Human Rights Talks: Recent Episodes
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Talking to human rights leaders, re-energize the international human rights community during a time of upheaval
In this episode, we sit down with Jonathan Berkshire Miller, Senior Fellow at the Montreal Institute for Global Security, to explore the growing security importance of critical infrastructure, particularly undersea cables and their role in economic resilience.
Jonathan discusses why infrastructure once seen as purely commercial is now increasingly viewed through a national security lens, highlighting key gaps policymakers still need to address when responding to emerging risks. He also reflects on how partners such as Japan are approaching economic security and infrastructure protection differently from North America and Europe, and what this means for Canada’s Indo-Pacific strategy. Finally, we examine the challenges of attribution in hybrid threats and identify practical opportunities for Canada and Japan to strengthen cooperation on critical infrastructure resilience.
In this episode, we sit down with Alex Dalziel, Senior Fellow at the Montreal Institute for Global Security, to discuss the future of subsea connectivity and the strategic importance of Arctic infrastructure in an evolving security landscape.
Alex explores how hybrid threats and grey-zone tactics complicate the protection of subsea cables, particularly in regions shaped by climate change, increased economic activity, and geopolitical rivalry. He also examines the challenges of attribution when disruptions occur, and what resilience looks like in practice when designing infrastructure for contested environments. Finally, we discuss the role Canada can play in shaping Arctic connectivity and why a whole-of-society approach is essential for protecting critical infrastructure in remote regions.
In this episode, we sit down with Benoit Hardy-Chartrand, Senior Lecturer at Temple University Japan and Adjunct Professor at the United Nations University Tokyo, to examine Japan’s evolving security outlook amid an increasingly complex geopolitical environment in the Indo-Pacific. Benoit discusses recent shifts in Japan’s defence posture, including increased spending and updated strategic frameworks, and what these changes reveal about Japan’s assessment of regional risks.
He also explores the growing importance of economic security in shaping resilience and strategic vulnerability, as well as Japan’s relationships with key partners such as the United States, Australia, and South Korea. Finally, we consider where Canada and Japan can deepen cooperation on shared strategic priorities and what developments policymakers should be watching in the years ahead.
In this episode, we sit down with Athena Tong, Visiting Researcher at the University of Tokyo and a Research Associate & Programme Lead at the China Strategic Risks Institute, to explore the strategic importance of submarine cables as critical infrastructure within today’s geopolitical competition.
Athena explains why these systems have become increasingly vulnerable, particularly in regions such as Taiwan and Japan’s southwestern islands, where growing military and maritime pressures complicate infrastructure security. She discusses the challenge policymakers face in distinguishing between accidental disruptions and deliberate sabotage, and how dual-use commercial infrastructure can complicate risk assessments. Finally, we examine emerging connectivity corridors and the potential for new routes, including those linking Asia and Europe through Canada’s Arctic, to strengthen global resilience and economic security.
In this episode, we sit down with Farlina Said, Fellow and Team Lead in the Cyber and Technology Policy programme at Institute of Strategic and International Studies (Malaysia) to explore all things cyber security, including how we should distinguish between cyber security and cyber stability. Ms. Said discusses the cyber security landscape in 2025, including the challenges that countries face when looking to defend themselves against cyberattacks, as well as the international communities’ difficulty in regulating the international rules of the cyber domain. She also touches on what gives her hope for the future when looking at these issues. Finally, we discuss ASEAN and whether Canada is in a place to partner with ASEAN countries on this issue, and within the Indo-Pacific region more broadly.
In this episode, we sit down with Dr. Alicia Hennig, interim professor of business ethics at the Technical University of Dresden in Germany, who brings extensive professional experience in China from both business and academia. Dr. Hennig guides us through understanding China's political system, exploring the role of the Chinese Communist Party in daily life and the philosophical foundations that shape Chinese political thought—and how these differ fundamentally from Western traditions. She discusses Xi Jinping’s transformation of China, including the expansion of surveillance systems and what this means for ordinary citizens. Dr. Hennig also addresses common Western blind spots, notably how Beijing views itself on the world stage following its "century of humiliation." We explore the top concerns of the CCP leadership, how China perceives America and the West, and the fundamental differences between Chinese and Russian authoritarian visions for the 21st century. Finally, Dr. Hennig discusses the "no-limits partnership" between China and Russia amid the Ukraine war and offers insights into what Canadians should be watching regarding China in the months ahead.
In this episode, we sit down with Dr. Nanae Baldauff, Senior Associate Fellow at the NATO Defense College, to explore Japan’s evolving national defence strategy and its growing role in regional and global security. Dr. Baldauff discusses Japan’s defence build-up, its alliance with the United States, and its expanding partnerships across the Indo-Pacific — including strategic ties with Canada and NATO. The conversation also delves into Japan’s relationship with Taiwan and examines possible scenarios in the event of a regional crisis, highlighting the complexities of deterrence and diplomacy in an increasingly tense strategic environment.
In this timely conversation, political scientist Stephen R. Nagy (Professor at International Christian University, Tokyo) explores the evolving dynamics of security and defence in the Indo-Pacific — a region at the centre of global strategic competition. Drawing on his extensive expertise in regional geopolitics, Dr. Nagy discusses the challenges and opportunities facing Canada as it deepens its engagement in the Indo-Pacific, including India, with whom Canada has had difficult relationship over the past few years. Dr. Nagy also speaks about Canada's economic and security partnerships with Vietnam, Singapore, the Philippines, Japan, Indonesia and the need for creative strategies and entrepreneurship.
In this episode, we sit down with Karsten Friis, Senior Research Fellow at the Norwegian Institute of International Affairs (NUPI), to explore the evolving security landscape in the Arctic. As great power competition intensifies and climate change opens new strategic frontiers, the region’s importance for both European and Canadian defense policy is growing rapidly. Friis discusses how NATO allies are adapting to new challenges in the High North, the future of transatlantic security cooperation, and why building stronger defense partnerships is key to maintaining stability in the Arctic.
In this episode, MIGS Fellow Elizabeth Anderson speaks to Charles "Duff" Sullivan about Canada's Arctic sovereignty and defense. They also delve into Canada's relationship to countries in the Indo-Pacific.
Charles S. “Duff” Sullivan is a former general officer and senior military commander who has served at the highest levels of operational command and leadership. He entered the private sector in 2009 following a 31-year career in the Royal Canadian Air Force and continued to serve in senior leadership roles.
In today's episode, Elizabeth Anderson speaks to Andrew Leslie, who is a former Member of Parliament for Orleans, and retired ‘Left-tenant’ General of the Canadian Forces. He joins me today in his capacity as a Senior Fellow at The Macdonald-Laurier Institute. They discuss cognitive warfare, NATO, Artic security and Canadian defence investment under Prime Minister Carney
In this episode, we talk to Rachel Gilmore about Canadian politics and disinformation, both foreign and domestic. Rachel Gilmore is an award-winning journalist with extensive experience reporting on federal politics, disinformation, and extremism. She uses her experience and platforms to explains and debunk online disinformation. We talk about the state of journalism and how traditional media could reach online audiences. We also cover the misogynistic threats and comments against Rachel and the sustained online abuse she receives.
You can find Rachel's work on YouTube and Tik Tok, and subscribe to her Podcast and Substack, Bubble Pop with Rachel Gilmore.
This episode is part of a special project supported by the Department of Canadian Heritage. Titled Digital Defenders Initiative, the aim of the project is to uncover transnational repression and foreign manipulation campaigns in Canada, and their impact on the diaspora.
Entrevue avec le journaliste à Radio-Canada, Nicholas de Rosa, au sujet de l'influence étrangère et la désinformation au Canada, particulièrement sur des plateformes et réseaux tels que TikTok, youTube, WeChat, WhatsApp mais aussi sur X maintenant la compagnie est gérée par Elon Musk. Nous discutons aussi du Rapport de la Commission sur l'influence étrangère.
Cet épisode fait partie d’un projet soutenu par le ministère du Patrimoine canadien. Intitulé Digital Defenders Initiative, le projet vise à mettre au jour les campagnes de répression transnationale et de manipulation étrangère au Canada, ainsi que leurs impacts sur la diaspora.
In this podcast episode, we speak to Katherine Leung, Policy Advisor for Hong Kong Watch. The Hong Kong national security police recently issued a new wave of arrest warrants against six overseas Hong Kong rights defenders in the UK and Canada. We speak to Katherine about growing transnational repression against Hong Kongers in Canada and how that impacts the ability of community members to fully participate in Canadian democracy. Katherine also speaks about Canada's Foreign Interference Commission and where it may fall short.
This episode is part of a special project supported by the Department of Canadian Heritage. Titled Digital Defenders Initiative, the aim of the project is to uncover transnational repression and foreign manipulation campaigns in Canada, and their impact on the diaspora.
Today on the podcast, we speak to Iranian human rights activist Maryam Shafipour about Iranian-Canadians who say they are being threatened and monitored by affiliates of the Iranian regime in Canada.
Following seven months of pre-trial detention in Evin Prison, Maryam was sentenced to seven years in prison in March 2014. She was released after 2 years and found refuge in North America where she continues her activism.
This episode is part of a special project supported by the Department of Canadian Heritage. Titled Digital Defenders Initiative, the aim of the project is to uncover transnational repression and foreign manipulation campaigns in Canada, and their impact on the diaspora.
In this episode of Human Rights Talks, we talk to Samuel Woolley, the Dietrich Endowed Chair in Disinformation Studies at the University of Pittsburgh. Samuel talks about the role of encrypted messaging apps in spreading mis-and disinformation, how it impacts diaspora communities in particular and democracy more generally, and how some organizations are fighting back.
Samuel Woolley is a writer and researcher specializing in the study of automation/artificial intelligence, emergent technology, politics, persuasion and social media. He is currently the Dietrich Endowed Chair in Disinformation Studies at the University of Pittsburgh. Previously he founded the Propaganda Research Lab, Center for Media Engagement at The University of Texas at Austin. He also founded and directed the Digital Intelligence Lab at the Institute for the Future, a 50-year-old think tank based in the heart of Silicon Valley. He also cofounded and directed the research team at the Computational Propaganda Project at the Oxford Internet Institute, University of Oxford. He has written on political manipulation of technology for a variety of publications including Wired, The Atlantic, Motherboard VICE, TechCrunch, The Guardian, Quartz and Slate. His work has been presented to members of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, the US Congress, the UK Parliament and to numerous private entities and civil society organizations.
In this episode of Human Rights Talks, we talk to Samuel Cooper about how the Chinese government and Chinese officials and proxies engage n transnational repression in Canada
Sam Cooper is an award-winning investigative journalist and best-selling author, who has presented his anti-corruption findings to Canadian law enforcement agencies, officials in the Pentagon, financial and legal professionals, and academics. He was a reporter for The Province and Vancouver Sun in British Columbia, and Global News in Ottawa. He has won a number of awards for narrative reporting and his first book in titled "Wilful Blindness.
This episode is part of a special project supported by the Department of Canadian Heritage. Titled Digital Defenders Initiative, the aim of the project is to uncover transnational repression and foreign manipulation campaigns in Canada, and their impact on the diaspora.
