Florian Irminger
LightNews LightNews
banner
florianirminger.ch
Florian Irminger
@florianirminger.ch
580 followers 350 following 170 posts
Change drives progress—not without resistance. Working for human rights, climate justice & rule-based international order. Father, reader, cyclist.
Posts Replies Media Videos
florianirminger.ch
Great to meet the FGIP Board in Prague💙

Our strategy, based on 45 years of experience, addresses today’s challenges:
💪Multifaceted mental health crisis
⚖️Repression targeting civil society
🛑Populism and reduced foreign funding.

🔗 fgip-global.org/wp-content/u...
October 5, 2025 at 1:57 PM
florianirminger.ch
Honoured to have had the chance to speak at the 8th Leonidas Donskis Conference in Vilnius on Human Rights: from Hope to Despair.

For the first time since the Holocaust, humanity will end this decade worse off than it began 📉

A thread below 🧵⤵️
A smartphone on a stand shows the website “dissident-tour.com” with the text “Are you ready to unveil the secrets of Vilnius underground?” A speaker, Florian Irminger, in a grey suit with a white shirt, holding a tablet, sits on stage with a microphone headset. A presentation screen is behind him. A panel discussion at the 8th Leonidas Donskis Memorial Conference. Five panelists are seated on stage in front of a screen showing “Panel II” with the names of the moderator Janet Gunn and panelists Anna Chernova, Florian Irminger, Jonathan Boyd, and Brigita Dyburytė. Audience members are seated in rows facing the panel. A desk with posters reading “NO!” and “ALIVE? ALIVE.” in front of a large wall image showing three soldiers, one holding a European Union flag. All of it in Ukrainian colours.
September 22, 2025 at 7:06 PM
florianirminger.ch
2026 wird @SwissMFA @ignaziocassis🇨🇭 den #OSZE-Vorsitz übernehmen. Dies bietet die Gelegenheit, sich auf eine der Kernaufgaben zu konzentrieren: eine regelbasierte Sicherheit, mit Menschenrechte im Mittelpunkt, schreibe ich mit @EleMongelli @swissinfo_de
www.swissinfo.ch/ger/krieg-fr...
September 20, 2025 at 12:09 PM
florianirminger.ch
Russia regressed to a Stalinist regime of total repression. We need to know that we are not dealing with the Soviet Union of the 1980s when it through political imprisonment basically ended the Russian human rights movement — the situation is now worse, details Robert van Voren.
September 18, 2025 at 6:52 AM
florianirminger.ch
“Back to Square One?”

Leonidas Donskis Conference about to start in Vilnius, discussing the rise and fall of the Helsinki Agreements #OSCE2025.

Follow here for live updates ⤵️
September 18, 2025 at 6:16 AM
florianirminger.ch
➡️ Join us Thursday in Vilnius
fgip-global.org/the-eighth-l...
Poster for the Eighth Leonidas Donskis Memorial Conference, titled “Back to Square One? The Rise and Fall of the Helsinki Agreements”, held on 18 September 2025 at ISM University of Management and Economics in Vilnius, Lithuania. The design features large red numbers “1975–2025” with a background photo and event details.
September 16, 2025 at 8:35 AM
florianirminger.ch
Back in Vilnius ❤️🇱🇹
I’ll speak at the Leonidas Donskis Conference the panel “Human Rights: from Hope to Despair”⚡️

With @eleonoramongelli.bsky.social, I argue Switzerland’s 2026 OSCE presidency is a chance to put rights back at the core of security

🔗 www.swissinfo.ch/eng/war-peac...
Portrait of Eleonora Mongelli and Florian Irminger, co-authors of an article on Switzerland’s 2026 OSCE presidency. Poster for the 8th Leonidas Donskis Memorial Conference titled “The Rise and Fall of the Helsinki Agreements”, held on 18 September 2025. The poster features a photo of Florian Irminger, listed as a speaker, with the text “Register Now” and the website sakharovcenter-vdu.eu
September 16, 2025 at 8:35 AM
florianirminger.ch
En cette Journée mondiale de prévention du suicide, rappelons-nous que le suicide est la première cause de mortalité chez les 15-29 ans en Suisse. Ce sujet reste encore trop tabou.

Nous pouvons faire la différence 💙

🔗 stopsuicide.ch
September 10, 2025 at 9:26 AM
florianirminger.ch
Civil society in Georgia is under attack 🇬🇪🚨

🚔 Crackdowns
⚖️ Arbitrary arrests
💳 Frozen bank accounts.

As civil society leader Ucha Nanuashvili writes, @coe.int must act now to defend human rights rights and democracy, and their defenders.

