Sherif Mansour Joins Brave New Films
We are pleased to share that Sherif Mansour, a member of Convisero, has recently joined Brave New Films as their new Outreach and Distribution Coordinator.
Sherif Mansour is an Egyptian-American democracy and human rights advocate with extensive experience supporting press freedom and civil society initiatives. He previously served as the Middle East and North Africa Program Coordinator at the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), where he led efforts to defend journalists operating in some of the world’s most challenging environments. Before that, he worked as a Senior Program Officer at Freedom House, where he was involved in training democracy activists across the Arab world.
At Brave New Films, Sherif will focus on expanding the organization’s reach through strategic outreach and distribution efforts, ensuring that critical stories promoting justice, equality, and human rights reach broader audiences.
We congratulate Sherif on this new role and look forward to following his continued work advocating for human rights and freedom of expression.
Selendy Gay Signs Amicus Brief in Support of Perkins Coie
Through the support of the Harvard AAUP and the National AAUP, Selendy Gay stood alongside 500 of the nation's leading law firms on April 4, 2025, by signing an amicus brief defending Perkins Coie against a controversial Executive Order issued on March 6, 2025.
The brief asserts that the Executive Order, and similar actions, threaten the foundations of constitutional governance and undermine the rule of law. It calls upon the judiciary to intervene swiftly and decisively to halt this misuse of executive authority.
Read the full announcement and amicus brief here:
Selendy Gay Signs Amicus Brief in Support of Perkins Coie
+972 Magazine Receives Harvard Nieman Fellows' Lyons Award for Conscience and Integrity in Journalism
We are proud to share that +972 Magazine has been honored by the 2025 Nieman Fellows at Harvard University with the prestigious Louis M. Lyons Award for Conscience and Integrity in Journalism.
This recognition affirms the vital work of +972 Magazine in providing independent, human-centered reporting and analysis from the ground in Israel-Palestine, even amidst some of the most challenging and volatile times.
The Nieman Fellows commended +972 for its "vital, human-centered reporting on the war in Gaza" and its unwavering commitment to "documenting the human cost of war and occupation" with "great moral conscience and deep integrity."
Established in 1964, the Louis M. Lyons Award honors individuals and organizations demonstrating extraordinary conscience and integrity in journalism and public communication. It is named after Louis M. Lyons, former curator of the Nieman Foundation and a fierce advocate for press freedom.
In the past year, +972 Magazine and its partners at Local Call have earned wide acclaim for courageous journalism. Highlights include:
Editor-in-Chief Ghousoon Bisharat honored on Difference Day at Vrije Universiteit Brussel.
Writers Meron Rapoport, Yuval Abraham, and Basel Adra receiving international accolades, including the Golden Doves for Peace and the Anna Politkovskaya–Arman Soldin Prize.
The Luchetta Foundation granting +972 Magazine a Special Award for "outstanding work."
This award underscores +972's commitment to ethical, independent journalism and amplifying the voices often marginalized in global narratives.
Learn more about +972 Magazine here: www.972mag.com
C4ADS Releases 2024 Annual Report on Global Security and Data-Driven Impact
The Center for Advanced Defense Studies (C4ADS) has published its 2024 Annual Report, offering insights into its global efforts to expose and disrupt illicit networks that pose threats to international security.
The report highlights C4ADS's commitment to using open-source data, cutting-edge analytics, and cross-sector collaboration to address complex transnational issues, including environmental crime, corruption, and weapons trafficking.
This year’s report outlines strategic case studies, capacity-building initiatives, and partnerships that have strengthened accountability and transparency worldwide. It also showcases how C4ADS has supported journalists, civil society, and governments through their innovative data platforms and intelligence tools.
Explore the full report and learn how C4ADS is using data for global impact:
C4ADS 2024 Annual Report
Institute for Nonviolence Chicago: 2024 Impact Report
The Institute for Nonviolence Chicago has released its 2024 Impact Report, offering a comprehensive look at its efforts to foster peace, reduce violence, and build community resilience across Chicago.
