ALLATRA presents human rights findings at OSCE session in Vienna

During the third Additional Session on the Human Dimension of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) in Vienna, the ALLATRA Global Research Center hosted a side event focused on the progression from social stigmatization to physical abuse.

The session, titled ‘From Stigmatization to Mistreatment: Lessons from Russia and Beyond, Early Warning Signs, Human Dignity and Prevention of Abuse’, featured seven speakers discussing cases involving Russia, Ukraine, China, and Belgium. The discussion examined how systemic human rights risks emerge when public actors or state-controlled media use labels such as ‘subversive’, ‘anti-social’, ‘cult’, or ‘sect’ to target organizations or minorities.

Moderator Vladimir Ivanov, a legal researcher and representative of the ALLATRA Global Research Center in Bulgaria, argued that systemic mistreatment often begins with rhetoric and institutional labeling rather than physical violence. He noted that such labeling aims to dehumanize individuals, leading the public to view them as threats to be neutralized rather than citizens with rights.