Let’s talk about the “Erosion of Human Rights and the Need for Solidarity”, with Can Dündar and Sarah Clarke

Turkey’s award-winning journalist Can Dündar and Sarah Clarke of British human rights group ARTICLE 19 will be in conversation about the downturn in human rights and democracy around the world, and the need for increased co-operation in defending these vital rights. The online discussion takes place in the context of growing populism and autocracy. In recent years, scores of authoritarian populist leaders have secured electoral victories in Europe, Asia and the Americas. One major area of concern is China, whose massive economy enables significant global influence despite the many serious human rights abuses it is accused of at home. Collectively, these developments challenge the liberal human rights order that was established by the US and its western allies in the wake of the Second World War. Things have gotten markedly worse for many during the Covid-19 pandemic, with democratic checks and balances sacrificed at the altar of control. How to challenge this state of affairs? Sarah Clarke, who is Head of ARTICLE 19’s Europe and Central Asia team defending the human rights to freedom of expression and information in the region, leads the conversation with investigative journalist Can Dündar. The webinar is hosted by London-based think tank CEFTUS (Centre for Turkey Studies) on Zoom and Facebook. The event is free and open to the public. However, prior registration is required for Zoom, which allows participants the opportunity to post questions to Clarke and Dündar. Do note due to Zoom quotas, there is a limit on the number of people who can participate on Zoom, so sign up soon!

Online Talk Details

Title: Erosion of Human Rights and the Need for Solidarity Date: Wednesday 10 February 2021 Time:  6pm to 7.30pm (UK time) Talk Registration: use this link to register for the Zoom talk: https://zoom.us/meeting/register After registering for Zoom, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting Event details: The event is 90 minutes long, with the last 30 minutes dedicated as a Q&A session.

About Can Dündar

Can Dündar has been working as a journalist for the last 37 years, writing for several different newspapers and magazines. He has also worked as an anchor man for several news channels. He has also produced many television documentaries, with a specific focus on modern Turkish history and cultural anthropology. He stepped down from his post as the editor-in-chief of Turkish left-leaning daily Cumhuriyet in August 2016, after he was sentenced to 5 years and 10 months in jail due to his story on the Turkish Intelligence Service’s involvement in the Syrian war, and for revealing that Turkey was sending arms to rebels in Syria. Forced into excite, Can is currently a columnist for German daily Die Zeit and a commentator for the German radio channel WDR’s Cosmo. He also founded the news website called #Özgürüz in exile. Can has been nominated as a candidate for the Nobel Peace Prize in 2017. He is the writer of more than 40 books, one of which, WeAreArrested was published in Britain in 2016 and later turned into a play.

About Sarah Clarke

Sarah joined ARTICLE 19 in January 2019 as Head of the Europe and Central Asia team, defending the human rights to freedom of expression and information in the region. Between 2012 and 2018, she led PEN International’s policy and advocacy work, overseeing its engagement with the UN and regional human rights mechanisms and governments. She is the author of numerous country-specific and thematic reports concerning legal restrictions on free expression and the protection of writers and journalists at risk. She has a particular interest in freedom of expression in Turkey, where she has led numerous advocacy missions, trial observations and the amicus interventions on the priority cases of journalists before the European Court of Human Rights. She regularly publishes, lectures and gives trainings on a variety of freedom of expression issues. Sarah has consulted for the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, UN High Commissioner for Refugees, OSCE and Oxford and Harvard universities on issues relating to freedom of expression, asylum and forced migration. She speaks Spanish and is graduate of Oxford University, Trinity College Dublin and BPP Law School.   Main image, top, L-R: Sarah Clarke and Can Dundar. Can Dundar cropped photo © Claude Truong-Ngoc, Jan 2017, from Wikimedia Commons, CC-by-SA-3.0