Amalia Kostanyan, Chairwoman of Transparency International Anti-corruption Center, made a presentation on July 16 at Summer 2009 Course "Human Rights and Civic Development in the Caucasus" of the American University of Armenia. Her presentation, "The right to vote and its connection with other rights and freedoms," included an active discussion with 17 students from Northeastern University in Boston, MA, USA.

The course is a comparative review of the development of individual rights and of civil society in the three Caucasian republics during their continuing post-soviet transition. The course focuses on the universality of human rights vs. cultural relativism, the sources and consequences of its violations, the scope and limits of minority rights, respect for the prohibition on the use of torture, free and fair elections, respect for women's rights, the rights of the child, public health and the AIDS pandemic. International, regional and national mechanisms, institutions and NGO's seeking to promote and protect human rights are also topics for the course.

Kostanyan's presentation addressed the ways in which the language and guarantees of human rights documents like the Copenhagen Declaration and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights are violated by the electoral practices currently in use in the Caucuses region. In particular, she noted that the acts of intimidation, ballot stuffing, bribery, etc., which marred the recent Yerevan City Council elections can be recast in the language of Human Rights, where they are seen as violating the principles of universal suffrage, enfranchisement, and the right to cast ones vote according to his or her free will.

Later, Kostanyan suggested that the American students offer their own opinions on how democracy might be strengthened in the region. Kostanyan helped the students to understand the intricacies of the proposed ideas, challenging students to think critically about whether such reforms might actually work.