Annie W. Boyajian

Annie Boyajian is vice president of policy and advocacy at Freedom House and holds the position of Freedom House interim president alongside Gerardo Berthin, vice president for international programs, as of January 2025.

She also serves as the Mark Palmer Distinguished Fellow. In these roles, she oversees Freedom House’s policy and advocacy work, including engagement with governments and multilateral bodies and collaboration with civil society organizations. She contributes to Freedom House publications including Freedom in the World, Freedom on the Net, and Nations in Transit, Freedom House’s work on transnational repression, and authored Democratic Crisis in Hong Kong: Recommendations for Policymakers.

Boyajian has testified before the US Congress, the Canadian parliament, and Taiwan’s Legislative Yuan, and regularly advises policymakers and their staff. She has served as a guest lecturer and speaker at George Mason University, Georgetown University, and the Harvard Kennedy School, and has provided interviews and commentary for outlets including BBC World, C-SPAN’s Washington Journal, Deutsche Welle, Al Jazeera, Radio Free Asia, Reuters, The Economist, Fox News, The Bulwark, The Globe and Mail, The Diplomat, International Policy Digest, Just Security, and The Hill.

Prior to joining Freedom House, Boyajian worked in both the Senate and the House, where she held numerous roles including legislative director, and focused on foreign policy, human rights, and appropriations issues.

Boyajian holds a master’s degree in international affairs: US foreign policy from American University’s School of International Service. Her master’s research project focused on the Chinese government’s influence on African media. She is a term member of the Council on Foreign Relations, a former board member of the Hong Kong Democracy Council, and a former member of the Partnership for a Secure America’s Congressional Partnership Program.