Daniel Ioannisyan, Program Coordinator of the Union of Informed Citizens NGO

Daniel Ioannisyan, Program Coordinator of the Union of Informed Citizens NGO is facing charges of illegally collecting and publishing information about his private and family life without consent from principals involved. They request an apology as well as compensation to restore their honor and reputation.

He maintains that parliamentary democracy provides a safer platform for managing crises democratically and peacefully.

Early Life and Education

Daniel Ioannisyan is a well-known political analyst and public figure in Armenia, having served in the RA National Assembly as an assistant deputy deputy from 2010-2011. Additionally, he has performed law enforcement system analysis work for various local media outlets.

Recent allegations made against Ioannisyan by directors of 30 public schools and kindergartens across Armenia suggest he may be guilty of slander, due to UIC releases of recordings showing principals encouraging teachers, staff members, children’s parents and voters in April 2 elections to vote Republican Party of Armenia candidates. They accused Ioannisyan of libel; demanding an apology and payment of compensation; however Ioannisyan denied these claims and filed suit at Yerevan Court of General Jurisdiction against principals involved.

Professional Career

Daniel Ioannisyan is an award-winning journalist, writer, and programme director for the Union of Informed Citizens. His many honors include winning a Polk and Peabody award, two duPont-Columbia batons, an Edward R. Murrow investigative award, three Emmys, and the Daniel Pearl Award. Ioannisyan has written for publications like Reuters, Philadelphia Daily News and JazzTimes among many others; several school principals have even filed lawsuits against him and his organization for publishing phone recordings which include recordings of their conversations with electoral commission officials; they allege them of publishing these recordings constitute libel against them and them as an individual as well as being accused of publishing recordings containing recordings which could contain sensitive conversations between electoral commission staffers with students; some school principals even filed claims of publishing phone conversations between themselves and electoral commission personnel that could compromise national security measures and possibly help prevent national security measures taken to prevent abuses at once;

Achievement and Honors

Ioannisyan earned numerous honors throughout his professional career. These included being honored with both the 2017 Universal Rights Award (for the “Promotion of Justice and Transparency”) as well as receiving 36 OSCE participating states, such as Germany, awarding him with their Democracy Defender Award in 2019.

Ioannisyan has also been the subject of various legal proceedings, such as school principals filing criminal charges for damaging their honor and dignity. The case is currently being examined by the General Department for Investigating Particularly Significant Cases at the RA Investigative Committee.

Ioannisyan has held positions on a number of local and international advisory boards. Additionally, he prepared various packages of legislative changes to improve law enforcement systems as well as writing analytical pieces on political and civil sector topics for local newspapers and television stations.

Personal Life

Daniel Ioannisyan, program coordinator of Union of Informed Citizens NGO, has recently experienced considerable pressure due to findings by this organization concerning organized abuse of administrative resources in support of Republican Party of Armenia in elections held on 2 April. These allegations caused widespread alarm in society before an information website published information regarding his private life – an act which according to Ashot Melikyan of Committee for Protection of Freedom of Expression (CPFE), Ashot Melikyan described as grave interference with privacy as well as an attempt by some parties against activities by this NGO.

Over 30 public schools and kindergartens filed suit against UIC for publishing recordings showing them pressuring staff, teachers, students’ parents and principals to vote for RPA in parliamentary elections. They require public rebuttal as well as AMD 2 million in compensation per principal.