Approximately thirty activists, journalists, lawyers, and human rights defenders participated in the event. Experts informed the participants about human rights and how they are violated in the modern world.
The training took place online on October 4 and 5, marking the first in a series of training sessions within the “Kazakhstan Uncensored” project. The project is implemented by the Institute for War and Peace Reporting (IWPR) in collaboration with the Public Foundation “Wings of Liberty” and with financial support from the European Union.
During opening remarks, Aziza Mukhametova, the program coordinator of IWPR, emphasized that this series of training sessions is a crucial step in the project, aimed at enhancing the capacity and resilience of media professionals and civil society. Participants will be able to disseminate the knowledge gained through informational campaigns. The second series of training sessions will be conducted in offline format in Almaty and Astana, focusing on a more in-depth study of human rights in the context of freedom of expression, digital rights, physical and cyber security, censorship, and self-censorship.
The online training was moderated by the project manager of the PF “Wings of Liberty”, Dana Buralkieva.
The first day was dedicated to an introduction to human rights and human rights in the context of freedom of expression and the right to participate in the affairs of the government. The trainer for this session was human rights expert Rustam Kypshakbaev, who explained the concept of human rights, the role of human rights defenders, and how freedom of expression is limited.
The trainer for the second day was Irina Baikulova, an expert on digital human rights from Kyrgyzstan. She discussed how digital human rights are practically implemented. During the session, Irina reminded participants that the number of people interacting in the digital format with content, each other, and various communities increasing. Therefore, it is crucial to ensure that the same rights that apply in the offline environment are fully realized online.
Both days were highly informative, and the trainers made an effort to provide maximum useful information within the two-hour duration of each session. Participants were active and asked many questions, indicating a significant interest in the covered topics.
One of the participants, freelance worker Tulegen Kazbekov, commented on Irina Baikulova’s training, saying, “Very informative and not boring, I want to listen and not be distracted. Thank you, Irina.”
Another training participant, editor, journalist, and media trainer Tatiana Golubtsova, emphasized the importance of digital rights, stating, “Digital rights are part of media literacy for any individual. In the modern world, living without this knowledge and skills is impossible because only the protection of rights can ensure a person’s safety in the digital environment. When teaching media literacy, I almost always address digital rights and privacy violations. Knowledge of this topic is essential for all trainers and university instructors.”
This publication was funded by the European Union. Its contents are the sole responsibility of IWPR and do not necessarily reflect the views of the European Union.