Sides
ProfilePerseverance to achieve the goal
Protest against power grab by Serzh Sargsyan in 2013
In 2013 Andrias Ghukasyan protested against the power grab and consolidation of state power by Serzh Sargsyan. In 2012 Serzh Sargsyan and the Republican Party by rampant voter bribing and vote rigging captured the majority of the parliament. Election results were rigged in accordance with party quotas determined in advance by the leadership of the Republican Party. As a result the opposition attained token participation in the parliament.
Andrias Ghukasyan participated in the 2013 parliamentary election as an independent candidate and demanded from the Central Electoral Commission to ban the participation of the Republican Party in the presidential election, and to deem null and void the registration of Serzh Sargsyan as a candidate for presidency. In protest against sham elections with predetermined results Andrias Ghukasyan went on a hunger strike in the street for 30 days (January 21 – February 19) across the Parliament building. The hunger strike led to protest voting and about 540,000 voters supported the alternative candidate Raffi Hovannesian who, however, failed to successfully lead the protest movement for the annulment of election results.
The exposure of the collusive agreement between the leadership of Armenia, Azerbaijan and other states during the April 2016 war
On April 2, 2016, Azerbaijan breached the tripartite ceasefire reached in 1994 with Armenia and Artsakh. The unhindered infiltration of Azeri special forces into Armenian positions was captured on video by the Armenian soldiers.
On June 13, 2016, Andrias Ghukasyan published this video footage and forwarded it to the UN Secretary General as evidence of the cease fire violation by Azerbaijan for an international investigation. These measures led to a vigorous reaction from Serzh Sargsyan who intended, jointly with the Azeri leadership, to endorse the Lavrov Plan put forward by Russia in order to leverage the April War to exert pressure on the Armenian society.
On June 20, just a week after the publication of the video footage, criminal charges were brought against Andrias Ghukasyan. And a month later, on July 29, 2016, during the “Sasna Tsrer” events, he was arrested on trumped-up charges for the incitement of insurrection. International and local human rights organizations recognized Andrias Ghukasyan as a political prisoner, and in 2017, the European Court for Human Rights considered his complaint against illegal arrest on political grounds.
Andrias Ghukasyan spent 1 year and 9 months in jail, and was released on May 7, 2018, after Serzh Sargsyan’s resignation during the “April revolution”. The criminal prosecution has been going on to-date.
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