Human Rights Talks

The Coronavirus Diaries - Journalist Geoffrey York on the response to COVID19 in South Africa and the response to 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.

The Coronavirus Diaries: Serge Stroobants (IEP) on terrorist groups amid the pandemic, the effects of global threats, and positive peace

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

 

Coronavirus Diaries: Interview with Rema Jamous Imseis, UNHCR Representative to Canada.

Rema Jamous Imseis, UNHCR Representative to Canada, discusses the UN's work to protect and assist refugees and IDPs during the global pandemic.

The Coronavirus Diaries: Journalist Terry Glavin on the Chinese Communist Party's narrative

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.

The Coronavirus Diaries: Iranian journalist and activist Masih Alinejad speaks about the response of the Iranian political and religious leadership

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

The Coronavirus Diaries: Andrei Serbin Pont (CRIES) on the impact of the pandemic in South America.

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.

The Corononavirus Diaries: Prof. Florian Bieber on the impact of the virus on nationalism in Europe

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.

 

 

The Coronavirus Diaries : When truth is quarantined with journalist Jean-Paul Marthoz

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.

The Coronavirus Diaries - Elise Thomas (ASPI) on China's attempts to reshape the Coronavirus narrative and the role conspiracy media

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. 

The Coronavirus Diaries - Andrew Stroehlein (Human Rights Watch) on the coronavirus Hungary and authoritarian political movements in Europe

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.