In this episode of Human Rights Talks, Shelly Ghai Bajaj (University of Waterloo) talks about the use of chat apps by diaspora communities in Canada. Shelly explores the flow, spread, and transfer of mis/disinformation on private chat and closed direct messaging apps among ethnocultural diasporic communities. Whether its about public health or politics, transnational disinformation creates multiple challenges for communities and for democracy.
Shelly Ghai Bajaj (Ph.D., University of Toronto, 2022) is a Postdoctoral Fellow working with Dr. Bessma Momani on projects relating to identity, democracy, disinformation, and social media. She studies comparative politics of both developing and advanced industrial democracies and is interested in the politics of identity and ethnonationalist mobilization, political parties and party strategy, the use of social media by political actors, and South Asian politics
Dans cette discussion avec Fanny Tan, journaliste techno et chercheure à l'Observatoire des conflits multidimensionnels à la Chaire Raoul Dandurand de l'Uqam, nous parlons de la repression transnational et des campagnes de manipulation étrangère au Canada. Ce balado se fait dans le cadre d'un projet soutenu par Patrimoine Canada intitulé "Initiative des défenseurs du numérique".
Veuillez noter que le MIGS se nomme désormais le Centre Montreal pour la Sécurite Globale
In the lead up to the Montreal International Security Summit on China and the Indo-Pacific, which will take place on 16-17 October, MIGS hosted a X Spaces discussion with Maria Shagina (Diamond-Brown Senior Research Fellow, IISS) and Dr Justyna Szczudlik (Head of Asia Pacific Programme, PISM). This is a podcast episode version of the discussion.
In the lead up to the Montreal International Security Summit, which will take place on 16-17 October, MIGS hosted a X Spaces discussion on China and the Indo-Pacific with Michael Caster (Asia Digital program Manager, Article 19).
In the lead up to the Montreal International Security Summit, which will take place on 16-17 October, MIGS is hosting a series of X Spaces discussions on China and the Indo-Pacific.
We spoke to EU MEP Reinhard Bütikofer (the Greens) and Canadian MP John McKay (Liberal Party) about the APT31, a China-nexus cyber espionage group behind a large-scale cyber espionage campaign against parliamentarians and activists.
In the lead up to the Montreal International Security Summit, which will take place on 16-17 October, MIGS is hosting a series of X Spaces discussions on China and the Indo-Pacific.
In this discussion, we speak with Laura Harth (Digital Defenders) and Luke de Pulford (Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China) about the Chinese government's transnational repression around the globe and what democratic governments should do to confront this challenge.
This series of discussion is produced thanks to the support of the Konrad Adenauer Stiftung Canada.
In the lead up to the Montreal International Security Summit, which will take place on 16-17 October, MIGS is hosting a series of X Spaces discussions on China and the Indo-Pacific.
On 24 April, MIGS hosted Chinese-Canadian journalist and human rights activist Sheng Xue and Canadian journalist Sam Cooper to discuss China's foreign interference campaigns in Canada. The discussion was moderated by Kyle Matthews, MIGS' Executive Director.
With the support of the Konrad Adenauer Stiftung Canada.
MIGS, in collaboration with Konrad Adenauer Stiftung Canada, hosted a X/Twitter Spaces discussion titled “Is Tiktok a Security Threat?” featuring Charles Burton (Senior Fellow, Sinopsis), Conor Healy (Director of Government Research, IPVM), and Chung Ching Kwong (Senior Analyst, IPAC). Tune in to this great episode.
What is war rhetoric? What is the effect of war rhetoric on democracy? And how can a closer examination of war rhetoric guide us towards a more peaceful future?
In this episode, we spoke about war rhetoric and its effect on democracy with Professor Emeritus in English & American Studies, Robert L. Ivie (Indiana University), who has published countless academic articles and books on the topic.
Ahead of the Montreal International Security Summit, MIGS hosted a Twitter/X Spaces discussion with French journalist Nicolas Quénel titled “Operations Doppelgänger ou les ressorts de la propagande russe”.
Please note that this interview is in French.
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En amont du Sommet de Montréal sur la sécurité internationale, le MIGS a organisé une discussion sur Twitter/X Spaces avec le journaliste français Nicolas Quénel intitulée « Opérations Doppelgänger ou les ressorts de la propagande russe ».
As part of our series for the Digital Peace Project, this episode is a recording of a conversation with Guylaine Maroist, a Montréal-based filmmaker and producer who has tackled online hate speech and cyberviolence in her most recent documentary film project, "Backlash: Misogyny in the Digital Age". Guylaine joins the MIGS team to discuss her film and her new initiative: https://stopcyberviolences.ca
When Russia launched an unprovoked and illegal invasion of Ukraine on 24 February 2022, Christopher Miller, the Ukraine correspondent for the Financial Times, was on the ground when the first missiles struck. Christopher's book "The War Came to Us" chronicles Ukraine’s past, present, and future as well as its fight for freedom and independence.
MIGS hosted Chris Miller on X (Twitter) Spaces to discuss his new book, his journey to Ukraine as a member of the Peace Corps, and his experience as a foreign correspondent during some of the country's most transformative events. In the lead-up to the Montreal International Security Summit (11-12 October), organized in partnership with the Canadian Department of National Defence and the Konrad Adenauer Stiftung Canada, MIGS is hosting a series of Twitter Spaces discussions on the war in Ukraine. This is one of them.
Cette session vise à comprendre les différentes formes violence auxquelles les communautés 2SLGBTQI font face et à discuter de solutions concrètes pour rendre les environnements en ligne plus équitables et plus sécuritaires pour ses membres. Intervenants: Mylène de Repentigny-Corbeil, Les 3 Sex*; Alexandre Chartrand, Département communication, Université Concordia; Moe Hamandi, Présidence de Fierté Montréal; Élodie Palluet, Vice-présidente, Fondation Émergence
This episode is a recording of a roundtable event organized as part of the Digital Peace Project Series. In this session, we discussed a few unique trends in online hate targeting religious communities, including the impact of conspiracy theories. Featuring: Wendy Via (Project Against Hate and Extremism), Emmanuelle Amar (CIJA), Jennifer Tridgell (University of Essex), and Akaash Maharaj (Global Organization of Parliamentarians Against Corruption).
This episode is a recording of a roundtable event organized as part of the Digital Peace Project Series and aims to unpack Featuring: Catherine Martin (Millbrook Mi’kmaq First Nation Community), Dr. Suzanne Kite (Oglala Lakota) Bailey Oster, (Red River Settlement and St. Paul des Métis). Megan Tipler (Métis educator)
MIGS hosted a Twitter Space discussion with Professor Kimberly Marten (Barnard College, Columbia University) on the recent failed mutiny of the Wagner Group in Russia. This is a recording of the discussion, which is part of MIGS' Ukraine Initiative supported by the Konrad Adenauer Stiftung Canada.
MIGS hosted a Twitter Spaces discussion on Germany’s New Security Strategy and the War in Ukraine with Benjamin Tallis (German Council on Foreign Relations) and Ulrike Franke (European Council on Foreign Relations). This is a recording of the discussion, which is part of MIGS' Ukraine Initiative supported by the Konrad Adenauer Stiftung Canada.
Description: This episode is a recording of a roundtable event organized as part of the Digital Peace Project Series and aims to unpack violence against women online & discuss tangible solutions to making online environments more equitable. Feat. Lucina Di Meco ( #ShePersisted ) Annabel Ashalley-Anthony (Melanin Gamers) Supriya Dwivedi (Centre for Media, Technology & Democracy), Bridget Todd (Podcast host 'There are No Girls on the Internet') and Catherine McKenna, (Climate & Nature Solutions).
This episode is a recording of a roundtable discussion as part of the Digital Peace Project series to mark the International Day for Countering Hate Speech. Fernand de Varennes (UN Special Rapporteur on Minority Issues), Naomi Kikoler (Director of the Simon-Skjodt Center for the Prevention of Genocide at the US Holocaust Memorial Museum), Ronan Lee (Loughborough University London), and Alice Wairimu Nderitu (UN Special Advisor on the Prevention of Genocide) discuss the unique themes, drivers, and recommendations to address online hate targeted at racial and ethnic minorities.
Description: This episode is a recording of an event hosted by RIWI to discuss the results of the public perception survey MIGS conducted with RIWI’s support as part of the Digital Peace Project. Sam Wollenberg (RIWI) and Lauren Salim (MIGS) discuss the results of the survey, where Canadians 16+ were asked about their definition of hate speech and preferences for content moderation.
How is the war in Ukraine changing to way we do Open Sources Intelligence (OSINT)? What are the ethical implications of OSINT? And what happens when AI erases evidence uncovered by OSINT, particularly on social media?
MIGS hosted a Twitter Spaces conversation with Alexa Koenig (Co-Executive Director and Co-Faculty Director of the Human Rights Center, UC Berkeley) and Belkis Wille (Associate Director, Crisis and Conflict division, Human Rights Watch)
The event was moderate by MIGS' Kyle Matthews and Liam Maloney.
In this episode, we delve into the 67th Commission on the Status of Women (CSW67), where global representatives, entities, and ECOSOC-accredited NGOs converged in New York City. In this insightful conversation, Aimee Tymkin, a Canadian delegate and esteemed student-researcher based in Manitoba, talk to us about experience at CSW67. She sheds light on the pivotal topics of innovation, technological change, and education in the digital age and the dangers that come packaged with new technologies. Aimee shares her insights on cyber hatred and gender-based violence, particularly focusing on the youth experience.
In April, Russia assumed the presidency of the UN Security Council, a body dedicated to peace and security, just as the Russian Federation is waging a war of aggression against Ukraine. In such circumstances, many people, including Permanent Representative of Ukraine to the U.N. Sergiy Kyslytsya, are questioning Russia’s status of permanent member. Ukraine has also called for Russia’s removal from the U.N., questioning the very legitimacy of its membership. MIGS hosted a Twitter Spaces discussion Ambassador Sergiy Kyslytsya, Permanent Representative of Ukraine to the United Nations. This is recording of the discussion.
On February 23rd, 2022, reporter Tim Mak arrive in Kyiv to cover a possible war. The Russian invasion of Ukraine began that same night. After leaving NPR, Tim continued to report from Ukraine, providing regular updates about the war, uncovering war crimes but also writing about the daily lives of Ukrainians.
Our conversation with Tim took place on Twitter Spaces.
Subscribe to Tim's Substack here to follow his work: https://counteroffensive.substack.com/about
Since the beginning of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Russian forces have reportedly abducted thousands of Ukrainian children and attempted to deprive them of their Ukrainian identity.
A report published in February 2023 by the Humanitarian Research Lab at Yale School of Public Health concluded that Russia’s federal government has systematically reallocated at least 6,000 children from Ukraine to a network of re-education and adoption facilities in Crimea and Russia. In March, the ICC issued warrants for the arrest of Russian president Vladimir Putin and Maria Lvova-Belova, the presidential Commissioner for Children’s Rights, for supervising the kidnapping of Ukrainian children for adoption and re-education in Russia.
