On September 17, during the UN General Assembly, the Raphael Lemkin Society joined colleagues from Ukraine, Georgia, and the United States at the side event “Cultural Freedom and Security in Eastern Europe” organized by the Penn Cultural Heritage Center.
Cultural institutions and leaders across Eastern Europe are facing growing threats — from the destruction of heritage sites to the spread of false historical narratives and repression of cultural professionals.
Executive Director Anastasiia Oleksii participated as a panelist, contributing to a discussion on strategies for resilience and international cooperation. We thank keynote speaker Corine Wegener and fellow panelists Johanna Bankston (Artistic Freedom Initiative), Roksolana Makar (НеМо: Ukrainian Heritage Monitoring Lab), and Tamar Sopromadze (Georgian National Committee of the Blue Shield) for their insights.
The Society continues to advocate for a systemic approach to recognizing crimes against culture as part of genocidal practices — uniting lawyers, researchers, cultural leaders, and human rights defenders to prevent and punish the crime of genocide in Ukraine.
📸 Photos: Eddy Marenco
Read more about the event: https://culturalfreedomproject.substack.com/p/experts-share-trends-in-cultural