In an era of rapidly advancing technology and increasing exposure to digital risks, this webinar will delve into the main trends, challenges and implications of surveillance and online censorship highlighted in the report. The event brings together leading researchers, digital rights experts and representatives from BIRN’s local offices, offering diverse country perspectives and discussing future directions and priorities for protecting digital rights across the region.
Sign up here to attend the webinar.
Date: July 17, 2025 (Thursday)
Time: 12:00 PM (CEST)
The webinar will be conducted in English, with simultaneous interpretation available in Albanian, BCS and Macedonian.
Don’t miss the opportunity to review the full report, Surveillance and Censorship in the Western Balkans, here.
AGENDA
12:00 – 12:05 Welcome and Opening Remarks
Azra Milić, Digital Rights Programme Coordinator, BIRN
12:05 – 12:25 Presentation of BIRN Regional Report Findings
Megi Reçi, Digital Rights Research Lead, BIRN
12:30 – 13:20 Panel session: Behind the Curtain: Surveillance & Censorship in the Western Balkans
Moderator: Ivana Jeremić, Digital Rights Content Lead
Speakers:
Blerta Thaçi, Executive Director, Open Data Kosovo
Azem Kurtić, BIRN Journalist, Bosnia and Herzegovina
Milica Tosić, Attorney-at-Law, Partners Serbia
Sara Kelmendi, Researcher on Cyber-Civic Space, Institute for Democracy
and Mediation Albania
Ivan Ivanovic, BIRN Journalist, Montenegro
13:20 – 13:50 Panel session: Digital Rights Tomorrow: Lessons, Challenges, and New Directions
Moderator: Azra Milić, BIRN Hub
Speakers:
Aida Mahmutović, Project Manager, Reporting Digital Rights and Freedoms
Besar Likmeta, BIRN Albania
Tanja Maksić, BIRN Serbia
Mirza Halilcevic, BIRN BiH
13:50 – 14:00 Q&A and Closing Remarks
This public event is part of the “Surveillance and Censorship in the Western Balkans” grant supported by the Open Society Foundation Western Balkan and implemented by BIRN.