To discuss Russia’s abduction of Ukrainian children, MIGS hosted a Twitter Spaces discussion with Nathaniel Raymond, the Executive Director of Yale School of Public Health’s Humanitarian Research Lab, and Aliona Hlvico, Political analyst and Former Ukrainian MP. This is a recording of this discussion.
Moderated by Marie Lamensch, MIGS’ Coordinator of Program and Outreach
On April 1st, the Russian Federation assumed the rotating presidency the United Nations Security Council. This came on the heels of the International Criminal Courts’ decision to issue an arrest warrant against President Vladimir Putin over alleged war crimes committed by Russian troops in Ukraine. Described as “an April Fool’s joke” by Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba, the situation was condemned by a large number of diplomats, including by Canada’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Ambassador Bob Rae.
MIGS hosted a Twitter Spaces discussion on Moscow’s use of the presidency to spread disinformation about the war in Ukraine.
Speaker:- Honourable Bob Rae, Permanent Representative of Canada to the United Nations.
In this episode, a Russian Montrealer explains why he decided to help Ukrainians in the war against his home country. In the meantime, his family in Moscow thinks he is brainwashed by Western media and refuses to believe that they may have been duped by Russia’s disinformation campaign.
Episode 3 of a 3-part series produced in collaboration with Concordia’s Department of Journalism.
Speaker:
Dmitri Tcherkasski, a pro-Ukrainian supporter in Montreal originally from Moscow, Russia
Sources: Aeon, Eurasianet, PublicO (MediaScope), Russian Field, Statista (Levada Center),StopFake.org, The New Yorker.
Reporter: Bogdan Lytvynenko, Department of Journalism
Producer: Aphrodite Salas, MIGS John Lemieux Faculty Fellow
In this episode, a Ukrainian college student shares her story of fleeing the city of Mariupol as Russian forces closed in.
We reflect on the destruction of Mariupol and examine how disinformation has warped reality in the ensuing information war being waged by Russia.
Episode 2 of a 3-part series produced in collaboration with Concordia’s Department of Journalism.
Speakers:
Alexandra Postoieva, journalism student at Mariupol State University
Craig Silverman, disinformation expert and national reporter for ProPublica
Sources: AP, BBC, Debunk.org, News of Donbas, ProPublica, Reuters, Statista (Levada Center), The Moscow Times
Reporter: Bogdan Lytvynenko, Department of Journalism
Producer: Aphrodite Salas, MIGS John Lemieux Faculty Fellow
In this episode, we follow the tumultuous journey of a Ukrainian family who fled from the frontline city of Kharkiv to start a new life in Canada.
After enduring bombings and terror amid the Russian invasion, we hear how one family was greeted with overwhelming support in Canada that made their 7,500-kilometre journey worthwhile.
Episode 1 of a 3-part series produced in collaboration with Concordia’s Department of Journalism.
Speaker:
Olena Martynova, Ukrainian newcomer under the CUAET program
To find out more about the help provided to Ukrainians in Montreal, visit Concordia’s online magazine The City: http://thecitymag.concordia.ca/home-away-from-home-ukrainian-refugees-montreal/
Reporter: Bogdan Lytvynenko, Department of Journalism
Producer: Aphrodite Salas, MIGS John Lemieux Faculty Fellow
Dans cette discussion, Marianne Couture-Cossette et Marie Lamensch parlons de cyberviolences à caractère sexuel et basées sur le genre et de la manosphère, ainsi que de la mission de Les 3 Sex. Marianne est vice-présidence et direction du volet sensibilisation chez Les 3 Sex. Cet épisode fait partie de notre projet sur la Paix Numérique soutenu par Patrimoin Canada. L'initiative a pour but de contribuer aux efforts nationaux visant à comprendre et à contrer la haine en ligne.
The Lachin corridor, the lifeline road connecting Nagorno-Karabakh with Armenia, has been blocked by Azerbaijiani protesters since December 12. With supplies of food and medicine in the blockaded region running low, 120,000 Armenian residents find themselves in a precarious situation, leading UNICEF to issue a statement warning about the deteriorating humanitarian situation.
The blockade also risks scuppering the fragile peace process between the Republic of Armenia and Azerbaijan, which have fought two wars in the past three decades. Speakers:
- Elisa von Joeden-Forgey, Endowed Chair, Department of Holocaust and Genocide Studies, Keene State College, and Co-founder of the Lemkin Institute for Genocide Prevention.
- Robert Avetissian, Representative of the Republic of Artsakh in the United States.
- Gregory Stanton, Founding president and chairman of Genocide Watch.
This live discussion took place on Twitter Space and was moderated by Marie Lamensch, MIGS’s Project Coordinator
"Queering the Web": Examining Online Harms and Hate Speech Directed at 2SLGBTQIA+ Communities with Dr. Stefanie Duguay
This episode features a conversation with Dr. Stefanie Duguay, assistant professor in Communication Studies and the Concordia University Research Chair in Digital intimacy, gender, andsexuality. How do queer people express identity in digital spaces? What are the challenges that they face when navigating online harms? Explore how queer people are navigating digital spaces, and learn more about Stefanie's research (https://digslab.net). This podcast is part of the Digital Peace Project, an initiative supported by Heritage Canada that aims to analyze different forms of online hate.
On the first anniversary of the war in Ukraine, join the Montreal Institute for Genocide and Human Rights Studies at Concordia University for a Twitter Spaces conversation on the resilience of Ukraine's civil society.
Speakers:
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Oleksandra Povoroznyk, Kyiv-based translator and journalist
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Alina Bondarenko, communications professional in Washington DC and arising expert in Ukrainian cultural diplomacy
- Anton Liagusha, dean of the Faculty of Social sciences and Humanities, Kyev School of Economics. Now Associate Professor, George Mason University. Specialist in Public History, media analysis, propaganda expert
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Katerina Sviderska, MA student at the Université de Montréal
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Moderator: Marie Lamensch, Project coordinator, MIGS
During a Twitter Space, MIGS spoke with filmmaker Jawad Mir about his movie “Citizen of Moria”, which documents the plight of filmmaker Ahmad Brahimi.
When his life comes under threat by the Taliban in Afghanistan, he leaves his family behind for survival and ends up in Europe’s worst Refugee Detention Camp, Moria. Ahmad documents the difficult living conditions endured by the refugees and his attempt to build a life on the island of Lesbos, off the coast of Greece.
Dr. Aylin Matlé on what the invasion of Ukraine means for Germany and NATO. Dr. Matlé has been a research fellow in the German Council on Foreign Relations' Security and Defense Program since March 2022.
Previously, she worked as deputy head of the Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung’s Israel office in Jerusalem. Prior to that, she was a research associate for the chair of international relations and European politics at the Martin-Luther-Universität Halle-Wittenberg.
This is part of our Global Parliamentary Alliance Against Atrocity Crimes, a project supported by the Konrad Adenauer Stiftung Canada.
As part of MIGS’ Global Parliamentary Alliance Against Atrocity Crimes, Project coordinator Marie Lamensch spoke to Dr. Aylin Matlé, research fellow at the German Council on Foreign Relations Security, about what the invasion of Ukraine means for Germany and for NATO and in the future
Dr. Aylin Matlé has been a research fellow in DGAP’s Security and Defense Program since March 2022.
Previously, she worked as deputy head of the Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung’s Israel office in Jerusalem. Prior to that, she was a research associate for the chair of international relations and European politics at the Martin-Luther-Universität Halle-Wittenberg.
As part of MIGS’s Global Parliamentary Alliance Against Atrocity Crimes, Project coordinator Marie Lamensch spoke with Oleksandra Matviichuk, the head of the Center for Civil Liberties. Oleksandra talks about the organization’s efforts to collect evidence of war crimes and crimes against humanity, and why she hopes that their efforts will have an impact on the global justice system. The Center for Civil Liberties is the recipient of the 2022 Nobel Peace Prize.
A Twitter Spaces conversation on the implications of Elon Musk’s acquisition of Twitter for the spread of disinformation, hate speech and other online harms.
Speakers:
- Dr. Emma L. Briant, British scholar and academic researcher on media, contemporary propaganda, surveillance and information warfare, and Visiting Research Associate in Human Rights, Bard College.
- David Troy, researcher, technologist, and investor interested in hybrid warfare and threats to democracy, and Fellow at Future Frontlines at New America.
- Peter MacLeod, co-founder and principal of Mass LBP, and leading expert in public engagement and deliberative democracy.
- Yaqiu Wang, Senior China researcher at Human Rights Watch, working on issues including internet censorship, freedom of expression, protection of civil society and human rights defenders, and women’s rights.
- Prof. Taylor Owen, Beaverbrook Chair in Media, Ethic and Communications, and the founding director of the Centre for Media, Technology and Democracy at McGill University.
The discussion is moderated by MIGS' Project Coordinator Marie Lamensch and Project Leader Lauren Salim.
Where is the line between digital utopia and digital police state?
In "Surveillance State: Inside China’s Quest to Launch a New Era of Social Control", award-winning Wall Street Journal journalists Josh Chin and Liza Lin document with startling detail how the CCP is creating a political model that shapes the will of the people not through the ballot box but through the sophisticated harnessing of data.
Josh Chin and Liza Lin joined MIGS to discuss their new book. The virtual event was moderated by Kyle Matthews.
This discussion is a recording of our Twitter Spaces with Nick Waters (Open Source Analyst, Bellingcat), Hannah Bagdasar (Investigator, Bellingcat), and Dearbhla Minogue (Legal Officer with the Global Legal Action Network).
This is part of our Global Parliamentary Alliance Against Atrocity Crimes, a project supported by the Konrad Adenauer Stiftung Canada.
This is a recording of MIGS Twitter Spaces discussion titled “Structural causes of atrocities in Ethiopia: Spotlight on the Amharas”, which featured Hone Mandefro (Director of Advocacy, Amhara Association of America) and Adem Abebe (Advisor in Peace Building, Constitution Building, Democracy, Elections and Governance). The chat was moderated by Kyle Matthews, MIGS' Executive Director.
In this episode, Ukrainian journalist Iryna Matviyishyn talks to us about hardships faced by civilians living in Russian-occupied territories in Ukraine, Russia filtration system, forced assimilation, and what the West should do to help Ukrainians. Iryna also talks about what is means to be a journalist in Ukraine today and how she tries to bring stories to Western audiences.
This interview is part of our Global Parliamentary Alliance Against Atrocity Crimes, a project supported by the Konrad Adenauer Stiftung Canada.
Authoritarian governments leverage digital technologies to repress the rights and freedoms of their citizens at home, silence dissent among diasporas and other individuals beyond their borders, and to interfere in democratic governments, processes and institutions abroad.
As part of MIGS Digital Authoritarianism project supported by U.S. Embassy in Ottawa, we hosted a Twitter Spaces with Jessica Brandt, the author of MIGS' report "Digital Authoritarianism: Pathways, Trends, Solutions." This is a recording of our chat.
This paper aims to increase understanding of the various pathways through which authoritarian regimes use digital tools to shore up their grip on power at home, weaken democratic governments and institutions that they perceive as threatening to their interests, undermine liberal norms related to privacy and free expression, and replace those norms with illiberal ones.
