Ayisha Adam is currently based in Berlin and in the final stage of her Bachelor's degree in International Relations and Politics at Forward College, in a program designed by the London School of Economics. She has gained professional experience in government institutions in her home country, the Netherlands, including at ACM ConsuWijzer, where she provided legal advice on national and European consumer rights. After finishing her Bachelor degree, Ayisha plans to pursue a Master’s in Democracy and Innovation in Brussels, hoping to gain a broader understanding of the current challenges facing democracy, policymaking, and society.

Maria recently completed her Master's degree in Human Rights at Lund University, where she concentrated on human rights and civic engagement. During her studies, she extensively researched minority language rights and the vernacularization of human rights. Before pursuing her graduate studies, Maria worked as a research intern at the European Center for Minority Issues, where she supported efforts in policy and media analysis related to minority rights. Her academic and professional interests include political participation, human rights, and project management.

Eleanor graduated with a Law with Philosophy undergraduate degree from University College Dublin, which included one year studying abroad in Berlin. She then went on to complete an interdisciplinary social sciences master, whose international research programme took her to Germany, the Czech Republic and India. Before joining Liberties, she was an advocate for Irish emigrants experiencing homelessness. She loves examining pressing social issues through storytelling and is interested in the influence of technology on human behaviour.

Michaela Brzezinka began her international dance career after studying Modern Theatre Dance at the AHK (University of the Arts Amsterdam). She has danced for, among others, Neuer Tanz, VA Wölfl (Düsseldorf, Germany); her longest commitment was with Compania Vicente Saez (Valencia, Spain). After further education in journalism, she increasingly dedicated herself to her freelance work as a journalist for Japanese media (NHK and Yomiuri Shimbun) and at the same time started working as a line producer for TV documentaries for Arte and ZDF.

Csilla joined Liberties with over 15 years of experience in non-profit organizations, developing and implementing projects in Europe, Africa and the Middle East. She studied political science in Germany and later graduated with a Master of Human Rights Law from the Central European University in Hungary. Dedicated to a rights-based approach, Csilla worked and volunteered with small and big organizations alike: Amnesty International, Mental Disability Advocacy Center, the Open Society Institute Harm Reduction Program and Relief International, just to name a few. Based in Berlin, Csilla joined Liberties in 2021, and got promoted as Head of Operations and Development in January 2025.

Israel trains and mentors campaigners and civil servants to develop winning messages that build support for progressive causes. Before retraining in strategic communications he led the advocacy teams at Liberties and the Open Society European Policy Institute promoting democracy, the rule of law and fundamental rights in the EU, and was a legal researcher and speech writer at the EU Agency for Fundamental Rights. He has a PhD in international law and began his career as a lecturer. He has published two books, numerous policy papers, peer-reviewed articles and opinion pieces in EU-focused media outlets.

Grace Chopra Whitten earned her Bachelor’s degree from the University of California, Berkeley with a double major in Political Science and American Studies. Prior to Liberties, she worked for an advocacy communications agency supporting clients in public health, education equity, DEI, and climate justice. Grace is passionate about finding engaging and persuasive ways to explain complex socio-political challenges. Born and raised in Los Angeles, California, live music and contemporary dance remain her favorite hobbies.

Jonathan works on the Liberties advocacy team, having previously worked on the communications team and leading the video advocacy program. Before joining Liberties in 2017, he worked in Budapest with the European Liberties Platform, interned with the Mexican chapter of Transparency International, and did video production work in the United States. He holds a Master of Public Policy from Central European University and a BA in political science from Trinity College.

Jerome is a software engineer with over 7 years of experience, specializing in building robust, scalable solutions for businesses. He joined Liberties to help develop technology that supports digital rights and civil liberties across Europe. Driven by a passion for creating impactful software, he is committed to using his skills to drive positive change.

Balázs is a lawyer and human rights activist from Budapest, Hungary. He holds a law degree from ELTE University and was a visiting fellow at Columbia University in New York. Balázs started his career as an intern with the Hungarian Civil Liberties Union (HCLU), a Budapest-based human rights group. He spent the next 15 years at HCLU, eventually rising to become executive director. After leading the organization for eight years, he joined the Open Society Foundations as a division director of the Open Society Initiative for Europe. In 2017, he helped found Liberties and currently serves as the organization’s executive director.

