Melkonyants, Grigory Arkadyevich

Origin

Father, Arkady Amayakovich Melkonyants (1951-1997), founder and head of the Ecology of the Soul foundation, the first charitable foundation in the Astrakhan Region ^[5] , created in 1991. He was engaged in providing material and social assistance to people with disabilities and patients, promoting medical and social adaptation . In 2005, entered in the Book of memory of the city of Astrakhan ^[6] .

From 2003 to 2012, Deputy Executive Director of the Association of Non-Profit Organizations "In Defense of Voter Rights" VOICE ".

In 2003, at the election of deputies of the State Duma, he was involved in the development and implementation of a system of parallel vote counting. The work of this service was provided by 4.5 thousand independent observers.

From 2009 to present member of the Defender of Free Elections Medal Award ^[7] .

In 2011, he took an active part in creating a free federal hotline for citizens and the service “Map of Election Violations” (a joint project of “Gazeta.Ru” and “Voices”), which collects and publishes information about violations of the electoral law in the elections and provides consulting help.

From 2013 to present co-chair of the movement to protect the rights of voters "Voice"

Since 2013, member of the organizing committee of the All-Russian Civil Forum. Coordinator of the expert platform “Elections and referenda” in 2014 ^[8] , 2015 ^[9] and 2016 ^[10] .

From 2015 to 2016, he was a member of the expert council under the Commissioner for Human Rights in the Russian Federation.

In 2016, he participated in the creation of the service "Russian Encyclopedia of Candidates" .

In 2016, he became a member of the expert group of public observers at the CEC of Russia.

In 2017, he acted as one of the co-founders of a public organization - the expert forum "Laws on Elections - for the Voter" ^[11] .

Since 2017, member of the Permanent Consultative and Human Rights Advisory Group under the Expert Council under the Commissioner for Human Rights in the Russian Federation.

In August-October 2012, he was a member of the Central Election Committee on the organization and conduct of elections to the Coordination Council of the Russian opposition (October 22, 2012 - October 19, 2013) ^[12] .

In May 2014, he ran for membership in the Public Chamber of the Russian Federation ^[13] in the “three-mandate” area “Development of public control”. The leader in the vote, however, as a result of possible cheating ^[14] in recent days fell to fifth place, receiving 9195 verified votes of citizens.

In 2011, he became a laureate of the Big City Magazine Prize “Such Things” ^[15] .

In 2014, the national award “Civil Initiative” in the nomination “Air of Freedom” - human rights initiatives, the fight against corruption, and the infringement of civil liberties - won the project “All-Russian base of election commissions“ WikiUIKi ”, leader Grigory Melkonyants. Gregory received the award from the hands of the famous journalist Vladimir Pozner ^[16] .

On December 2, 2016, the Chairman of the Central Election Commission of the Russian Federation was thanked for active assistance and significant assistance in organizing and conducting election campaigns in the Russian Federation ^[17] .

You are Surkov propaganda

On November 28, 2011, a film crew ^[18] led by correspondent Mikhail Ivanov ^[19] broke into the office of the Golos association, whose employees had previously given two interviews to NTV. Its employees refused to answer his questions about the sources of funding for the association, and Grigory Melkonyants filmed what was happening on a mobile phone, answering Ivanov for 7 minutes 87 times with variations of the phrase “NTV - Surkov’s propaganda” ^[18] . ^[19] The phrase has gained great popularity on the Internet and eventually ended up in the film about Voice, which was being prepared by the television company, Voice from Nowhere, ^[20] telling about the association’s activities from a negative point of view ^[21] . On behalf of “Voices”, the Melkonyans condemned the NTV methods of work ^[22] .