Jessica Brandt is policy director for the Artificial Intelligence and Emerging Technology Initiative at the Brookings Institution and a fellow in the Foreign Policy program’s Strobe Talbott Center for Security, Strategy, and Technology.
In this episode, we speak to Lesia Vasylenko, an Ukrainian Parliamentarian and human right lawyer. Vasylenko is also a member of the Ukrainian permanent delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe. She tells us what it means to be a legislator during a war and why we must hold Russia accountable for crimes committed in Ukraine.
This interview is part of our Global Parliamentary Alliance Against Atrocity Crimes, a project supported by the Konrad Adenauer Stiftung Canada.
In this episode, we speak to Belkis Wille, a senior researcher at Human Rights Watch, about ongoing war crimes and human rights violations committed by Russian forces in Ukraine. Belkis and her colleagues have interviewed hundreds of Ukrainians who have lost family members in attacks on cities across Ukraine. We also speak about filtration camps, forced disappearances, and Russia's efforts to alter the social and cultural fabric in areas now under Russian control.
This interview is part of our Global Parliamentary Alliance Against Atrocity Crimes, a project supported by the Konrad Adenauer Stiftung Canada.
Resources:
"Russian Strike on Kharkiv is Ukrainian Family’s Tragedy." - Human Rights Watch, August 16, 2022
"Ukraine: Torture, Disappearances in Occupied South." - Human Rights Watch, July 22, 2022
On today's episode, Access Now's Felicia Anthonio talks to MIGS about internet shutdown and the organization's #KeepItOn Campaign, a #KeepItOn coalition made up of over 210 organizations across the world. In 2021 alone, Access Now and the coalition documented 182 internet shutdowns across 34 countries. Read their report here.
This conversation is part of our initiative on Digital Authoritarianism, supported by the U.S. Embassy in Ottawa.
Caitlin Thompson, a reporter at Coda Story, joins us to talk about digital authoritarianism and the different methods used by regimes around the globe to silence dissent and surveil citizens. She also warns us that democratic governments must remain vigilant not to use similar techniques. You can subscribe to Caitlin's newsletter here https://www.codastory.com/coda-newsletters/
This conversation is part of our initiative on Digital Authoritarianism, supported by the U.S. Embassy in Ottawa.
As the war in Ukraine rages on, MIGS organized a Twitter Spaces with Canadian Senator Marilou McPhedran. On 28 April, the Senate unanimously passed a motion recognizing that the Russian Federation is committing acts of genocide against the Ukrainian people. This discussion marked the launch of our new project, the Global Parliamentary Alliance Against Atrocity Crimes, supported by the Konrad Adenauer Stiftung Canada.
In this episode of Human Rights Talks, Peter Guest talks about internet shutdowns and how authoritarian regimes use the off switch to silence dissent. What are the human and financial costs of shutdowns ? What are the tactics used ? Listen to our conversation.
Peter Guest is the enterprise editor for Rest of World. He has worked for the Nikkei Asian Review in Tokyo, where he was the cover story editor. Prior to that, he led the FT’s This Is Africa magazine. This conversation is part of our initiative on Digital Authoritarianism, supported by the U.S. Embassy in Ottawa.
The Canadian Taskforce to Combat Online Antisemitism is a MIGS project aimed at analyzing current trends in online antisemitism, holocaust denial and distortion, and looking at ways we can build better Canadian resiliency to it while addressing what tech companies and other actors can do to tackle this issue.
As part of this project, MIGS spoke to Katharina von Schnurbein, European Commission Coordinator on Combatting Antisemitism. Von Schnurbein works with EU Member States, the European Parliament, civil society organizations, and academia to strengthen policy responses to antisemitism, as well as to hate crimes and discrimination more broadly.
In this episode of Human Rights Talks, Kevin Sheives and Rachelle Faust (International Forum for Democratic Studies) join us to discuss the concept of sharp power and how it differs from soft and hard power. They also talk to us about the International Forum's Sharp Power Research Portal, which features examples and analyses of the scale and impact of authoritarian sharp power around the world. This conversation is part of our initiative on Digital Authoritarianism, supported by the U.S. Embassy in Ottawa.
Rachelle Faust is Assistant Program Officer at International Forum for Democratic Studies at NED
Kevin Sheives is the Associate Director at the International Forum for Democratic Studies at NED
The Canadian Taskforce to Combat Online Antisemitism is a MIGS project aimed at analyzing current trends in online antisemitism, holocaust denial and distortion, and looking at ways we can build better Canadian resiliency to it while addressing what tech companies and other actors can do to tackle this issue. As part of the project, we are launching a series of podcast episodes.
In this episode, MIGS student fellow Nadia Trudel interviews Jaime Kirzner-Roberts the Director of Policy at the Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Center for Holocaust Studies (FSWC).
The Canadian Taskforce to Combat Online Antisemitism is a MIGS project aimed at analyzing current trends in online antisemitism, holocaust denial and distortion, and looking at ways we can build better Canadian resiliency to it while addressing what tech companies and other actors can do to tackle this issue. As part of the project, we are launching a series of podcast episodes. In this episode, MIGS student fellow Nadia Trudel interviews Professor Marlene Grossman, the coordinator of the psychology department at Vanier College and the coordinator of Vanier’s Symposium on the Holocaust and Genocide.
This episode is a recording of an event organized as part of the digital authoritarianism series supported by the US Embassy to Canada.
This discussion features U.S. Consul General Ana Escrogima, David Kaye (clinical professor of law, University of California, and former UN Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression), Chris Walker (VP for Studies and Analysis, National Endowment for Democracy), Suzanne Nossel (Chief Executive Officer of PEN America), Ron Deibert (Director of the Citizen Lab at the Munk School, University of Toronto) and Inga Kristina Trauthig (Research Manager and Senior Research Fellow, Center for Media Engagement, University of Texas, and Research Fellow at the International Centre for the Study of Radicalisation).
The Canadian Taskforce to Combat Online Antisemitism is a MIGS project aimed at analyzing current trends in online antisemitism, holocaust denial and distortion, and looking at ways we can build better Canadian resiliency to it while addressing what tech companies and other actors can do to tackle this issue. As part of the project, we are launching a series of podcast episodes. In this episode, MIGS' Executive Director Kyle Matthews interviews Richard Marceau, former MP and senior advisor for the Center for Israel and Jewish Affairs (CIJA).
In this episode on International Holocaust Remembrance Day, Nadia Trudel interviews Dr. Kathrin Meyer, Secretary General of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA). The IHRA unites governments and experts to strengthen, advance, and promote Holocaust education, remembrance, and research worldwide.
Tools and Resources:
IHRA Toolkit Against Holocaust Distortion
Protect the Facts Campaign
The Canadian Taskforce to Combat Online Antisemitism is a MIGS project aimed at analyzing current trends in online antisemitism, holocaust denial and distortion, and looking at ways we can build better Canadian resiliency to it while addressing what tech companies and other actors can do to tackle this issue. As part of the project, we are launching a series of podcast episodes. In this episode, MIGS student fellow Nadia Trudel interviews Oren Segal, Vice President of the Center on Extremism for Anti Defamation League.
The Montreal Institute for Genocide and Human Rights Studies, the Simon-Skjodt Center for the Prevention of Genocide at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, and the Raoul Wallenberg Centre for Human Rights hosted a special event to mark the International Day of Commemoration and Dignity of the Victims of the Crime of Genocide and Prevention of this Crime.
The event was the official Canadian launch of the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum’s new report and consisted of a presentation of the report’s findings and a discussion on the role of Canada in helping protect the Uyghur minority in China.
Speakers:
- Naomi Kikoler, Director of the Simon-Skjodt Center for the Prevention of Genocide at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum.
- Kyle Matthews, Executive Director of Montreal Institute for Genocide and Human Rights Studies at Concordia University.
- Irwin Cotler, Founder and International Chair of the Raoul Wallenberg Center for Human Rights, former Attorney General of Canada and former Minister of Justice of Canada.
- Robert Fife, Ottawa Bureau Chief for The Globe and Mail and the host of CTV's "Question Period with The Globe and Mail's Robert Fife."
- Nursiman Abdurashid, Uyghur activist.
As the illiberal use of technologies threatens to reshape the balance of power, MIGS is organizing a speaker series on digital authoritarianism. American and Canadian practitioners, researchers, and members of the private sector and civil society shine light on the strategies used by authoritarian states and discuss the pressing need for alliances between Canada, the U.S., and like-minded democratic countries.
This 4th event in the series focused on exporting digital authoritarianism. How is the export of technologies and tactics used by authoritarian states affecting democracy worldwide? Is digital authoritarianism becoming a governance model?
Speakers:
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Steven Feldstein, Senior Fellow at Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
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Jessica Brandt, Policy Director for the Artificial Intelligence and Emerging Technology Initiative at the Brookings Institution
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Yinka Adegoke, Strategic Initiatives editor at Rest of World; former Africa editor for Quartz
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Noura Aljizawi, Researcher, CitizenLab
Moderator : Marie Lamensch, MIGS Project Coordinator
This virtual speaker series is part of MIGS' "Canada-U.S. Democracy and Human Rights Collaboration Initiative" funded by the U.S. Embassy in Ottawa.
On 15 September, only a few days after the 20th anniversary of the 11 September attacks, Parliamentarians for Global Action (PGA) and the Montreal Institute for Genocide and Human Rights Studies (MIGS) held a closed roundtable with the active participation of Members of Parliament (MP), human rights defenders, women’s rights activists, and other experts and academics. The roundtable explored actions that could be undertaken by the international community which could have an impact toward the prevention of atrocity crimes and improve, to the extent possible, the safety and security of Afghan civilians.
A summary of the discussion is available here
As the illiberal use of technologies threatens to reshape the balance of power, MIGS is organizing a speaker series on digital authoritarianism. American and Canadian practitioners, researchers, and members of the private sector and civil society shine light on the strategies used by authoritarian states and discuss the pressing need for alliances between Canada, the U.S., and like-minded democratic countries. This third event in the series will focus on digital authoritarianism in China.
Speakers:
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Paul Mozur, New York Times technology correspondent focused on the intersection of technology and geopolitics in Asia.
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Dr. Sheena Greitens, associate professor, LBJ School, and faculty fellow, Clements Center for National Security
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Margaret McCuaig-Johnston, Senior Fellow in the Institute for Science, Society and Policy, University of Ottawa
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Ainikki Riikonen, Research Assistant for the Technology and National Security Program at the Center for a New American Security (CNAS)
Moderator: Kyle Matthews, Executive Director, MIGS
This virtual speaker series is part of MIGS' "Canada-U.S. Democracy and Human Rights Collaboration Initiative" funded by the U.S. Embassy in Ottawa.
The Montreal Institute of Genocide and Human Rights Studies (MIGS), in collaboration with United Tegaru Canada hosted a virtual discussion to shine light on the ongoing humanitarian crisis occurring in northern Ethiopia's Tigray Region.
Speakers:
Allan Rock, President Emeritus of the University of Ottawa and Professor, Faculty of Law.
Nima Elbagir, award-winning international television correspondent, CNN
Mukesh Kapila, Professor (Emeritus) of Global Health & Humanitarian Affairs at the University of Manchester
Tag Elkhazin, Senior Fellow at the Norman Paterson School of International Affairs, Carleton University.
mModerator: Kyle Matthews, Executive Director of the Montreal Institute for Genocide and Human Rights Studies.