This year’s report highlights significant strides in outreach, case management, and community engagement. From supporting young people in crisis to mediating gang conflicts and providing trauma-informed care, the Institute’s work continues to be a critical force for healing in neighborhoods disproportionately affected by gun violence.
The report also details collaboration with local partners, success stories from frontline outreach workers, and strategic growth in data-driven programming—all rooted in the principles of Kingian Nonviolence.
Read the full report and explore how nonviolence is making a difference:
2024 Impact Report – Institute for Nonviolence Chicago
No Woman’s Land: Behind the Scenes of a Groundbreaking War Documentary
Kiana and Mélissa visiting a women's center in Badakhshan
Between January and June 2024, photojournalist Kiana Hayeri and researcher Mélissa Cornet traveled across seven provinces in Afghanistan, documenting the lives of over 100 women and girls living under Taliban rule. Their project, No Woman’s Land, offers a rare and intimate view into everyday acts of resistance in a country where women’s freedoms have been systematically stripped away.
Using light, shadow, and collaboration, they created dignified, anonymous portraits, accompanied by deeply researched interviews. The project captures small moments of joy and humanity—dancing, art, celebration—as powerful forms of protest.
Security, consent, and ethics were central to their process, as they navigated high-risk environments without a security team. Their work highlights the urgency of listening to women on the ground—and preserving their stories.
No Woman’s Land has won multiple international awards, including the 2025 World Press Photo Award and Pictures of the Year International, and was made possible through the 14th Carmignac Photojournalism Award. A Kickstarter campaign is now live to support its upcoming photo book.
Watch the behind-the-scenes feature:
No Woman’s Land – Dispatches, The VII Foundation
Feromics: Revolutionizing Iron Biology for Human Health
Feromics, a biotechnology company based in Toronto, Canada, is pioneering a new frontier in health innovation through its focus on iron biology. The company is developing a first-in-class platform to detect, monitor, and modulate iron at the molecular level—an area of research with far-reaching implications for chronic diseases.
At the helm of this transformative work is Dr. Shai Schubert, CEO and Co-Founder of Feromics—and a member of Convisero. Dr. Schubert is driven by a mission to bring cutting-edge treatments to underserved patients. Before launching Feromics, he co-founded and led technology development in several biotechnology and medical device companies.
Dr. Schubert holds a Ph.D. in biotechnology from the Technion – Israel Institute of Technology and completed his postdoctoral training at the prestigious Harvard-MIT Program in Health Sciences and Technology (HST), Biomedical Engineering Center. His multidisciplinary expertise and entrepreneurial leadership are central to Feromics' vision of redefining iron biology for clinical innovation.
Iron, a vital mineral in the human body, plays a key role in oxygen transport, energy production, and immune function. However, dysregulated iron levels have been linked to a wide range of health conditions, including inflammation, neurodegenerative diseases, cardiovascular disorders, and cancer.
Feromics' platform leverages cutting-edge tools in molecular diagnostics, bioinformatics, and protein engineering to provide more precise, non-invasive insights into iron metabolism. Their mission is to harness this knowledge to improve clinical outcomes, from early detection and prevention to personalized treatments.
Learn more about their work:
Feromics – Company Website
Congo Basin Carbon Research: A Critical Front in the Climate Crisis
The Congo Basin, often overshadowed by the Amazon in global climate discourse, is emerging as one of the most vital ecosystems in the fight against climate change. A new report from National Geographic highlights how this vast tropical forest stores massive amounts of carbon and plays a crucial role in regulating the Earth’s climate.
Unlike other major carbon sinks, the Congo Basin has received limited international funding and attention. Yet its peatlands alone may store the equivalent of 20 years’ worth of fossil fuel emissions from the United States. With increased deforestation, logging, and land conversion threatening these reserves, scientists and local researchers are racing to understand how much carbon is stored—and how much could be released.
This research is also deeply tied to justice and equity. Many of the researchers involved are from the Congo itself, working to assert regional ownership over data and climate strategies. Their work not only protects the planet but also strengthens scientific sovereignty in a region long overlooked in global environmental efforts.
