Human Rights Talks

The War in Ukraine: AI vs. OSINT

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.

Stories from CSW67: Resilience and Youth Empowerment in the Digital Age

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.

 

Russia at the UN Security Council: a discussion with Ukrainian Ambassador Sergiy Kyslytsya

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.

Covering the war in Ukraine: A Conversation with Tim Mak

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

Spotlight on Russia’s abduction of Ukrainian children

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 

A discussion with Ambassador Bob Rae about Russia’s disinformation at the UN Security Council

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.

The Power of Propaganda: A Family Torn Apart by Russian Disinformation

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

Escaping Mariupol

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

From Kharkiv to Montreal: Escaping War and Finding a New Home

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

 

Cyberviolences basées sur le genre et magnosphère: discussion avec Marianne Couture-Cossette

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.