With support from the Department of Heritage’s Digital Citizens Contribution Program, MIGS launched the Canadian Women Leaders' Digital Defence Initiative in January 2021 to highlight online harassment of female journalists and politicians in Canada, and its impacts on democracy.
With the launch of the "Canadian Women Leaders' Digital Defence Initiative" report. we highlighted the problem on online abuse targeting Canadian women and recommendations on how to confront these online harms.
Speakers
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Dr. Julie Posetti – Global Director of Research, International Center for Journalists
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Lucina Di Meco - Co-Founder - #ShePersisted
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Kristina Wilfore, Co-founder - #ShePersisted
Read the report
Atrocity crimes are considered to be the most serious crimes against humanity. Its status as an international crime is based on the belief that the acts associated with it affect the dignity of human beings. This discussion brings together three high-level experts to reflect, and review current thinking on atrocity prevention approaches.
- Alice Nderitu, UN Secretary General's Special Advisor on the Prevention of Genocide
- Lt-General Roméo Dallaire, former Canadian Senator, MIGS Distinguished Senior Fellow.
- David Donat Cattin, Secretary-General, Parliamentarians for Global Action
Moderated by Kyle Matthews, Executive Director of the Montreal Institute for Genocide and Human Rights Studies
Dans le cadre de la Coalition canadienne pour contrer la désinformation en ligne sur la COVID-19, le MIGS a parlé avec Olivier Bernard, mieux connu sous le pseudonyme du "Pharmachien". Olivier un pharmacien du Québec et vulgarisateur scientifique qui se passionne pour la science et les mythes médicaux.
La Coalition canadienne pour contrer la désinformation en ligne sur la COVID-19 est un projet financé par Patrimoine Canada.
Dans l’écosystème informationnel dans lequel nous nous trouvons aujourd’hui, tout le monde peut créer et publier du contenu. Il est de plus en plus difficile de discerner les faits de la fiction, les exagérations de la manipulation. Nous discutons du jeu vidéo « Harmony Square » et des manières dont ces technologies peuvent être utilisées pour comprendre les mécanismes de la désinformation sur les réseaux sociaux.
Intervenants:
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Alexane Couturier, étudiante au doctorat en études sémiotiques et assistante de recherche - Groupe de recherche Homo Ludens (UQAM)
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Amélie Vallières, étudiante au doctorat en éducation (UQAM) et associée à la Chaire de recherche en littératie médiatique multimodale de l’UQAM
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Gabriel Delsol, Disinfo Cloud et Park Advisors
Modératrice: Marie Lamensch
Cet évènement fait partie de notre Initiative Coalition canadienne pour contrer la désinformation en ligne sur la COVID-19. Suivez-nous sur @MIGSinstitute ou @CounterDisinfo pour en savoir plus sur le projet et pour avoir accès à des ressources pour combattre la désinformation et mésinformation liées à la Covid-19. Merci à Patrimoine Canada pour le soutien de ce projet.
Dans le cadre de la Coalition canadienne pour contrer la désinformation en ligne sur la COVID-19, le MIGS a parlé avec Alexis de Lancer, journaliste et animateur de l'émission hebdomadaire "Décrypteurs" sur les ondes de ICI RDI. Avec mes collègues Jeff Yates, Marie-Pier Élie et Nicholas De Rosa, il explore le phénomène de la désinformation et des fausses nouvelles.
Coalition canadienne pour contrer la désinformation en ligne sur la COVID19 est un projet financé par Patrimoine Canada
This interview is part of the Canadian Coalition to Counter COVID19 Digital Disinformation project. In this episode, we chat with Christina Nemr, Director at Park Advisors. Park Advisors organizes and analyses information, building solutions to issues like disinformation, terrorism, violent extremism, hate speech and more. We chat about their platform DisinfoCloud and the game Harmony Square, in which users take on the role of a Chief Disinformation Officer. Stay tuned to the MIGS social media pages for more information about the launch event for the French version of the game.
This interview is part of the Canadian Coalition to Counter COVID19 Digital Disinformation project. In this episode, we chat with Fenwick McKelvey, Scott DeJong, Elsa Donovan, and Saskia Kowalchuk from the Algorithmic Media Observatory. Much of the work of the observatory focuses on understanding the consequences of algorithms and the digitization of our society. We discuss their recent work studying memes as a way of analyzing political culture in Canada through the 2019 federal election and the COVID19 pandemic.
This interview series is part of the "Spotlight on Artificial Intelligence and Freedom of Expression" (SAIFE) project by the Office of the OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media. In this episode, MIGS' Executive Director Kyle Matthews interviews Lucina Di Meco of She Persisted
This interview series is part of the "Spotlight on Artificial Intelligence and Freedom of Expression" (SAIFE) project by the Office of the OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media. In this episode, MIGS' Executive Director Kyle Matthews interviews Zach Devereaux from Nexalogy.
The "AI and COVID-19 Digital Disinformation Initiative" is carried out in partnership with the OSCE's Office of the Representative on Freedom of the Media's #SAIFE project.
Alice Stollmeyer is the Founder and Executive Director of Defend Democracy. A former Digital Advocacy Strategist, she has lived and worked in Paris, Amsterdam and Brussels, the heart of the European Union.
With a solid background in ‘social studies of science, technology and society’ and in communication, in 2012 Alice founded her own consultancy @StollmeyerEU, which specialises in EU public affairs, political communications and digital advocacy. She has been ranked a top digital EU influencer ever since (#1 female digital EU influencer 2019 and 2020).
In 2016 @StollmeyerEU broadened its portfolio: previously focused on energy and climate policies, now its focus is politics, digital developments and European values like democracy, human rights and rule of law.
In 2017 @StollmeyerEU successfully accomplished a major assignment as interim Communications Director at the Women Political Leaders Global Forum.
On 8 November 2017, Alice Stollmeyer founded Defend Democracy: an independent, nonpartisan, transatlantic initiative defending liberal democracy from internal, external and technological threats.
The "AI and COVID-19 Digital Disinformation Initiative" is carried out in partnership with the OSCE's Office of the Representative on Freedom of the Media's #SAIFE project.
Linda Slapakova is an analyst with RAND Europe in the area of defence and security. Her research focuses on the impacts of emerging technologies in defence, emerging security and information threats, and defence workforce and personnel issues. She has managed a range of projects for UK- and EU-based clients in these areas, and is experienced in a range of qualitative and futures methodologies including horizon scanning, workshop facilitation and evaluation.
The "AI and COVID-19 Digital Disinformation Initiative" is carried out in partnership with the OSCE's Office of the Representative on Freedom of the Media's #SAIFE project.
Nad’a Kovalčíková is a program manager and fellow at the Alliance for Securing Democracy (ASD) in GMF's Brussels office. While working on ASD’s European outreach, she focuses also on transatlantic cooperation, NATO, EU – U.S. relations and emerging security challenges. In addition, she analyses information operations, efforts to counter disinformation and threats to democracy. She has developed her expertise through working at NATO, European Parliament, French and Canadian embassies, American Field Service and several NGO and think thank projects in Belgium, Canada, France, and Slovakia. Nad’a Kovalčíková obtained her PhD. in International Relations with a focus on security threats, and Masters’ Degrees in Politics and Government, European Affairs and International Economic Relations. In addition to being a native speaker of Slovak, she is fluent in English, French and Czech, speaks Spanish and has a basic knowledge of German.
Lors de la cinquième session de notre série d'évènement sur la COVID-19 et la désinformation, nous avons parlé des acteurs principaux, des thèmes clés, et du développement de la littératie numérique au sein de la population canadienne. Qu'est ce qui est fait au Québec, au Canada et en Europe?
Intervenant(e)s:
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Divina Frau-Meigs, professeure, Université Sorbonne Nouvelle
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Marc Ladouceur, Media Smarts/Habilo Media
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Rudy Reichstadt, Conspiracy Watch
Modératrice: Agnès Gruda, éditorialiste, La Presse
Cet évènement a été retransmis sur nos pages Facebook et YouTube.
La Coalition canadienne pour contrer la désinformation en ligne sur la COVID-19 est un projet mis sur pied par l'Institut Montréalais d'Études sur le Génocide et les Droits de la Personne grâce au financement de Patrimoine Canada. Notre mission est de développer la littératie numérique et la résilience au sein de la population canadienne alors qu'ils font face à de la désinformation et de la mésinformation liées à la COVID-19.
Dans le cadre de ce projet, nous organisons une série d’assemblée numérique sur des thèmes tels que l’influence étrangère, les théories du complot et les fausses nouvelles. Cet évènement se trouve à être le dernier de notre série d'assemblées.
The "AI and COVID-19 Digital Disinformation Initiative" is carried out in partnership with the OSCE's Office of the Representative on Freedom of the Media's #SAIFE project.
Marcus Kolga is an international award winning documentary filmmaker, journalist, digital communications strategist, and a leading Canadian expert on Russian and Central and Eastern European issues. Marcus has a focus on communications and media strategies as tools of foreign policy and defence, and continues to write commentary for national and international media including the Globe and Mail and Toronto Star. He is the co-founder and publisher of UpNorth.eu, an online magazine that features analysis and political and cultural news from the Nordic and Baltic region. He frequently comments on Russian, Eastern and Central European issues on North American radio and television and at foreign policy conferences. Marcus is involved with international human rights organizations and national political organizations. In 2008 he spearheaded an effort to make August 23rd, the anniversary of the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact, a Canadian national day of remembrance for the European victims of Nazism and communism - Black Ribbon Day - by drafting a parliamentary resolution that was introduced and passed by Hon. Bob Rae. In 2015, Marcus was awarded the Estonian Order of the White Star by President Toomas Hendrik Ilves.
The "AI and COVID-19 Digital Disinformation Initiative" is carried out in partnership with the OSCE's Office of the Representative on Freedom of the Media's #SAIFE project.
John Villasenor is a nonresident senior fellow in Governance Studies and the Center for Technology Innovation at Brookings. He is also a professor of electrical engineering, law, public policy, and management at UCLA, as well as co-director of the UCLA Institute for Technology, Law, and Policy. Villasenor’s work considers the technology, policy, and legal issues arising from key technology trends including the growth of artificial intelligence, the increasing complexity and interdependence of today’s networks and systems, and continued advances in computing and communications.
He has written for the Atlantic, Billboard, the Chronicle of Higher Education, Fast Company, Forbes, the Los Angeles Times, the New York Times, Scientific American, Slate, and the Washington Post, and for many academic journals. Prior to joining the faculty at UCLA, Villasenor was with the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, where he developed methods of imaging the earth from space. He holds a B.S. from the University of Virginia and an M.S. and Ph.D. from Stanford University, and is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations.
The "AI and COVID-19 Digital Disinformation Initiative" is carried out in partnership with the OSCE's Office of the Representative on Freedom of the Media's #SAIFE project.
