Acclaimed author, lawyer, and human rights advocate Anna Astvatsaturian Turcotte will be honored with the prestigious Activism Award at the December 2nd ANCA Eastern Region Gala dedicated to the 30th anniversary of Artsakh Liberation Movement.
The award is presented to individuals and organizations who work towards enhancement of human rights, democracy, truth, and justice in the United States, Armenia, Artsakh, Turkey, and beyond. Sayat Tekir and the Nor Zartonk Movement in Turkey last received the Activism Award at the 2015 ANCA-ER banquet in Detroit.
“Thank you from the bottom of my heart for this great honor. It is with the support and love of the ANCA five years ago that I made my first public statement on anti-Armenian atrocities on Capitol Hill,” Astvatsaturian Turcotte noted. “This award is a bittersweet moment for me on the eve of the 30th anniversary of Sumgait pogroms that stemmed from the Artsakh freedom movement. My history and Artsakh – its amazing people and a dream of its full independence – is what drives and energizes me. I’ve just started. There is so much more to do and I know ANCA and ANCA-ER will support my efforts for years to come.”
The December 2nd gala, sponsored by the ANCA Eastern Region Endowment Fund, will take place at the prominent International Place located in the heart of Boston (Two International Place, Boston, MA 02110). The event will kick off with an elegant cocktail reception (open bar for beer and wine) and silent auction at 6:00 pm, followed by buffet dinner and awards ceremony at 7:00 pm. Additional information, sponsorship options, and discounted tickets are available at https://ancaef.org/gala/.
Anna Astvatsaturian Turcotte is an Armenian refugee from Baku, Azerbaijan. Forced to flee from Baku in the fall of 1989 due to ethnic cleansing of Armenians, Anna and her family spent three years in Armenia before coming to United States in 1992.
Anna received Bachelor of Arts degrees in English & Literature and Philosophy & Religion, and a minor in Russian Language & Literature from the University of North Dakota. She received her Juris Doctor degree from the University of Maine School of Law. As a law student Anna received an Outstanding Law Student of the Year by Who’s Who American Law Students.
In 2004 Anna was one of the first Americans to clerk at the International Criminal Court in The Hague, Netherlands after working toward and observing the ICC’s creation at the United Nations in New York.
In 2012 Anna published her book, titled Nowhere, a Story of Exile, which she wrote at the age of 14 as her family settled in North Dakota as refugees. The book is based on the childhood diaries she kept as her family was fleeing Baku, Azerbaijan and during the years as refugees in Armenia.
In April, 2013 Anna successfully spearheaded the recognition efforts of Artsakh Republic independence at the State of Maine House of Representatives. In November of 2015 she ran her first campaign and was elected to the Westbrook Maine City Council by a 64% landslide.
Anna is the recipient of Mkhitar Gosh Medal, Republic of Armenia’s highest civilian honor awarded by President Serge Sargsyan for exceptional achievements in the political-social spheres, as well as outstanding efforts in the fields of diplomacy, law, and political science. Anna also received a Gratitude Medal from the President of Artsakh Republic, Bako Sahakyan and ANCA-WR Vahan Cardashian award for her contributions within the Armenian Diaspora.