MAHRS Student Participates in ODIHR Workshop on Human Rights in Security-Related Contexts

Participating in the workshop “Human Rights in Security-related Contexts” was a valuable
opportunity to deepen my understanding in three highly relevant areas: freedom of religion or
belief, human rights in anti-terrorism efforts, and freedom of thought in the age of artificial
intelligence. The workshop offered a comprehensive and practice-oriented introduction to these
topics.
What I especially liked was the interactive format, including case studies and group discussions,
which helped to apply human rights standards into real-life contexts. During the session on
counter-terrorism, we discussed areas that require stronger human rights safeguards and
contributed to their research in this field by sharing issues specific to Central-Asia. The final
session on freedom of thought in the age of AI was particularly thought-provoking, raising
important questions about the impact of new technologies on human autonomy, critical thinking,
and democratic societies. It was also interesting to exchange perspectives with participants from
the political and security department, which made the discussions more interdisciplinary and
insightful.
The workshop was particularly meaningful for me as a human rights student at the OSCE
Academy, as we were introduced to the work of the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and
Human Rights (ODIHR) and its Human Rights Department in particular. It helped me better
understand how the human rights and democratization branch works in practice and what tools
and resources ODIHR uses. I am sincerely grateful to Global Campus Central Asia and other
organizing institutions for creating such a learning space for young professionals in the region.

Alina Mamatova MAHRS’27