Repressive Governments

Students in the 2005-06 humanities classes interviewed adults who at one time had lived in a non-democratic society. Interview subjects included neighbors, grandparents, parents, family friends, relatives, and others. The range of experience of these interviewees was broad. Some longed for the days of the Iran under the Shah; others spoke somewhat fondly of communism under Stalin. But nearly all said that they lacked the rights that many Americans take for granted. Here are their interviews:

China

• Pursuing Education in the Midst of War Times (Marty Fong)
• From the Land of the Five-Star Red Flag to the Land of the Free - Tae-soo Park (Shin Kang)

Egypt

• Anoush Artinian’s Memories of Life in Egypt (Alida Artinian)

Greece

• Countdown to Freedom (Ohan Chorekchyan)

Iran

• Life During and After the Iranian Revolution (Rene Arakelian)
• A Talented Woman: Helen Tanahan (Tanya Basmadjian)
• Tehran to Glendale (Artin Babayan)
• Dedicated Husband, Business Man and Dad (Arby Hovsepian)
• G. Nazarian's View of an Islamic Government (Serli Nazarian)
• The Persian Gulf War in the eyes of Flora Giv (Linette Keshavarzi)
• My Story (Monika Hairapetian)
• Living Under a Dictatorship Communist Country (Zepyor Toomanian)
• Teimour Ebrahimi’s Experiences in a Revolution (Narek Shahmoradian)
• Margarit Aslanyan’s Life Years Ago (Flora Kyzykyan)  
• Interview With My Grandfather - Alec Petrossian (Christopher Mangasarian)
• Living in Revolutionary Times - Gegham Minassian (Sevada Minassian)
• Persian Life During the Revolution (Sevan Tahmassian)
• Living Through Change in Iran (Savada Panosian)
• Armenian Life in Iran (Shant Rostamian)
• From Bombs to Life – Mary Lafain (Parshan Dar Avanesian)
• From No Freedom to Freedom (Estella Baghdasaryan)
• Life After the Revolution in the Words of Siroush Amirian (Eileen Amirian)
• Interview with my Father- Vrej (Dalar Nazari)
• From a Life Threatening World to the Land of the Free (Serly Moosakhanian)
• The life of an Armenian in Iran (Ani Karapetyan)
• There and Back Again, A Grandmothers Tale - Louise Nalbandian (Emin Bassavand)
• Just Escaped - Shahla (Alan Janoyan)
• The Effect of the Iranian Revolution (Leonar Malekian)

India

• Seeing Britain leave with Indra Gandhi and Dehla Maro (Gustavo Endara)

Iraq

• Life in Iraq Before Saddam (David West)
• The Hardships of Living in Iraq (John Danho)

Korea

• Living in a Conquered Land (Sonya Choi)
• The Pain of Separation (Alvin Chin)
• Thirty years of Torture towards Democracy (Carrie Kim)
• A young girl under an authoritarian rule (Chan Lee)
• Interview with my Grandmother – Chang Tae-Geun (Jun Ahn)
• The Life of a North Korean Escapee (Young Choi)
• Life under Great Oppression- Interview with Church Elder (Carolina Chang)

Latin America

• Life in Uruguay - Maria Colucci (Damian Colucci)
• The Experiences of Pastor Palomino in Cuba (Nik Alvarez)
• Married to a Wanted Honduran Man, Interview with Yolanda Plata (Brianna Armstrong)
• The Fall of Democracy (Andrea Martin)
• Silvia Soler's Struggle in a Communist Country (Rosa Pena)
• An Interview with Alberto Valencia (Adriana Valencia)
• Unforgettable Things Can Happen Even If You're Not Involved in Politics (Cristina Olivares)
• El Salvador: The Horrific Civil War (Billy Paulsen)
• From Batiste to Castro on to America (Ryan Hancock)
• The Saga of the Guatemalan Lifestyle (Richard Alvarenga)

Lebanon

• The Streets of Lebanon in the 70’s (Araxie Ashkharian)