Deren Dimililer holds a Bachelor's degree in Philosophy, Politics, and Economics from Utrecht University and a Master's degree in International Cooperation on Human Rights and Intercultural Heritage from the University of Bologna. She has worked and volunteered with various peace initiatives in Cyprus, as well as with international organizations such as PEN International. Through these roles, she has developed a strong interest in promoting social justice, fostering civic spaces, and enhancing intercultural understanding through both international projects and local initiatives.

Flore joined Liberties after graduating with a Master in Public International Law specialising in Human Rights Law from the University of Groningen. She did her first internship at Liberties in 2024 during her Master’s program, working on the annual Rule of Law Gap Analysis. Flore is interested in advocacy and research on the rule of law, democracy and Human Rights in Europe.

Miles Höckel graduated from the University of Oregon with a degree in political science, focusing on media studies and economic policy. Prior to joining Liberties, he served as the business manager for Waldsee, the largest nonprofit German language immersion program in the United States, and managed communications for the German Honorary Consulate in Portland, Oregon. Drawing on his background in policy and communications, Miles aims to make complex political issues clear and relevant for a broad audience.

Viktor is a lawyer specialized in comparative constitutional law with a doctoral degree from Central European University (Vienna). He supports the work of Liberties from Brussels where he currently holds a postdoctoral researcher position at the Université libre de Bruxelles. In addition to his participation in several international projects focusing on the challenges to constitutional democracy in the EU (RECONNECT, RED-Spinel), Viktor has been involved in human rights litigation as a legal advisor and has been collaborating with the Hungarian Helsinki Committee. Viktor is the author of several academic publications with significant experience also in editing, teaching, and science communication.

Jessica began her career as a classically trained musician. Her interest in social issues and technology later led her to editorial work, focused on cybersecurity and digital media. She is now based in Germany where she studies Applied Computer Science and works on music and software development projects. At Liberties, she supports the communications team with data stack and cybersecurity work.

Liza joined Liberties after earning a Bachelor’s degree in European Law and another in Dutch Law, followed by a Master's degree in European Law, specialising in Public Law, from Maastricht University in the Netherlands. Through her roles as a legal intern, consultant, and outreach coordinator, she has developed research and long-term project management skills. Fluent in Dutch, English, and Russian, and currently studying Mandarin and German, her interests include EU policy, constitutional law, AI and digital governance, human rights, and the rule of law & democracy.

Kersty is a human rights lawyer with over 18 years’ experience working for civil society organisations and national human rights institutions. She qualified as a lawyer in the UK, worked in Rwanda, Kenya and the Gambia and then for more than a decade in Brussels for the Open Society Justice Initiative – always with a focus on access to justice and civic space.

For Liberties Kersty supports members through advocacy, trainings, research and legal advice. Over the past years Kersty has designed and taught several courses on human rights and civic space at the Global Campus of Human Rights in Beirut, Venice and Yerevan.

Ilina joined Liberties in 2022 as network coordinator and CERV project manager. She has extensive experience in managing networks. In the past five years, she served as executive director to the global network of INGOs,Accountable Now, and the Balkan Civil Society Development Network, BCSDN, a regional network of 14 CSOs in the Balkans and Turkey. She has also managed and worked on international and global projects devoted to improving civil society enabling environment, CSOs' capacities and accountability, combating shrinking civic space, and fostering more considerable involvement of civil society in policy making. She holds a Master in European Studies: Strategic Communication and Public Relations in Europe at the University of Lorraine, France.

Franziska joined Liberties after graduating with a Master in International Studies from Aarhus University in Denmark. In her research, she focused on the efforts of the European Union against disinformation. She works on issues concerning freedom of expression, targeted political advertisement, transparency of big platforms, as well as doing research for the Civics Monitor.

Muhammad Umer Pervaiz joined Liberties as a part time accountant in 2018 and currently is a Project Admin Specialist Accountant. He is involved in preparation of Liberties' financial reports and project accounting. Before joining Liberties full time in 2023, he has worked as a financial accountant with Life Healthcare Group and Phrase GmbH, where he has been involved in the ERP project implementation of SAP and NetSuite. He has also has extensive knowledge of German GAAP and IFRS and holds a certification of the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA).

