Experts of the ALLATRA Global Research Center during the side event “From Labels to Consequences: How Disinformation and Stigmatization Lead to Transnational Repression,” Mariia Anapreichyk, Vladimir Ivanov, and moderator Karolína Hronova; on screen Taliy Shkurupiy
Representatives of ALLATRA participated in the OSCE Supplementary Human Dimension Meeting in Vienna, entitled Safeguarding Civic Space in the Digital Age
In the center: Mariia Anapreichyk and Vladimir Ivanov, experts of the ALLATRA Global Research Center, at the OSCE Human Dimension Meeting, Vienna
Veronika Amaya Lael Sabol, an expert of the ALLATRA Global Research Center, speaking during the main session “Digital Threats to Civic Space.” Source: OSCE/ODIHR livestream
Mariia Anapreichyk, an expert of the ALLATRA Global Research Center, speaking during the main session “Strengthening Digital Resilience for the Protection of Civic Space.” Source: OSCE/ODIHR livestream
ALLATRA joined the OSCE Supplementary Human Dimension Meeting in Vienna, addressing disinformation, stigmatization, and protection of civic space.
VIENNA, AUSTRIA, May 18, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ — The representatives of ALLATRA civic platform participated in the second Supplementary Human Dimension Meeting (SHDM II) of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), held in Vienna, Austria. The meeting, entitled Safeguarding Civic Space in the Digital Age, was organized under the Swiss OSCE Chairpersonship with support from the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR), the OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, and other sections.
The conference brought together representatives of the 57 OSCE participating States, international organizations, civil society actors, media representatives, and other stakeholders to examine the intersection of digital technologies, human rights, and civic space. ALLATRA participated in two distinct capacities: as organizer of a dedicated side event and as contributor to the main session panel discussions.
Side Event: From Labels to Consequences
ALLATRA organized an OSCE side event entitled “From Labels to Consequences: How Disinformation and Stigmatization Lead to Transnational Repression.” The event examined how coordinated labeling and narrative amplification in digital environments can translate into concrete violations of fundamental rights, including freedom of association, freedom of religion and belief, and freedom of expression.
The side event featured presentations by three experts of the ALLATRA Global Research Center: Mariia Anapreichyk, a lawyer with expertise in International and European law based in Switzerland, Vladimir Ivanov, a lawyer and human rights expert from Bulgaria, and Taliy Shkurupiy, an expert on Open Source Intelligence Analysis (OSINT) from the United States, joining remotely.
The side event structured its discussion around three analytical dimensions: legal perspective, analytical standpoint and case study.
From a legal perspective, speakers outlined how repeated stigmatizing labeling through terms such as “sect,” “extremist,” or “cult” can constitute a cumulative interference with human rights protected under the European Convention on Human Rights, even in the absence of formal legal proceedings.
An open-source intelligence (OSINT) analyst, Taliy Shkurupiy, demonstrated how such patterns leave observable digital traces: synchronized language across platforms, quasi-expert framing, and the gradual migration of narratives from marginal to mainstream discourse.
“From an OSINT perspective, this is important because these patterns are not hidden. They leave traces. And these traces can be identified, analyzed, and understood,” said Taliy Shkurupiy, an expert at the ALLATRA Global Research Center.
Main Session Contributions: Digital Resilience
ALLATRA representatives also contributed to sessions of the main conference program, dedicated to Digital threats to civic space and Strengthening Digital Resilience for the Protection of Civic Space.
Veronika Amaya Lael Sabol, an expert of ALLATRA GRC, highlighted how repeated stigmatization and narrative framing can shape public and institutional perceptions before formal restrictions on civic space emerge. She emphasized that such patterns may lead to decisions based on amplified narratives rather than independently verified evidence.
“If we focus only on the moment when repression or surveillance becomes visible, we risk overlooking the informational processes that prepared the ground for it,” said Veronika Amaya Lael Sabol, an expert of the ALLATRA Global Research Center.
Mariia Anapreichyk emphasized the need to recognize coordinated disinformation patterns early, before they shape public opinion or institutional responses. She highlighted practical tools such as cross-platform monitoring, detection of coordinated amplification, and training to distinguish individual opinions from organized manipulation.
“Not all digital threats begin with visible attacks. Many begin much earlier – through repetition, framing, and the gradual normalization of narratives that shape public perception over time,” Mariia Anapreichyk, an expert of the ALLATRA Global Research Center, said.
Representatives of ALLATRA emphasized in their contributions and discussions during the OSCE Supplementary Human Dimension Meeting that what is often dismissed today as “just narratives” may tomorrow become the justification for exclusion, repression, or even violence, and that early recognition is therefore essential. The real test of a democratic society lies in how it responds to those who are publicly stigmatized.
Protecting civic space therefore requires attention not only to visible forms of repression, but also to the narratives that can make such repression acceptable.
About ALLATRA
ALLATRA is an international volunteer civic platform with a U.S.-based research center (the ALLATRA Global Research Center) dedicated to the comprehensive analysis of climatological patterns and environmental transformations affecting global stability, investigating the ecological impact of micro- and nanoplastics, and advancing intercultural cooperation as well as the protection of fundamental freedoms and human rights.
Valeria Smian
ALLATRA
valerie@allatra.org
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