A native of Armenia, Simon holds a graduate degree in political science from the University of Colorado. He is also an alumnus of the International Institute for Genocide and Human Rights Studies. Simon is Eurasia Country Specialist at Amnesty International USA, as well as founding Executive Director of the Djulfa Virtual Memorial and Museum – www.djulfa.com.
Latest posts by Simon Maghakyan
20 March 2012
Norway Hosts First Journalism Award for Indigenous Broadcasters
Norway is widely known for hosting the prestigious Nobel Peace Prize Awards. This month, the Scandinavian country is hosting the debut of another important yet largely unknown journalism award ceremony...
14 December 2011
USA: Has NASA Discovered a Life-Friendly Planet?
NASA has announced the Kepler Space Telescope discovery of Kepler-22b, a planet within the right distance of its star for potentially having a habitable temperature. Science bloggers have reacted to...
10 May 2011
USA: Native Americans Take Offense at Osama Nickname
For the United States government, "Geronimo EKIA" (Enemy Killed In Action) is the code for Osama Bin Laden's death. For many Native Americans, however, comparing their folk hero Geronimo to...
30 January 2011
USA: Voices of Support for Egyptian Protesters
While the official US response to the protests in Egypt is a desperate hope for stability, lesser televised American voices are supporting the protesters in the land of the pyramids.
19 November 2010
USA Now Alone, as Canada Votes to Adopt Indigenous Declaration
Canada has endorsed the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, leaving the US as the only country to vote against the document.
1 July 2010
USA: Indigenous Rights Declaration under Reexamination
The US government is now reviewing and asking for public input on the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples after initially rejecting it in 2007.
1 May 2010
Armenia: Ex-President’s Wild Games
Newly-revealed summer 2009 photos of ex-Soviet Armenia’s former president Robert Kocharian posing with hunted “wild game,” including a lion, in Tanzania have Armenian bloggers talking.
15 February 2010
USA: Native Cherokees Fight for Sacred Mound
Cherokee Native Americans in North Carolina are currently fighting the construction of an electrical station they say would impede the spiritual experience at Kituwah, a sacred mound that is cherished...
8 February 2010
India: Death of a Prehistoric Language
The last speaker of the ancient Bo language, Boa Senior, has died in her native Andaman Islands (part of India) in February 2010. It's a vivid confirmation of last year's...
11 January 2010
Avatar: For or Against Indigenous Rights?
Bloggers worldwide are discussing the themes in the wildly successful film Avatar by James Cameron. Is it racist in its depiction of an extra-terrestrial indigenous tribe?
30 November 2009
13 April 2009
USA: No More Columbus Day at Brown University
In response to protests from Native American and other students, the prestigious Brown University in the United States has changed the name of the national public holiday Columbus Day to...
4 April 2009
Australia: Indigenous Rights Declaration Approved
Australia’s government has endorsed the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, a year and a half after voting – along with Canada, New Zealand, and the United...
30 March 2009
Georgia: Holy Baby Boom!
The birth rate has increased by 20 percent in ex-Soviet Georgia and the country's Orthodox Church is taking much of the credit. The miracle responsible for the much-needed baby boom...
16 March 2009
Armenia: International Women's Day action sparks virginity debate
Although couples now marry at a later age than before, some traditions have been slow to change in Christian Armenia. One custom, for example, expects women -- but not men...
9 March 2009
3 March 2009
UK: ‘Stamping Out’ Media Racism Against Indigenous Peoples
Amid growing awareness about indigenous peoples’ issues in the world, British periodicals The Guardian and The Observer have new guidelines against using two phrases that activists say marginalize and de-legitimize...