Philippines

• The Marcos Dictatorship that Silenced Filipino Life (Nikiya Crisostomo)
• "Strength Comes in Numbers"--An Interview of Maria Doma (Evan Mangubat)
• Life Controlled By The Military: Good or Bad? (Reiko Ortega)
• Interview with a family friend- Ronnie (Denvin Robles)
• Interview of my Grandfather- Eliseo Zari (Matthew Zari)
• Life During Martial Law (Terri Hang)
• Ang Paghihirap ng Isang Bansa-Struggle of my Country (Jeffrey Salvador)
• Interview with my Grandmother - Ernestina Oriola (Eugene Oriola)
• Interview with my Neighbor - Dario (Kazu Mizuguchi)
• Ang Paghihirap ng Isang Bansa-Struggle of my Country (Jeffrey Salvador)
• Living During the Dictatorship of Marcos: Through Jesus Castro's Point of View (Harris Ono)
• A Life in Hiding: Recollections of a Philippine Soldier and Guerilla (Michael DeGuzman)
• Draw a line and live above it (Anne Asi)
• Life in the Philippines (Brian Hamada)

Poland

• Interview with a Holocaust survivor- Mr. Joseph Freeman (Josh Kirkwood)

Soviet Union

• Interview with my old Math Teacher – Ms. Karnik (Walter Cano)
• Interview with my Grandfather – Abraham Abraamyan (Torgom Abraamyan)
• Interview with my dad's uncle - Thomas Aghazaryan (Davit Aghazaryan)
• Interview with my Uncle – Vagarshak Vardanyan (David Mangikyan)
• The Long Life Lived in Two Countries (Yelina Karapetyan)
• Life in Soviet Armenia for Oganes Minasyan (Tigran Minasyan)
• The Remembrance (Suzy Yeremyan)
• Russia: From the USSR (Wes Pinero)
• Life in Armenia during the Soviet Union - Greta Amerjanian (Areg Zeytnaghyan)
• Interview with my Grandmother-Arpine Kusheryan (Ani Shaboyan)
• Interview of my friend's father-Ana Bolshakoff (Jaime Saavedra)
• Grounded in Solitude (Rayhan Yacub)
• A Young Girl Growing up in a Communist Land (Tiara Tahmizian)
• Life in the Soviet Union – Gendrik Vartanyan (Nelli Ohanjanyan)
• The Journey From Russian Roulette (Haik Manukian)
• Life Under the Rule of Joseph Stalin - Tigran Gabrielyan (Mary Gabrielyan)
• My Life in Soviet Armenia (Ani Mkrtchyan)
• Her Journey: From Communism to Freedom (Aleen Marcoosi)
• Undemocratic Memories in the Life of Azatoui Arutunyan (Avetik Kazarian)
• Living Under Stalin’s Rule (Alice Topchyan)
• Real and Intolerable Life of Mr. Sungulian (Ani Orujyan)
• A Mothers Life- Anna Mithaleva (Suze Uzumyan)
• Interview with my grandfather - Israel Ter-Pogosyan (Tomas Grigorian)
• Man of High Education and Still Achieving Many Goals - Mr. Allen (Marlon Mallari)
• A Woman of the 60s Trying to Get Through Life (Syune Gevorgyan)
• Interview with my Grandmother - Djuliet Karapetian (Arman Torosyan)
• My Homeland Struggle (Rafi Orphali)
• Living with Communism in Yugoslavia: Times of Control (Mindy Robins)
• The Life of Haykanush Khrikyan during the Soviet Union (Helena Tadevossian)
• Interview with a friend - Mr. Nersesian (Hakop Sahakian)
• Masis Past (Arman Yegnanyan)
• Raffik Telounts- From a Shoe Factory to America (Gaik Pobokhian)
• Interview with Levon Ohanian (Shahan Boghigian)
• Harout Adanalian’s Life under Soviet Rule (George Balayan)
• The Soviet Days (Michael Eghaizaryan)
• Freedom at Last (Beny Babu)
• A Striving Man and His Journey of Life (Susie Grigoryan)
• The Armenian Genocide: Through the Voice of Gohar (Zeeshan Barkatullah)
• Arshavir Beglaryan’s Experience in The Soviet Union (Hrach Beglaryan)
• The Great Times in the Soviet Union (Henrik Manukian)
• Interview with my mother - Angela Cholakyan (Haig Malkashyan)
• Mari Arbajian's Life in the Soviet Union (Annie Manvelyan)

Syria

• Louisa Keledjians Life in Syria (Zaven Keledjian)
• An Observer of Life in Syria - Lidya Balaban (Dikran Manoel)

Taiwan

• Communism, Governmental Issues, and Freedom (Ally Lemmer)

Tanzania

• Interview with a family friend - Juliet Ermita (Claude D'Netto)

United States

• From the Past of John Cianfrini (Anaid Juarez)

Vietnam

• The Real Dream: to Escape from the Place he Called Home (Angela Azevedo)
• Escaping From Vietnam (Jordy Shadd)