Fabio is Project Manager at AlgorithmWatch for the 2020 edition of the Automating Society report. After a decade in tech reporting, he worked as a consultant and assistant researcher in data and politics (Tactical Tech), and AI in journalism (Polis LSE). He coordinated the ‘Persuasori Social’ report on regulating political campaigns on social media for the PuntoZero Project, and worked as a tech-policy staffer within the Chamber of Deputies of the Italian Parliament during the current legislation. A Fellow at the Nexa Center for Internet & Society in Turin, he is Adjunct Professor at the University of San Marino, teaching ‘Journalism and New Media’ and ‘Publishing and digital media’. He is the author of several essays on technology and society, the latest being ‘Io non sono qui. Visioni e inquietudini da un futuro presente’ (DeA Planeta, 2018), that is currently being translated into Polish and Chinese. He writes as a tech-policy reporter at the collective blog ValigiaBlu.
"AI and COVID-19 Digital Disinformation Initiative" is carried out in partnership with the OSCE's Office of the Representative on Freedom of the Media's #SAIFE project.
Gater Gattami is Senior Researcher at RISE. He worked at MIT as a research associate in 2008 and joined KTH during 2009-2012 as an assistant professor. Dr. Gattami served as a Senior Researcher at Ericsson Research from 2012-2015 where he was leading the Emerging Technologies team for the 5th generation (5G) communication system. He holds over 20 international patents. He is currently a senior AI expert at RISE (Research Institutes of Sweden) AI. His research interests are within the mathematical foundations of Machine Learning in general and Deep Learning in particular, Reinforcement Learning, and learning in dynamical systems and games, with applications to tele-communication, energy network modelling and optimization, recommender systems, anomaly detection, predictive maintenance, and Natural Language.
Join this digital townhall to learn about COVID-19 disinformation and the future of internet governance and content moderation.
- Tina Purnat, World Health Organization
- Fenwick McKelvey, Concordia University
- Elizabeth Dubois, University of Ottawa
- Rory Smith, First Draft News
- Philippe-Andre Rodriguez, Global Affairs Canada
The Canadian Coalition to Counter COVID Digital Disinformation is a project organized by the Montreal Institute for Genocide and Human Rights Studies with funding from the Department of Canadian Heritage's Digital Citizens Initiative. The team is working to enhance Canadian citizens' digital literacy and resiliency as they come in contact with misinformation and disinformation relating to COVID-19.
As part of this work, a series of digital townhalls will be held on issues like foreign interference, conspiracy theories and fake news. Stay tuned for more events hosted on these topics.
Lors de la troisième session de notre série d'évènement sur la COVID-19 et la désinformation, nous parlons des acteurs principaux, des thèmes clés, et du rôle des médias dans la vérification des faits.
En partenariat avec Agence Science Presse
Ce joindront à nous:
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Eve Dubé. Anthropologue. Chercheure à l'Institut national de santé publique du Québec
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Nicholas de Rosa. Journaliste, Les Décrypteurs, Radio-Canada
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Eve Beaudin. Journaliste et reporter. Détectrice de rumeurs à sciencepresse.qc.ca
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Patrick White. Journaliste et professeur de journalisme à l'Université du Québec à Montréal.
La Coalition canadienne pour contrer la désinformation en ligne sur la COVID-19 est un projet mis sur pied par l'Institut Montréalais d'études sur le génocide et les droits de la personne grâce au financement de Patrimoine Canada. Notre mission est de développer la littératie numérique et la résilience au sein de la population canadienne alors qu'ils font face à de la désinformation et de la mésinformation liées à la COVID-19.
Dans le cadre de ce projet, nous organisons une série d’assemblée numérique sur des thèmes tels que l’influence étrangère, les théories du complot et les fausses nouvelles. Demeurez à l’écoute pour en apprendre davantage sur nos prochains évènements sur ce sujet.
In collaboration with the Institute for Economics and Peace,MIGS hosted the Canadian launch of the IEP's 2020 Global Terrorism Index.
This event was streamed live on our YouTube channel as well as our Facebook page.
The Institute for Economics and Peace (IEP) recently published the 2020 Global Peace Index (GTI). The GTI is an annual report produced by the Institute for Economics & Peace. Now on its eighth edition, the GTI provides a comprehensive summary of the key global trends and patterns in terrorism. Our speakers provided an overview of the report's findings and look at the socio-economic conditions under which terrorism occurs, some of the recent geopolitical drivers and how terrorism changes over time.
Featured Speakers:
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Michelle Shephard, journalist and filmmaker
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Michael Collins, Institute for Economics and Peace
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Mia Bloom, Fellow, International Security Program, New America
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Mubin Shaikh, Professor of Public Safety, former security intelligence and counter terrorism operative
In this second installment of our series on COVID-19 and disinformation we discussed key actors, themes, and impacts of conspiracy theories and disinformation in the Canadian context.
We will be joined by: Dr. Joan Donovan (Shorenstein Center at Harvard University), Melanie Smith (Graphika), and Dr. Heidi Tworek (UBC & CIGI). Aphrodite Salas (Concordia University) moderated this discussion.
The discussion was streamed live on YouTube
The Canadian Coalition to Counter COVID Digital Disinformation is a project organized by the Montreal Institute for Genocide and Human Rights Studies with funding from the Department of Canadian Heritage's Digital Citizens Initiative. We are working to enhance Canadian citizens' digital literacy and resiliency as they come in contact with misinformation and disinformation relating to COVID-19.
As part of this work, we are holding a series of digital townhalls on issues like foreign interference, conspiracy theories, and fake news. Stay tuned for more events hosted on these topics.
One year after Ethiopia's Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, a humanitarian crisis is developing in the Horn of Africa as thousands of people are fleeing the two-week conflict in Ethiopia's Tigray region. Since the start of the conflict between the Ethiopian Defence Forces and the Tigray Regional Paramilitary Police and militia loyal to the Tigray People Liberation Front, 25,300 refugees have fled the country into Sudan. According to Amnesty International, "scores, and likely hundreds, of people were stabbed or hacked to death" the South West Zone of Tigray. Many others have been killed in airstrikes.
This panel discussion shed light on the humanitarian crisis unfolding in the region, the different narratives of the groups involved in the conflict, unpack the structural and political causes, and look at the regional implications of the conflict.
Speakers:
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William Davison, Senior Analyst for Ethiopia, Crisis Group
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Sarah Hunter, Global Center for the Responsibility to Protect
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Dr Semahagn Abebe, Assistant Professor, Endicott College
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Susan Stigant, Director of Africa Programs at the U.S. Institute of Peace
The discussion is moderated by Marie lamensch, Project coordinator at MIGS
In this first installment of our series on COVID-19 and disinformation we discussed key actors, themes, and impacts of foreign interference and disinformation in the Canadian context.
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Marcus Kolga (Founder of DisinfoWatch and Senior Fellow at the Macdonald-Laurier Institute)
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Camille François (Chief Innovation Officer at Graphika)
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Alice Stollmeyer (Executive Director of Defend Democracy).
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Michael Petrou (Editor-in-Chief of Open Canada) will moderate the discussion.
This event was livestreamed on the Montreal Institute for Genocide and Human Rights Studies' Facebook and YouTube pages.
The Canadian Coalition to Counter COVID Digital Disinformation is a project organized by the Montreal Institute for Genocide and Human Rights Studies with funding from the Department of Canadian Heritage's Digital Citizens Initiative. We are working to enhance Canadian citizens' digital literacy and resiliency as they come in contact with misinformation and disinformation relating to COVID-19.
In light of the Human Rights violations against the Uyghur population happening in Xinjiang, a region in the northwest of China which is known to most Uyghur people as East Turkestan, join the Montreal Institute for Genocide and Human Rights Studies for a high-level discussion on the persecution of the Uyghurs.
This is part 3 of the discussion.
- Sophie Richardson, China director at Human Rights Watch
- Nury Turkel, Uighur human rights lawyer, founder of the Uighur Human Rights Project, and Commissioner of the US Commission on International Religious Freedom"
- Garnett Genuis, Member of the Canadian Parliament for Sherwood Park and Shadow Minister for International Development & Human Rights
- Preston Lim, J.D. candidate at Yale Law School
Moderator: Kyle Matthews, Executive Director, MIGS
In light of the Human Rights violations against the Uyghur population happening in Xinjiang, a region in the northwest of China which is known to most Uyghur people as East Turkestan, join the Montreal Institute for Genocide and Human Rights Studies for a high-level discussion on the persecution of the Uyghurs. This is part 2 of the discussion.
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Mihrigul Tursun, camp survivor
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Adrian Zenz, German anthropologist and Senior Fellow in China Studies at VOC
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Francine Pelletier, journalist at Le Devoir and journalism adjunct professor at Concordia University
In light of the Human Rights violations against the Uighur population happening in Xinjiang, a region in the northwest of China which is known to most Uyghur people as East Turkestan, join the Montreal Institute for Genocide and Human Rights Studies for a high-level discussion on the persecution of the Uighur.
Irwin Cotler, retired Canadian politician, Emeritus Professor of Law, and Founder and Chair of the Raoul Wallenberg Centre for Human Rights
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Darren Byler, Department of Anthropology, University of Washington.
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Dr. Sean Roberts, Associate Professor of the Practice of International Affairs, and Director, International Development Studies Program, Elliott School of International Affairs.
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Marie-Ève Melanson, PhD candidate at McGill University's School of Religious Studies, a Research Assistant on Dr. Susan Palmer's SSHRC-funded project "Children in Minority Religions and State Control."
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Dilnur Reyhan, President of the Uyghur Institute of Europe
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Moderator: Prof. Kim Manning, Associate Professor of Political Science and Principal of the Simone de Beauvoir Institute at Concordia University
Today, the crisis in Myanmar stands out as a case study of groups harnessing social media to incite violence and of the failure of social media platforms to take action. What role did online hate speech and misinformation play in the resurgence of oppression and human rights violations? What are the lessons learned from this crisis for all stakeholders (Big Tech, states, civil society) to prevent this from happening again?
The third session of the “Decoding Hate Speech” series will focus on the weaponization of social media in Myanmar and address whether this case marks a turning point in Big Tech’s realization that they must consider the human rights impact of their platforms.
Senator Marilou McPhedran
Grant Shubin, Legal Director of the Global Justice Center
Myat Thu, Independent expert and Research Advisor at Myanmar Tech Accountability
Kyle Matthews, Executive Director of the Montreal Institute for Genocide and Human Rights Studies (MIGS)
In 2017-1018, images of Iranian women protesting the Islamic government by taking off their headscarves in public were seen around the world. Shaparak Shajarizadeh was one of these women. In 2018, she photographed herself in front of one of the busiest squares of Teheran, hoisting her hijab overhead on a stick for all to see. This same picture is now on the cover of a new book titled “La liberté n’est pas un crime” in which she and journalist Rima Elkouri tell her story of how she became an activist fighting for women’s rights and how she came to participate in the #WhiteWednesday movement. She also recounts her arrests, her time in prison and finally her flight from Iran. Today, she has found refuge in Toronto but she continues to fight for women’s rights and basic freedoms.
In this unique bilingual event, Shaparak Shajarizadeh and Rima Elkouri will discuss Shaparak’s decision to stand up to the Iranian government, the role of women in protest movements in Iran, her decision to flee her country and to continue her activism in Canada.