🔗 mailchi.mp/csf-ev.org/j...
A large crowd of protesters gathers outside the illuminated Georgian Parliament building in Tbilisi at dusk. Three flags—European Union, Georgia, and Ukraine—are prominently raised in the foreground, waving above the crowd. Many demonstrators hold signs, including one that reads "We are Europe." The mood is defiant and hopeful. Photo taken on 5 March 2025 by Vano Shlamov for AFP/Getty Images.
August 31, 2025 at 10:17 AM
florianirminger.ch
Maybe more now than ever, we need to address the perceived dychotomy between human rights and humanitarian aid.

Upholding rights is saving lives.

🔗 progress-change-actionlab.org/human-rights...
Infographic titled “Recommendations for Action” from Human Rights Compass. It presents five recommendations to bridge humanitarian aid and human rights: 1) Reframe aid around rights and prevention, represented by a thumbs-up icon; 2) Integrate human rights across UN action, represented by a puzzle icon; 3) Prioritise local, community-led actors, represented by a bouquet of flowers; 4) Protect civic space in crisis response, represented by a shield icon; and 5) Establish a UN compact on gender, represented by a female gender symbol. The Human Rights Compass logo appears at the top, and the website is listed at the bottom: www.humanrightscompass.org. The design uses green and blue on a white background.
August 20, 2025 at 6:18 AM
florianirminger.ch
This must stop.

7 October was horror for Israel and Jews everywhere. The rise in antisemitism since is one of this decade’s great dangers.
What happened in Gaza will scar generations. Children killed, wounded, orphaned — it is unbearable.

Time for peace is now 🕊️

🔗 www.nytimes.com/2025/08/15/w...
A barefoot child leaps over a stream of rubbish-filled water in a camp for the displaced on a beach in Gaza City. Makeshift tents and destroyed buildings are visible in the background. Credit: Saher Alghorra for The New York Times.
August 19, 2025 at 8:50 AM
florianirminger.ch
Trump-Putin summit 🇺🇸🇷🇺

No peace with impunity, without justice ⚖️

Shelling, disappearances, torture, systematic sexual violence, executions—this cannot be erased by a “deal” in Alaska between two men who don't care about civilians 🌍

Full @tv5monde.info discussion
🎦 msod.tv5monde.com/tv5monde/inf...
August 15, 2025 at 8:44 PM
florianirminger.ch
As President Trump is departing the White House to meet President Putin in Anchorage, Alaska (USA), I'd recommend you take a minute to read this civil society appeal published in @lemonde.fr (available in English and French).

➡️ www.lemonde.fr/idees/articl...
August 15, 2025 at 1:05 PM
florianirminger.ch
Civil society is under assault—not for losing relevance, but because it works🌍

From “foreign agents” laws to smear campaigns & violence, repression targets impact.

My take on “The End of the Age of NGOs?”
🔗 www.linkedin.com/pulse/end-ng...

Let's resist, persist, build resilience✊
Poster by Former UN Special Rapporteur on the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and of association, Maina Kiai, with the UN emblem in the top left and a photo grid of cheering people, one of whom is holding a rainbow flag. Large text reads: “The world's got 99 problems — Civil society isn't one of them.” Smaller text at the bottom says: “#97: A world without it is. Throughout history and across cultures, civil society has enabled people to hold the powerful to account, to advocate for social change, and to make their communities a better place. Its contributions are vast, from the anti-slavery and anti-apartheid movements, to women’s suffrage, to the fight for LGBTI rights and more. How much has it contributed? Find out in the Special Rapporteur’s June 2017 report.” Includes website link http://www.freeassembly.net
August 10, 2025 at 7:31 PM
florianirminger.ch
Thoughtful essay on identity politics by @tessyschlo.bsky.social 🤔

An honest reckoning. From Jewish emancipation to Afro-Mexican recognition: identity came from exclusion.

We don’t need sameness to stand together.

🔗 www.theideasletter.org/essay/why-id...

@open-society.bsky.social
A group of Afro-Mexican men wearing elaborate traditional costumes and masks, some with antlers or horns, cross a zebra crossing during a cultural celebration in Mexico City. They wear vibrant shirts, embroidered capes, and shaggy fur pants. Behind them, other participants and spectators line the street, some wearing masks. A large historic government building with the Mexican flag is visible in the background under a cloudy sky. The scene blends festivity, resistance, and heritage in a public display of Afro-Mexican identity and presence. Members of various indigenous and afro-Mexican groups march against discrimination and racism in Mexico City on 9 August 2021. © Cristian Leyva/Nurphoto/Shutterstock
July 9, 2025 at 7:25 AM
florianirminger.ch
📘 Defending Defenders — our new Human Rights Compass policy brief is out.

