JEMMA G. ANANYAN

She was born on June 9, 1931 to a family of workers in Ijevan.

In 1947, she graduated from the local middle school. In 1951, Ananyan graduated from the Yerevan State Pedagogical Institute after Kh. Abovyan. She began her career as school administrator at an eight-year school in Ijevan and later as a teacher of Armenian language and literature at a local middle school.

In 1957 she was elected member of the Plenum of the Regional Committee of the Armenian Communist Party. In 1959 she was elected secretary of the regional committee of the ACP, 2^nd secretary of the ACP in 1965 and chairwoman of the executive committee of the regional council of People’s Deputies of Ijevan in 1977.

In 1981 Jemma Ananyan participated in the trade union congress of workers of state institutions and was elected member of the inspection committee.

In 1983 she was elected 1^st secretary of the regional committee of the ACP in Ijevan. From September 1990 to January 1991, she was secretary of the regional committee of the ACP and chairwoman of the executive committee of the regional council. In 1986 she took part in the 17^th congress of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union as a deputy. In May 1988 she participated in the 19^th Pan-Union Party Conference as a deputy. In July 1990 she participated in the 28^th congress of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union where she was elected member of the central committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union and member of the presidium of the central inspection committee.

On January 14, 1989 she was reprimanded by the Bureau of the Central Committee of the Armenian Communist Party for her registration in the party’s list and not ensuring political administration in inter-ethnic relations in the region. This led to the distortion and the intensive transfer of persons of Azeri nationality.

In September 1991, as RA People’s Deputy, 1^st secretary of the regional committee of the Armenian Communist Party in Ijevan and chairwoman of the executive committee of the regional council of People’s Deputies Jemma Ananyan left the presidium by addressing General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union M. S. Gorbachev with a statement that condemned the overtly anti-Armenian policy of the Central Committee of the Party, its political bureau, the state bodies and the government.

In May 1991 she was elected chairwoman of the executive committee of the regional council during the first session of the regional council of the independent republic of Armenia where she worked until 1996. In 1994 she took training courses at the International Institute of Law in Washington. From February to October 23, 1996 she worked as deputy head of the Tavush region. On October 23, 1996 she was removed from office by the N577 decree issued by RA Prime Minister Hrant Bagratyan. She was member of the NA Standing Committee on Social, Healthcare and Environmental Protection issues and the vice-chairperson of the same committee from June 1998. In 1997 she joined the parliamentary group “Social State” which was disbanded in February 1998. She has also been part of the “Land Defender” parliamentary group.

In May 1999 she was appointed chief adviser to the RA Minister of Territorial Administration and Operative Issues, adviser to the RA Minister of Health and Social Security on April 25, 2000; adviser to the RA Minister of Social Security from July 20, 2000 to June 20, 2003 and chief expert of the “People’s Deputy” parliamentary group of the RA National Assembly from June 20, 2003.

Since 1957, she has been elected as member of the Plenum of the regional committee of the Armenian Communist Party and deputy of all conventions of the regional council since 1960.

In 1985, 1990 and 1995 she was elected deputy of the RA Supreme Council and the National Assembly. In 1985 she was elected chairwoman of the Standing Committee on Youth Issues of the RA Supreme Council.

She has been granted the “Sign of Honor” medal, four certificates of honor of the RA Supreme Council, the medal of honor of the American Biographical Institute in 2002 and has received many other awards of merit.

Jemma Ananyan is married. Her son is married and has children and grand-children.