This is a bilingual event and will be streamed on our YouTube channel as well as our Facebook.
Speakers:
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Rima Elkouri, journalist at La Presse and co-author of “La liberté n’est pas un crime”
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Shaparak Shajarizadeh, Iranian activist and co-author of “La liberté n’est pas un crime”
Can information and communication technologies still be used for positive change and democracy, and if so, how? How can we prevent Big Tech from profiting from online harm and once again become a tool for positive change? What tools, mechanisms and approaches can be used by states, civil society and the private sector to counter online hate?
The second session of the “Decoding Hate Speech” series addressed the complexity of this social media phenomenon with an informed and multi-partied approach to prevent the harmful effects of Big Tech on human rights, and develop strategies to make technologies work for the benefit of our societies.
Kyle Matthews, Executive Director of the Montreal Institute for Genocide and Human Rights Studies, speaks to Savita Pawnday (Deputy Executive Director of the Global Centre for the Responsibility to Protect), Meetali Jain (Legal Director at Avaaz), and Christopher Tuckwood (Executive Director of The Sentinel Project).
Les théories du complot ont gagné en population et visibilité depuis le début de la pandémie de la COVID-19, visant tout particulièrement certaines communautés culturelles et religieuses. Ce panel aborde la question des théories du complots et leurs liens avec les discours haineux. Nous parlons des contextes de crise dans lesquels ils prennent racines, des mécanismes de diffusion en ligne, et de certaines bonnes pratiques d’information et d’éducation permettant de lutter contre ce phénomène.
-Marie-Eve Carignan, Directrice du Pôle Médias, Chaire UNESCO en prévention de la radicalisation et de l’extrémisme violents (Chaire UNESCO-PREV) - Jeff Yates, Journaliste, Radio Canada, "Les Décrypteurs" - Rudy Reichstadt, Conspiracy Watch - Marie Lamensch, Coordinatrice de projet, MIGS
In recent years, hate-fueled rhetoric in public discourse and in the media have been on the rise around the world. By revolutionizing the way we communicate and interact, the Internet and social media have considerably amplified this phenomenon. National and international responses to this global phenomenon have been uneven. Some governments are hesitant to regulate freedom of speech while governments with authoritarian tendencies have imposed social media rules to crack down on activists and journalists. Big Tech Companies, meanwhile, have failed to strongly address online hate speech.
Alarmed by the increase of hate speech around the globe, the UN Secretary-General launched the UN Strategy and Plan of Action on Hate Speech in 2019, which proposes a holistic approach to identify, address and counter hate speech. However, progress has been slow, despite rising calls for regulations and codes of conduct.
The first panel of the “Decoding Hate Speech” series addresses the complexity of this phenomenon with an informed, nuanced and multi-partied approach to identify and counter hate speech as a potential factor conducive to human rights violations and atrocity crimes.
Featuring * Mô Bleeker, Special Envoy for Dealing with the Past and Atrocity Prevention at the Swiss Federal Department of Federal Affairs * Representative of United Nations Office for Genocide Prevention and the Responsibility to Protect * Katarzyna Gardapkhadze, Officer in Charge, OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights * Lieutenant-General Romeo Dallaire, Founder of the Child Soldiers Initiative and MIGS Distinguished Fellow
Kareem Shaheen is a journalist and former The Guardian correspondent for the Middle East. He discussed the current situation in Beyrouth, corruption within the Lebanese government, and the uncertain future Lebanese people face. He also spoke about the situation in Syria and the future of the Middle East.
Kareem Shaheen is a journalist and columnist based in Montreal. He is the former Middle East and Turkey correspondent for The Guardian, and was previously based in Istanbul, Beirut and Abu Dhabi. He was nominated for a Frontline Club Award for print journalism for his coverage of the Khan Sheikhun chemical attack. He holds a master’s degree in war studies from King’s College London.
In November 2019, The Gambia, with the backing of the 57 members of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, filed a case before the ICJ alleging that Myanmar's atrocities against the Rohingya in Rakhine State violates the Genocide Convention. Last January, the ICJ ordered Myanmar to take immediate measures to prevent the genocide of the Rohingya. Param-Preet Singh speaks about the decade-long systematic persecution of the Rohingya, the surge of violence since 2017 and developments at the United Nations and the ICJ.
Param-Preet Singh is associate director in the International Justice Program. She focuses on creating paths to credible national and international justice for victims of war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide. She has conducted on-the-ground fact-finding missions and authored reports and briefing papers on accountability efforts in Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Côte d’Ivoire. In addition, Singh has worked on advocacy campaigns to address the mass human rights violations in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea and in Myanmar.
To mark the 6th anniversary of the Yazidi Genocide, the Montreal Institute for Genocide and Human Rights Studies, in partnership with Yazda, hosted a discussion on justice, trauma, and what the future looks like for Yazidi survivors, particularly women and children.
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Ahmed Shaheed , UN Special Rapporteur on freedom of religion or belief.
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Natia Navrouzov, Yazda.
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Nicolette Waldman, Amnesty International.
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Hala Safel, Yazidi genocide survivor
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Kyle Matthews, Executive Director, MIGS
Jean-Nicolas Beuze is the UNHCR representative in Yemen. He talks about the ongoing conflict, how COVID19 is affecting Yemen and how the UNHCR has shifted its operations. COVID-19 will be the straw that breaks the camel's back in this conflict-ridden country. Follow him at @jnbeuze Jean-Nicolas Beuze worked for more than 20 years with the United Nations in the areas of Human Rights (OHCHR), Peacekeeping (DPKO) and UNICEF at Headquarters and in the field (Cameroon, Democratic Republic of Congo, Uganda, Afghanistan and the Middle-East and North Africa region) before joining UNHCR in Lebanon as Deputy Representative for Protection and Inter-Agency Coordination. Prior to joining UNHCR, he was the UNICEF Child Protection Advisor for the MENA region (2010-13) working on emergency responses in Iraq, Libya, Sudan, Syria and Yemen, and strengthening public child protection and education systems in the region. He was previously appointed as the Deputy Director of the Human Rights Unit of UN Peace-Keeping/DPKO mission in Afghanistan/UNAMA (2008-10) focusing on women’s rights, elections, poverty and the protection of civilians. He
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The Montreal Institute for Genocide and Human Rights Studies hosted a conversation on how the Santa Clara Principles can guide content moderation and platform governance on the issues of hate speech and incitement to commit violence.
As a result of pandemic and the BLM protests, many tech companies have made changes to the way they moderate content. What does it mean for users and for society as whole ? As these steps relevant? - David Greene, Senior Staff Attorney & Civil Liberties Director at the Electronic Frontier Foundation
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Heidi Tworek, Associate Professor in International History and Public Policy at UBC
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Chris Beall, Policy Lead for Platform Governance at the Centre for International Governance Innovation
The Institute for Economics and Peace recently published the 2020 Global Peace Index. The Index outlines key 2020 highlights, global rankings, regional overviews as well as country improvements and deterioration in peace. Uniquely, this edition will cover three new topics: trends in civil unrest, ecological threats, and the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition to the Index, IEP also released a special briefing on COVID-19 and Peace. It discusses the changes in socio-economic systems and considers the repercussions of such changes on patterns of violence and conflict.
Featured Guests:
Lieutenant-General the Honourable Roméo A. Dallaire
Serge Stroobants, Director of Operations, Europe & MENA, Institute for and Economics and Peace
Senator Marilou McPhedran , Canadian Senator and founder of The Institute for International Women’s Rights
Ferry de Kerckhove, former Ambassador
Moderator: Kyle Matthews, Montreal Institute for Genocide and Human Rights Studies
Mapping online hate is a project of the Montreal Institute for Genocide and Human Rights Studies at Concordia University. This project supported by Heritage Canada's Digital Citizens Initiative. The initiative features interviews with experts and practitioners about online hate in Canada and Quebec more specifically.
Zach Devereaux has been researching social media and it's impact on business, politics, and national security since 2010. Zach won a Gemini Citation of Recognition with the Infoscape Lab at Ryerson University for putting Twitter, YouTube, and Blogs on CBC news during Canada Votes 2008 coverage, and worked in automotive related social media analytics and analysis for 5 years, before becoming a social media expert and defence consultant at the NATO level.
Mapping online hate is a project of the Montreal Institute for Genocide and Human Rights Studies at Concordia University. This project supported by Heritage Canada's Digital Citizens Initiative. The initiative features interviews with experts and practitioners about online hate in Canada and Quebec more specifically.
Adama Dieng, a Senegalese jurist, was appointed as Under-Secretary-General and Special Adviser of the Secretary-General on the Prevention of Genocide on 1 September 2012. Prior to his appointment, he had served since 2001 as Assistant Secretary-General and Registrar of the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda. Before joining the United Nations, Mr. Dieng was the Secretary General of the Geneva-based International Commission of Jurists for ten years (1990-2000).
Mapping online hate is a project of the Montreal Institute for Genocide and Human Rights Studies at Concordia University. This project supported by Heritage Canada's Digital Citizens Initiative. The initiative features interviews with experts and practitioners about online hate in Canada and Quebec more specifically.
David Ouellette, Associate Director of Quebec Public Affairs at The Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs (CIJA).
Mapping online hate is a project of the Montreal Institute for Genocide and Human Rights Studies at Concordia University. This project supported by Heritage Canada's Digital Citizens Initiative. The initiative features interviews with experts and practitioners about online hate in Canada and Quebec more specifically.
Christopher Tuckwood is the executive director and co-founder of the Sentinel Project for Genocide Prevention, a Toronto-based NGO dedicated to assisting communities at risk of mass atrocities worldwide. The Sentinel Project does this through the innovative use of technology and direct cooperation with threatened communities
Mapping online hate is a project of the Montreal Institute for Genocide and Human Rights Studies at Concordia University. This project supported by Heritage Canada's Digital Citizens Initiative. The initiative features interviews with experts and practitioners about online hate in Canada and Quebec more specifically.
Dre Ghayda Hassan est une psychologue clinicienne et professeure de psychologie clinique à l’UQAM à Montréal. Ses revues systématiques, recherches et activités cliniques sont axées sur quatre aspects de la psychologie clinique culturelle: 1) Souffrance sociale, relations inter-communautaires et la radicalisation violente 2) Intervention dans la violence familiale et diversité culturelle 3) Identité, appartenance et santé mentale des enfants et des adolescents des groupes minoritaires ethniques / religieux 4) Travailler avec des immigrants et des réfugiés vulnérables.
Dr. Ghayda Hassan is a clinical psychologist and professor of clinical psychology at UQAM. Her research and clinical activities are centred around four main areas of clinical cultural psychology: 1) Intervention in family violence & cultural diversity; 2)Identity, belonging and mental health of children and adolescents from ethnic/religious minorities ; 3) Cohabitation, inter-community relations and violent extremism ; 4) working with vulnerable immigrants and refugees.
Entrevue en français
Namrata Kolachalam speaks about the measures taken by Narendra Modi's government in India, the impact of the pandemic on Asia's largest slums in Mumbai, and the continued rise of Islamophobia in the country. The global pandemic has only accelerated national identity politics and Muslims have been used as scapegoats.
