Unlock 2026
What
Where
When
4 – 5 June 2026
Why Unlock?
From reaction to action: Unlock your initiative!
Do you want to connect with others who are finding innovative, creative ways to stay relevant and push for change under pressure? Are you an activist, journalist, content creator, or innovator pushing back against disinformation and shaping new narratives? Then Unlock 2026 is for you!
Across borders, information is being increasingly weaponised to destabilise institutions, divide societies and silence independent voices. To respond to this challenge, Unlock 2026 is offering a platform to share strategies on how to move from defensive responses to claim back the initiative with fact-based narratives that inspire and unite.
The two-day civic summit, organised by the Prague Civil Society Centre in partnership with the Lviv Media Forum and Point Conference, will gather leading voices from Eastern Europe, the South Caucasus, and Central Asia.
Agenda
Some of this year’s topics
Protests and what comes next: Public protests can grab attention and open space for change, but how do we keep people engaged and carry this collective energy into something lasting?
Building coalitions for democracy: Lasting change means working with people we don’t always agree with. How do we build trust across divides and bring different groups together around a shared democratic vision?
Regional perspectives: Hear about trends and experiences from countries outside your region to better understand global parallels and lessons.
You too can help us shape what the next Unlock will be! We encourage you to develop your own workshop or activity. Have a space to share your experiences, ideas, and skills with fellow participants. We reserve the right to make the final selection of activities.
Unlock Your Initiative!
Our speakers
Arsen Kharatyan
Full bio
Arsen Kharatyan is the founder and editor-in-chief of Aliq Media, an Armenian–Georgian media platform. He previously served as a foreign policy adviser to Armenia’s Prime Minister during the first 100 days following the 2018 Velvet Revolution. Earlier in his career, he worked at Voice of America in Washington, D.C., and at Germany’s main development agency, GIZ, where he coordinated public participation in Armenia’s Poverty Reduction Strategy. Kharatyan co-founded and led several pro-democracy movements, contributing significantly to civic activism in Armenia.
Nata Albot
Full bio
co-host of the “Internetu’ Grăiește” podcast, analysing current events, and fostering media literacy and civic awareness.
With the aim of preserving Moldovan culture and promoting its traditions, Nata founded the “K Lumea” NGO and the “IA Mania” festival, revitalising traditional crafts and bringing communities together. Moreover, she organises the “Wake Up Camp”, designed to inspire young people to social activism.
Iryna Domnenko
Full bio
Iryna Domnenko is a Ukrainian trainer, facilitator, and developer of training programmes. She is also the co-host of the “Rakamakafo” podcast.
Iryna specialises in strategising, communication, education, and cultural decolonisation processes. She has worked with public and charitable organisations, from small local initiatives to international organisations,
as well as small and medium-sized local businesses. She has also worked with students and youth.
Yuliia Dukach
Full bio
Yuliia Dukach, PhD, is the Head of Disinformation Investigations at OpenMinds.
She is an expert in disinformation research with over seven years of experience in data journalism and investigative work. Her work has received international recognition, having earned the Information is Beautiful Award and the Sigma Award. She specialises in the use of Python, R, and machine learning methods to conduct in-depth analyses and detect computational propaganda and online misinformation.
Artur Papyan
Full bio
Artur Papyan is the co-founder of CyberHUB-AM, a digital security help desk supporting journalists and human rights defenders. His work focuses on cyber threats, information manipulation, data protection, and the circumvention of censorship. He also has extensive media experience and currently serves as President of the Yerevan Press Club. Previously, he spent over a decade at the Armenian Service of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty as a journalist and multimedia editor, and he co-founded the Azatutyun TV channel. In addition, he has worked as a researcher, producer, presenter, and journalist across a range of media outlets and organisations.
Ola Myrovych
Full bio
Ola Myrovych leads the Lviv Media Forum, a Ukrainian NGO supporting independent media and amplifying Ukrainian voices internationally, including through its flagship annual LMF conference. This conference is one of the largest European events focusing on media and social communication. Since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, her team has provided support to more than 400 newsrooms working under fire. She also advises international donor programmes and institutions on media and civil society development.
Svetlana Siljanovska
Full bio
Svetlana Siljanovska is a Senior Strategic Communications Consultant and former Adviser to the Prime Minister of North Macedonia, specialising in strategic communications in security affairs.
Her expertise includes countering information threats. During her time in the Prime Minister’s Office, she led national strategic communications efforts, fostering multi-stakeholder partnerships and developing strategies based on assessments of the information environment in cooperation with international and regional partners. With years of experience in civil society prior to her service in government, she is deeply committed to leveraging strategic communication to strengthen democratic resilience.
Victoria Donu
Full bio
Victoria Donu is a cultural leader, singer-songwriter, and founder of the Prague-based association Moldoveni.cz, which promotes cultural dialogue and civic engagement within the Moldovan diaspora.
She works as a Change and Engagement Partner at Novartis, focusing on organisational transformation and community building. She also leads international cultural initiatives with Sing for Hope Europe, using the arts to foster dialogue, resilience, and social impact.
Arzu Geybulla
Full bio
Arzu Geybulla is an Azerbaijani journalist, writer, and human rights advocate whose work has appeared in international outlets such as Al Jazeera, Foreign Policy, and CNN. She previously served as Regional Editor for the South Caucasus and Turkey at Global Voices and as a researcher at Human Rights Watch. A frequent speaker at international forums, she often addresses media freedom and civil liberties. She co-founded the Free Voices Collective, an initiative led by exiled Azerbaijani journalists and activists. She also founded Azerbaijan Internet Watch, a platform monitoring digital controls and their impact on civil society. She collaborates with international organisations on issues like transnational digital repression and the online safety of female journalists.
Kanat Beisekeyev
Full bio
Kanat Beisekeyev is a director, documentary filmmaker, and creator of the podcast Zamandas, exploring the lives of people in Kazakhstan.
A graduate of the New York Film Academy in Digital Art & Photography, he has produced over a hundred documentary projects about Kazakhs living abroad, alongside intimate and powerful stories about people and their lives. He has received an award from the Association of Film Critics for his contribution to the development and promotion of documentary filmmaking.
Fereidoon Bashar
Full bio
Fereidoon Bashar is the executive director of ASL19, a technology and exile-media organisation dedicated to countering digital authoritarianism, with a focus on Iran. He works on designing and developing solutions with and for various communities to exercise and safeguard their digital and human rights.
Patrick Boehler
Full bio
Patrick Boehler is an Austrian media expert and former diplomat.
He runs Gazzetta, a media research lab that rethinks the role of journalism in contexts where traditional distribution has broken down. He focuses on censored and fragmented media environments, working to develop audience research methods and service design frameworks that position journalism as infrastructure rather than content.