Warsaw, 10 October 2025 – JAM e.V. Senior Projects Manager Evin Barış Altıntaş took part in two key side events during the OSCE Human Dimension Conference (HDIM) in Warsaw, held from 6 to 17 October 2025. The conference, marking the 50th anniversary of the Helsinki Final Act, gathered hundreds of diplomats, human rights defenders, and civil society representatives to discuss challenges to democracy and fundamental freedoms across the OSCE region.
Altıntaş was invited as a panelist to two side events jointly organized by the Justice for Journalists Foundation (JFJ) and the Norwegian Helsinki Committee (NHC). The first, “Voices Behind Bars – Political Prisoners in the OSCE Region,” focused on politically motivated prosecutions and imprisonment of dissidents, journalists, and lawyers across several OSCE participating states. The second, “Exile Is Not Safety: Countering Transnational Repression of Journalists,” examined the growing phenomenon of governments extending their coercive tactics beyond borders to silence exiled journalists.
Voices behind bars: political prisoners in the OSCE region
This side event, moderated by political analyst Anna Zamejc, brought together speakers Ruslan Myatiev (Turkmenistan), Nino Tlashadze (Georgia), Samad Rahimli (Azerbaijan), Marius Fossum (Norwegian Helsinki Committee, Central Asia), Bakhytzhan Toregozhina (Kazakhstan), and Evin Barış Altıntaş (Turkey/Germany)
Altıntaş spoke about the deteriorating situation for journalists and opposition figures in Turkey, where dozens remain imprisoned under terrorism-related charges, and where access to legal defense has become increasingly restricted due to systematic pressure on independent lawyers.
During the discussion, participants emphasized the need for international monitoring, legal aid, and diplomatic pressure to secure the release of political prisoners and uphold OSCE commitments to human rights and the rule of law.
Exile is not safety: countering transnational repression of journalists
At the second side event, Altıntaş joined a diverse panel of journalists, lawyers, and advocates to discuss how repression now crosses borders, targeting exiled journalists even after they flee their home countries.
The panel, convened by JFJ in collaboration with the NHC, examined cases of digital surveillance, smear campaigns, extradition requests, intimidation of family members, and physical attacks directed at journalists in exile. Speakers included Masha Myers (exiled journalist, Russia/Germany), Pavel Chikov (human rights lawyer), Rabigül Erkmen (writer and women’s rights advocate), and JAM’s Evin Barış Altıntaş.
Altıntaş shared insights from her work with JAM e.V. and the Media and Law Studies Association (MLSA), particularly on supporting exiled journalists from Turkey , Russia, and Belarus. She underlined that transnational repression has become a systematic threat to press freedom and international protection mechanisms, calling for joint advocacy and stronger EU-wide safeguards for exiled journalists.