Rodrigo recently completed a Master’s in Tech Law at Católica Global School of Law, focusing on digital rights and platform regulation. His research covered the legal status of AI, data protection, and state sovereignty in migration law. After his law degree in Lisbon, he spent six months in Tel Aviv studying political science. He has worked with Defend Digital Me and the Boat Refugee Foundation on data protection, copyright, and asylum law. His interests include freedom of expression, digital rights, and legal theory.

Anastasiia joined Liberties after earning an LLM in Human Rights from Central European University. She previously worked as a junior lawyer in Russia, specialising in corporate and migration law, drafting legal opinions, and contributing to legal reviews. Inspired by her experience growing up in a country with restricted civic freedoms, her interests include human rights law, civic space protections, and anti-corruption.

Orsolya focuses on democracy, civic discourse, elections, and the influence of social platforms in the EU. She holds a PhD from Central European University and was previously a lecturer at Princeton University and a visiting fellow at Harvard University.
Since joining Liberties in 2017, she has led key projects on civic space, microtargeting, and COVID app regulation. Last year, she oversaw election ad monitoring in six EU countries. This year, her work focuses on advocating for and ensuring the effective enforcement of the Digital Services Act.

Juan David Romero graduated from the University of Central Florida in the United States with a BA in English Literature and a minor in cinema. He went on to work as a multimedia journalist and video editor at the American Association for the Advancement of Science, Doctors Without Borders, Brut Media, and That’s Y Media. He currently lives in Paris, France. On his free time, he likes to work on filming, producing and editing his own documentary films, some of which have screened at film festivals with Amnesty International, IOM (UN Migration Agency), and La Cimade in France. Since 2022, Juan David works with Liberties as a video editor and motion graphics animator, collaborating in all of Liberties’ video projects.

Eva is a human rights lawyer with special focus on digital rights, currently working as a senior advocacy officer at Liberties. She is responsible for freedom of expression and privacy. Besides her EU-level advocacy work, Eva works on strategic litigation across EU member states, most recently on the enforcement of General Data Protection Regulation, which was reported by the New York Times, Reuters and Bloomberg. She has been active in the human rights field for more than ten years. Prior to joining the NGO scene, Eva worked as a media lawyer and a researcher. She was a research fellow at Central European University (2006), the Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law, Yeshiva University, New York, USA (2005), and at the Technical University of Budapest, Hungary (2001-2005).

She has authored several expert studies, book chapters and articles on privacy and media freedom.

Maximilian is a programmer from Germany. They help Liberties with data infrastructure and workflows, drawing on his previous experience in the fashion industry where they gained first-hand insight into how teams interact with and consume data. This background helps him create practical solutions from automating previously manual worksteps or bringing efficiency to processes that can't be fully automated.

Nina is an Australian lawyer with a background in international relations and public international law. Having recently graduated from her Master of Public International Law at the University of Amsterdam, she joins Liberties as an advocacy and research assistant in the Tech and AI team. Her interests include administrative law, digital governance, misinformation and indigenous self-determination.

Valentin graduated at ELTE University in Budapest, where he studied media & communications, English literature and history. He has experience across the communications spectrum - from digital journalism, to building love brands and startups, to managing market-leading enterprises as a board member. Working mostly in business environment with global brands, Valentin launched numerous social programmes, and helped NGOs grow as a pro bono expert. He held seminars on strategic communications for international students at ELTE University. Valentin loves getting lost in nature, as well as eating pasta with poppy seed (mákos tészta).

Heleen van Nugteren has a bachelor's degree in International Relations and International Organizations from the University of Groningen and a master’s degree in Human Geography with a specialization on Conflict, Territories and Identities from the Radboud University in the Netherlands. During her studies she interned at the Catalan National Assembly in Barcelona and has mainly focussed on democratic backsliding, civic space, human rights and the terrorism label. She joins Liberties as an advocacy and research assistant and will be working on CIVICUS civic space monitoring alongside working on her professional French.