Half a century after the signing of the Helsinki Accords, the values that once inspired movements for freedom and human rights are again under threat. Across Europe and beyond, authoritarian tendencies are growing, civic space is shrinking, and even mental health care is being misused as a tool of repression — echoing the darkest tactics of the past.
The Sixteenth International Sakharov Conference will gather scholars, activists, and policymakers in Vilnius to discuss these challenges and their impact on today’s human rights defenders. Following Andrei Sakharov’s belief that peace and human rights are inseparable, the conference will explore how to protect those who continue to stand for truth and dignity amid political pressure, war, and disinformation.
As new walls — visible and invisible — begin to rise, this meeting offers both reflection and a call to action: to reaffirm the principles of humanity, freedom, and justice that remain the foundation of a democratic world.
Janet H. Anderson is a journalist focused on accountability and justice for genocide, crimes against humanity, and war crimes. She is president of the Association of Journalists at the ICC. Janet co-founded and co-presents a regular podcast featuring women commentators on international criminal justice. And works with NGOs and campaigning journalists to make impact via the media on a range of human rights subjects.
Nicolas Badalassi is professor of Contemporary history in Sciences po Aix and director of the Mediterranean Center for Sociology, Political Science and History (MESOPOLHIS). He is a specialist of the Cold War in Europe and the Mediterranean. His publications include: France's Mediterranean Cold War. From Charles de Gaulle to François Mitterrand (Routledge, 2026)...
Maka Berulava is a Research Analyst at the Andrei Sakharov Center for Democratic Development Research, where she works primarily with archives. She holds a BA in International Politics and Development from Vytautas Magnus University (Kaunas, Lithuania) and an MA in Russian and Post-Soviet Politics from University College London (UCL, UK). She also holds an...
Hans Brask is a senior executive and seasoned diplomat with extensive experience in international relations, public policy, and regional development. He currently serves as...
Dustin J. Byrd is Professor of Philosophy and Religion at The University of Olivet (USA). He specializes in political philosophy, psychoanalytic political theory, and critical theory of religion. He is the author of...
Jonathan Cohen is Executive Director of Conciliation Resources, a post he took up in 2016. Over the past 28 years at Conciliation Resources, initially as Caucasus Director and then...
Prof. Ineta Dabašinskienė is the Rector for International Relations of Vytautas Magnus University, Professor in the Department of Lithuanian Language as well as...
Dr. Gabija Grigaitė–Daugirdė is an Assistant Professor at the Faculty of Law at Vilnius University, where she also serves as Director of the NOHA (Network of Universities on Humanitarian Action) programme and...
Michael Hall is an independent researcher focusing on human rights, democracy, and civil society in Eurasia. He has previously worked for such organizations as...
Janet Gunn is an independent analyst of post-Soviet and Central European politics and international relations and former expert on those regions in the British Foreign and Commonwealth Office (1970-2006). She served in...
Yaroslav Hrytsak is Ukrainian historian and public intellectual. He is professor at the Ukrainian Catholic University (Lviv, Ukraine) where he is director of Petro Jacyk Program for the Study of Modern Ukrainian History and Society. He also taught...
Helmer Krane is a German politician and in-house legal expert specializing in European affairs, state aid law and foreign subsidies, with international...
Jana D. Javakhishvili, Ph.D, is Professor of Psychology at Ilia State University, Tbilisi, Georgia. Her research focuses on mental health in contexts of armed conflict and political oppression. She is actively involved in the...
Karolis Kaupinis was born in Vilnius in 1987. He studied political science and later worked as a journalist at Lithuanian National Radio and Television, where he created and hosted the program World Panorama. Since 2017, he has been working as a...
George Kent served as U.S. Ambassador to Estonia from 2023-25, capping a 33 year career as a U.S. foreign service officer (1992-2025). He served at embassies in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, Warsaw, Poland, Bangkok, Thailand (twice), Kyiv, Ukraine (twice) and Tallinn, Estonia. He also had a...
Ms. Berit Lindeman is the Secretary General of the Norwegian Helsinki Committee, where she is primarily responsible for the organization’s work on human rights in Europe.
With more than 20 years of experience in democracy-building and human rights, Ms. Lindeman has worked extensively across...
Myroslav Marynovych – a President of the Institute of Religion and Society at the Ukrainian Catholic University in Lviv, Ukraine, and a Rector’s Adviser.
In the past, a founding member of the Ukrainian Helsinki Group and a...
Maia Mazurkiewicz is the president of the PZU Foundation, co-founder of Alliance4Europe and host of the television program “Anatomy of Disinformation” on TVP World. She is expert in countering disinformation and communication. She has 20 years of experience in...
Nicolas Miletitch is a French journalist. In 1978-1981, he served as a correspondent for Agence France-Presse (AFP) in Moscow from where he was expelled owing to his connections with dissidents.
Later, he was...
Thomas Milo is a linguist and script technologist whose work focuses on modelling language and script as structured, computable systems rather than typographic artefacts. From an early, pre-computational reduction of...
Andreas Persbo is Director of the Open Nuclear Network (ONN), a Vienna-based programme under the US-based PAX sapiens Foundation. He leads efforts in nuclear risk reduction, verification innovation, and open-source monitoring. His work has focused on...
Audra Plepytė is the Vice-Minister of Foreign Affairs of Lithuania, overseeing international security policy, multilateral and transatlantic cooperation. A career diplomat since 1994...
Robert Serry (born 1950 in Calcutta) is a former Netherlands ambassador with extensive experience in multilateral diplomacy and international crisis management having served with the United Nations and NATO in the...
Margarita Šešelgytė is a Professor and Director at the Institute of International Relations and Political Science (IIRPS), Vilnius University, with over twenty years of experience researching international relations and security policy...
Born in 1937 in Klaipėda. Poet, translator, literary scholar, and essayist. He graduated from Vilnius University, participated in dissident activities, and was a founding member of the Lithuanian Helsinki Group. In 1977, he emigrated to the United States...
Tatiana Yankelevich is an independent researcher affiliated with the Davis Center for Russian and Eurasian Studies at Harvard University. She was born in Russia, received her education in Moscow, and graduated from Moscow University in 1975 with MA in Russian Literature. Ms. Yankelevich immigrated to the US...
Lukáš Zorád is the director of Partners for Democratic Change Slovakia (PDCS), trainer and facilitator. He has been active in civil society movements since 2006, He began his career in environmental education and nature conservation projects during his university tenure. He then moved to East Africa and worked on...
The Andrei Sakharov Research Center contributes to the development of a pluralist and democratic society in Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union.
