Human Rights Talks

The Coronavirus Diaries - David Mulroney, Canada's former ambassador to China

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.

  

 

 

The Coronavirus Diaries - Allie Funk (Freedom House) on the impact of the coronavirus on basic freedoms and democracy across the globe

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. 

The Coronavirus Diaries - Muyi Xiao (New York Times) on the rise coronavirus-related racism and China's coronavirus narrative

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.  

 

 

 

The Coronavirus Diaries - Sheldon Fernandez (Darwin AI) on the use of AI to fight coronavirus disinformation

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.

 

 

The Coronavirus Diaries: Jakub Kalenský on Russian disinformation campaigns

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.

The Coronavirus Diaries: Marcus Kolga on authoritarian disinformation campaigns during the coronavirus 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.

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.

The Coronavirus Diaries - Iranian Human Rights Activist Shaparak Shajarizadeh

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 : the murder Jamal Khashoggi and threats against journalists

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

 

 

 

 

 

Jennifer Welsh, Special Adviser to the UN Secretary General on the R2P

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, Canadian former career diplomat, talking Russia and China

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.