The photographs accompanying this report were taken by Nichole Sobecki, a member of Convisero and award-winning photographer based in Nairobi. Her work chronicles how climate change is reshaping our planet and humanity’s connection to it. The report also features the investigative journalism of Mélanie Gouby, a London-based filmmaker and journalist who has spent more than a decade covering conflict, inequality, and environmental issues across Africa.
This story appears in the April 2025 issue of National Geographic Magazine. The nonprofit National Geographic Society, committed to illuminating and protecting the wonder of our world, funded the work of Explorers Mélanie Gouby and Nichole Sobecki.
To learn more about the Congo Basin’s critical role and the scientists leading the charge, read the full article here:
National Geographic – Congo Basin Carbon Research
The Stringer: Uncovering Truths, Rewriting History
Premiering at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival, The Stringer is a groundbreaking documentary directed by Bao Nguyen and produced by The VII Foundation in partnership with XRM Media. With over 250 reviews and media stories, it has become one of the most discussed films in Sundance history.
The film follows a whistleblower’s revelation that launches a two-year journalistic investigation led by Gary Knight and a team of award-winning reporters, uncovering a decades-old scandal involving the authorship of one of the Vietnam War’s most iconic images — the “napalm girl” photograph. At its core, The Stringer is an urgent and reflective critique of the systemic exploitation of freelance and local journalists, especially in conflict zones.
The investigation challenges long-held narratives, forcing the journalism industry to reckon with questions of authorship, journalistic ethics, and racial injustice. As Bao Nguyen explains in his director’s statement, the film underscores the enduring presence of marginalized voices, asserting that they were never silent — only ignored.
“The truth cannot be twisted, or torn apart,” says a legendary Vietnamese journalist interviewed in the film. “Because if so, it’s no longer the truth and we will have lost our moral compass.”
The Stringer is a story that many in the profession did not want told. But it is a vital reckoning with history — one that exemplifies the role of journalism not just as the first draft of history, but also as its necessary second draft.
With reporting by Fiona Turner, Terri Lichstein, Lê Vân, and Gary Knight, and cinematography by Andrew Yuyi Truong, Bao Nguyen, and Ray Lavers, the film stands as both an investigative achievement and a cinematic milestone.
Read more and explore the full project here:
The Stringer – The VII Foundation
More on The Stringer in the press:
Authoritarianism’s Leading Edge: The Case of Rumeysa Ozturk
Concerns over civil liberties and due process have grown following the detention of Rumeysa Ozturk, a Turkish graduate student at Tufts University, by federal agents earlier this week. The incident, captured on security footage, shows plainclothes agents—many with their faces obscured—detaining Ozturk without any prior public indication of criminal behavior.
According to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), someone matching Ozturk’s name is now listed in a detention facility in Louisiana. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced that Ozturk’s student visa had been revoked, alongside 300 others. A Department of Homeland Security spokesperson has claimed that Ozturk engaged in “activities in support of Hamas,” yet no formal charges have been filed and no evidence has been made public.
The only publicly known detail about Ozturk’s activities is her authorship of an opinion piece in the Tufts student newspaper criticizing the university’s support for Israel. This has raised alarms about the potential criminalization of dissent and free expression.
As journalist Meher Ahmad notes, this case may signal a shift in ICE’s operations — targeting noncitizens for deportation without accusations or convictions of any crime, effectively bypassing the legal system. While the federal government claims legal authority for these actions under certain statutes, critics argue that this amounts to circumventing the courts and undermining constitutional protections.
An investigation published by Mother Jones raises further doubts about the legitimacy and accountability of these detentions, suggesting that the U.S. government may be using immigration enforcement as an extrajudicial tool of suppression.
The implications of this case are serious, particularly for international students and immigrant communities. As debates over speech, dissent, and national security intensify, the need to uphold due process and civil rights remains more urgent than ever.
Read more from:
1. Federal Government Detains International Student at Tufts
2. A Video From Tufts Captures the Fear and Aggression in Trump’s Crackdown
3. Over 2,000 protest in wake of student detainment