Human rights defenders are among the most exposed — and the most essential — voices in our democracies 🕊️
As repression rises and allies retreat, this is a blueprint to act 🛡️

🔗 progress-change-actionlab.org/human-rights...
A green infographic titled “Strengthen and Support Human Rights Defenders” displays 15 icons with corresponding actions in dark blue. The icons and text are arranged in a 4x4 grid (plus one item in the last row). The actions are: Appoint an Envoy for Human Rights Defenders (compass icon) Integrate Human Rights Defenders in Dialogues (handshake icon) Involve Human Rights Defenders in Policy Development (checklist icon) Include Human Rights Defenders into Delegations (doorway icon) Issue Public Recognition and Support Statements (megaphone icon) Attend Trials and Monitor Judicial Proceedings (scales icon) When Facing Risks, Fast-Track Visa and Asylum (ID badge icon) Map and Publicise Protection Resources (map pin icon) Ease Contacts with Authorities (link icon) Strengthen Role of Embassies (government building icon) Report Situations Systematically (document icon) Brief Diplomats and Officials (speaker podium icon) Disseminate Standards (globe icon) Nominate for Awards (medal icon) Celebrate Human Rights Defenders (raised hands icon) In the bottom-right corner is the Human Rights Compass logo.
June 26, 2025 at 12:44 PM
florianirminger.ch
🔧 In our brief on multilateral diplomacy, we demanded feminist foreign policy be translated into practice — in climate, finance, AI, and beyond.

🔗 progress-change-actionlab.org/human-rights...
June 16, 2025 at 6:06 AM
florianirminger.ch
🌐 In Saving Lives, Upholding Rights, we called for a UN Compact to protect gender rights in crisis — and for real, sustained funding of women-led organisations.

🔗 progress-change-actionlab.org/human-rights...
June 16, 2025 at 6:06 AM
florianirminger.ch
👩‍⚖️ In our Global Realignment brief, we urged states to elevate feminist leadership and embed gender justice across peace, security & foreign policy frameworks.

🔗 progress-change-actionlab.org/human-rights...
June 16, 2025 at 6:06 AM
florianirminger.ch
🎷We need to play jazz🎷

The sheet music is burning.
Improvisation — listening to each other, to the sounds around us — is how we survive as a human rights movement.

🎧 With Dave Schoof on The Pivot about jazz, the future of human rights and more:
daveschoof1.podbean.com/e/navigating...
June 15, 2025 at 8:51 AM
florianirminger.ch
🧭 NEW: “Fractured Order”

Our latest policy brief outlines 5 urgent actions to restore rights-based multilateralism — in a world of growing transactionalism, non-normative alliances, and democratic backsliding.

📥 progress-change-actionlab.org/data/files/g...
Infographic titled "Fractured Order" from the Human Rights Compass. It contrasts two columns. On the left, under "Collapse of Rights-Based Multilateralism," it lists: Rise of “transactional diplomacy” Expansion of non-normative platforms Disproportionate impact on marginalised groups Regression in human rights funding Challenge to international gender-based approaches On the right, under "Restoring Human Rights Multilateralism," it lists: Promote rights-based global engagement Reclaim regional institutions as guardians of democratic norms Focus on potential of multilateral platforms for human rights governance Preserve institutional investments in human rights Advance a feminist approach to rights-based diplomacy A yellow lightning bolt separates both columns. Website link at the bottom: www.humanrightscompass.org.
June 13, 2025 at 6:45 AM
florianirminger.ch
A powerful weekend with fellow FGIP Board members 🧠⚖️

At time of war, disinfo, authoritarianism, psychiatry is again misused to silence dissent. FGIP’s mission—protect human rights in mental health—matters more than ever. Join us in Vilnius on 18 September.
Back to Square One: The Rise and Fall of the Helsinki Agreements 8th Leonidas Donskis Memorial Conference 18 September 2025 Vilnius, Lithuania This conference takes place against this dual backdrop: the re-emergence of psychiatric repression and the widespread mental health crises generated by today’s violent conflicts. It is a call to the human rights, humanitarian, and mental health communities to reconnect with one another – to examine the hidden wounds of today’s wars, to expose how psychiatry is once again misused for repression, and to assert that the protection of mental health must be a cornerstone of our response to the crises of our time. FGIP’s founding mission – to promote humane, rights-based mental health care and to fight the political abuse of psychiatry – is more relevant than ever. Board members and leaders of FGIP enjoy an apperitif at the start of the retreat.
June 11, 2025 at 2:14 PM
florianirminger.ch
Wonderful to meet up with these two exceptional human rights defenders Ucha Nanuashvili and Emin Huseynov. Thanks to them for taking the time to meet me and discuss challenges of rights defenders in established and emerging autocracies and difficulties of defenders having to live in exile.
June 10, 2025 at 5:39 AM
florianirminger.ch
One of the most devastating trends: suicide now accounts for more than 1 in 10 deaths in prison in some regions.

Overcrowding, failing mental health systems, and a rising toll on women are driving this crisis.

#MentalHealth #PrisonReform
May 22, 2025 at 12:05 PM
florianirminger.ch
2024 was the biggest election year in history — over 3.7 billion people were eligible to vote 🗳️

But in prisons, millions were shut out.

Disenfranchisement laws, logistical barriers, and systemic exclusion kept many behind bars and out of democracy.
May 22, 2025 at 12:05 PM