Namrata Kolachalam is a writer based in Mumbai. She previously worked as a spokesperson for the Obama administration
Nick Aspinwall speaks about Taiwan's response to COVID19, which has been praised around the world, how the country is positioning itself on the world stage, how its relationship with China will evolve. We also discuss The Philippine's disastrous response to the virus, why urban poor populations are particularly at risk, and how President Duterte continues to crack down on critics amid the pandemic. Nick Aspinwall is a journalist based in Taipei. He is an editor at Ketagalan Media, a Taiwan-focused online media outlet. He reports on migration, the environment, labor rights, and the human consequences of cross-strait politics. He has written for The Diplomat, Foreign Policy, South China Morning Post, and AL Jazeera.
Dr. Jan Ilhan Kizilhan (Professor, Mental Health, Trauma. Dean of the Institute of Psychotherapy & Psychotraumatology Uni of Duhok, Director Institute of Genocide and Peace Studies) discusses the vulnerability of Yazidis in Northern Iraq and the need for the international community and the UN to help them during the global pandemic.
How do you hold elections during a pandemic ? Should they be postponed? Looking at the case of Poland and other European countries, Paige Morrow, Senior Legal Officer at Article19, discusses various approaches and what it means for democracy. She also talks about the importance of access to truthful information and the combating online misinformation.
Geoffrey York, journalist at the Globe and Mail, speaks about the situation on the African continent, particularly in South Africa, how journalists are covering the pandemic in an accurate way, and the spread of misinformation and conspiracy theories on WhatsApp and how the authorities are responding to the challenge.
Geoffrey York is The Globe and Mail’s Africa Bureau Chief, based in Johannesburg, South Africa. He has been a foreign correspondent for the newspaper since 1994, including seven years as the Moscow Bureau Chief and seven years as the Beijing Bureau Chief.
Serge Stroobants, Brussels Representative at the Institute for Economics and Peace, speaks about the situation in Brussels, the response of terrorist groups to the Coronavirus and the need to remain aware of the terrorist threat even during a global health crisis. Serge also speaks about natural disasters and other global threats, and how governments and international agencies should respond to the global crises, and the need to invest in positive peace.
Serge Stroobants is the Brussels Representative at the Institute for Economics and Peace team. He is Assistant-Professor at Vesalius College in Brussels
Rema Jamous Imseis, UNHCR Representative to Canada, discusses the UN's work to protect and assist refugees and IDPs during the global pandemic.
Terry Glavin speaks about the Chinese Communist Party’s propaganda machinery amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Glavin is a Canadian journalist who has worked as a reporter, columnist and editor for a variety of newspapers. His assignments in recent years have taken him to Afghanistan, Israel, the Russian Far East, the Eastern Himalayas, China and Central America.
Iranian journalist Masih Alinejad speaks about the spread of the coronavirus in Iran, where trustworthy information has been obscured by misinformation, propaganda and conspiracy theories spread by the country's political and religious leadership
Masih Alinejad is an Iranian journalist, author, and political activist. Contracted by the U.S. Agency for Global Media, Alinejad currently works as a presenter/producer at VOA Persian Service, a correspondent for Radio Farda, a frequent contributor to Manoto television, and a contributing editor to IranWire
Andrei Serbin Pont discusses the impact of the coronavirus in Latin America, particularly in Brazil, Venezuela, Colombia and Argentina. In Brazil, Jair Bolsonaro has become the leader of the coronavirus denial movement. In Venezuela, years of economic and political crisis have left Venezuela’s medical system in a state of almost total collapse. How will poor populations across the region deal with the loss of employment and need for social distancing. Andrei Serbin Pont offers an overview of the consequences of the pandemic in South America.
Andrei Serbin Pont is the Director of CRIES (Coordinadora Regional de Investigaciones Económicas y Sociales), a Latin American and Caribbean think tank.
Prof. Florian Bieber discusses authoritarianism and nationalism in the time of the Coronavirus in Europe. We speak about the situation in Hungary, state of emergency in Europe, the prospect of more decline of democracy and how to prevent it. Prof. Bieber is a political scientist working on inter-ethnic relations, ethnic conflict and nationalism, focusing on Southeastern Europe. He is a Professor in South East European Studies at the Center for South East European Studies of the University of Graz.
Discussion with human rights expert and journalist Jean-Paul Marthoz of Le Soir newspaper in Belgium. Topics include the lockdown in Brussels, China's persecution of journalists and citizen journalists, the recent expulsion of American journalists from China, the danger of information blackholes to global public health, the need for multilateralism and cooperation.
In this episode, Elise Thomas, researcher at the Australian Strategic Policy Institute, talks about China's changing narrative about the coronavirus, escalating war of words between Washington and Beijing, and the role of conspiracy theories and Chinese diplomats. We also talk on innovation sparked by the Covid-19 crisis and the question of regulations and privacy.
Elise Thomas is a researcher at ASPI’s International Cyber Policy Centre.
Andrew Stroehlein, European Media Director for Human Rights Watch, discusses the end of democracy in Hungary, the rise of other authoritarian political movements in Europe and the plight of refugees and vulnerable groups in Europe during the Coronavirus pandemic.
David Mulroney, Canada's former ambassador to China and current Distinguished Fellow at the University of Toronto’s Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy, discusses China's recent public diplomacy to shape a global narrative over its handling of the corona virus pandemic. He discusses Canadian foreign policy, China's geopolitical objectives and what lies ahead.
Allie Funk (Freedom House) warns that the coronavirus is already triggering a backslide on freedom, not just in authoritarian regime but also in open and democratic societies. In this interview, we discuss the use of the virus as a pretext to crack down on human rights for political purposes, the shrinking media environment, propaganda narratives and disinformation disseminate by authoritarian regimes. How can the lack of access to information worsen the public health crisis and how can some of the measures imposed by governments lead to a lasting global backslide in fundamental freedoms.
Allie Funk is a Research Analyst for Freedom on the Net, Freedom House’s annual assessment of internet freedom. She serves as an expert on human rights in the digital age, and focuses on developments in the United States and the Asia region. Her writing has been published in the Washington Post, WIRED, the Hill, the Diplomat, and Just Security, among others.
Listen to our interview with New York Times journalist Muyi Xiao about life in Wuhan, Chinese citizens using social media to share info, China's use of Twitter to promote a narrative across the globe, and racism offline and online towards people of Chinese and Asian heritage.
Muyi Xiao is a producer for The New York Times Visual Investigations team. She is a Non-Resident Fellow at ChinaFile and was previously the ChinaFile Visuals Editor/ Xiao is a founding member of Chinese Storytellers, a community of Chinese non-fiction content creators.
As we watch the coronavirus spread across the entire planet, what impact will it have on human rights, democracy and geopolitics? Already we are seeing various actors use technology and disinformation techniques in their quest to create a global narrative and avoid blame.
From misinformation, hate speech and deep fakes, Sheldon Fernandez, CEO of Darwin AI, talks about what the tech community can do to keep people safe during the corona virus pandemic.
As we watch the coronavirus spread across the entire planet, what impact will it have on human rights, democracy and geopolitics? Already we are seeing various actors use technology and disinformation techniques in their quest to create a global narrative and avoid blame. From Russia to China and Iran, Ilan Greenberg of Coda gives a short assessment of the current coronavirus disinformation ecosystem.
Ilan Greenberg is the publisher & editorial director of Coda Story. While on a fellowship at The Woodrow Wilson International Center in Wash DC, he began an extended conversation with Natalia Antelava that eventually resulted in a company dedicated to innovative, character-driven journalism covering the big storylines coalescing in all those places from where he had worked. Ilan also teaches writing in the Globalization & International Affairs program at Bard College.
Coda : https://www.codastory.com/
As we watch the coronavirus spread across the entire planet, what impact will it have on human rights, democracy and geopolitics? Already we are seeing various actors use technology and disinformation techniques in their quest to create a global narrative and avoid blame.
Jakub Kalenský is a Senior Fellow at the Atlantic Council’s Digital Forensic Research Lab (DFRLab) based in the Czech Republic. Mr. Kalenský helps raise awareness about pro-Kremlin disinformation campaigns. In this episode of “The Coronavirus Diaries”, Jakub Kalenský speaks about Russian disinformation and propaganda campaigns about the coronavirus aimed at Europe and the United States.
As we watch the coronavirus spread across the entire planet, what impact will it have on human rights, democracy and geopolitics? Already we are seeing various actors use technology and disinformation techniques in their quest to create a global narrative and avoid blame.
Marcus Kolga outlines how Russia, China and Iran are launching disinformation campaigns to blame the US for the coronavirus, weaken citizens trust in democratic institutions, and pass on fraudulent information that will weaken public health and human rights.
Mr. Kolga is a journalist, digital communication strategist and leading Canadian expert on Russian and Central and Eastern European issues. He is a Senior Fellow at the MacDonald Laurier Institute in Canada.
As we watch the coronavirus spread across the entire planet, what impact will it have on human rights, democracy and geopolitics? Already we are seeing different actors use technology and disinformation techniques in their quest to create a global narrative and avoid blame. MIGS will interview numerous experts to help analyze and understand what is taking place. These experts are associated with Freedom House, the New York Times, The Atlantic Council, Coda Story and others.
The first interview is with Shaparak Shajarizadeh, a women’s rights activist from Iran. She was recently awarded the 2020 Geneva Summit International Women’s Rights Award.
Bessma Momani is Professor in the Department of Political Science at the University of Waterloo. She is also Senior Fellow at the Centre for International Governance Innovation. In this interview, Bessma speaks about freedom of the press, the Middle East and the murder of Jamal Khashoggi
Welsh is the incoming Canada 150 Research Chair in Global Governance and Security at McGill University. From 2013-2016, she served as the Special Adviser to the UN Secretary General, Ban Ki-moon, on the Responsibility to Protect. She spoke to MIGS about the current state of mass atrocity prevention, conflict and much more.
Jeremy Kinsman is Canadian former career diplomat. He was the Canadian High Commissioner to the United Kingdom and the Canadian Ambassador to the European Union. He also served as a Canadian Ambassador for 15 years, in Moscow and in Rome. In this podcast, he talks to MIGS about his career, Russia and China.
Adama Dieng is the UN Secretary-General's Special Adviser for the Prevention of Genocide and former board member of the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance and a former registrar of the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda. He spoke to MIGS about the current challenges to genocide and mass atrocity prevention.
As part of its #RightsCity initiative, the Montreal Institute for Genocide and Human Rights Studies is launching a new podcast featuring thought leaders from Canada and abroad. The aim is to gain insights into pressing human rights issues and to re-energize the international human rights community during a time of great upheaval.
Roméo Dallaire is a celebrated advocate for human rights, especially in regards to child soldiers, veterans, and the prevention of mass atrocities, General Dallaire is also a respected government and UN advisor and former Canadian Senator. He is the founder of the Roméo Dallaire Child Soldiers Initiative, a global partnership with the mission to end the recruitment and use of child soldiers, and the Distinguished Senior Fellow at MIGS.
Most notably, General Dallaire was appointed Force Commander of the United Nations Assistance Mission for Rwanda prior to and during the 1994 genocide