Moderator: Dr. Kalliopi Chainoglou Associate Professor – Department of International & European Studies, University of Macedonia

Rina Braimi Program Director at CEL

Biography:

Rina Braimi is a Sociologist who during her study has focused on gender, sexuality, gender representation, gender equality, and beyond. Rina Braimi has been a human rights activist for more than a decade involved in various causes for the rights of young people, women, and LGBTI people.

Rina Braimi is the Program Director at CEL Kosova and has worked for the LGBT community in Kosovo for 8 years. During this time, she has been engaged in raising awareness about LGBT issues among the general population through training with different target groups (police, prosecutors, judges, students, etc.). She has also been working on capacity building for the LGBT community through various trainings. Through CEL, she was one of the organizers of the eight pride weeks and parade in Kosovo. 

Dervish Erol Administrator & Advocacy Coordinator at the Queer Cyprus Association

Biography:

Dervish Erol is a distinguished architect with a rich academic background, holding both a Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in Architecture, and currently pursuing his PhD in the field. With a decade of experience under his belt, he has established himself as a prominent figure in the architectural sphere.  Beyond his professional accomplishments, Dervish is deeply involved in activism within the LGBTI+ movement, dedicating over nine years to this cause. Currently, he holds the significant role of Administrator and Advocacy Coordinator at the Queer Cyprus Association. In this capacity, Dervish spearheads the organization’s lobbying and advocacy endeavors, playing a pivotal role in pushing for policy changes and societal acceptance. Additionally, his involvement in anti-trafficking efforts underscores his commitment to social justice and human rights.  Moreover, Dervish’s work extends to the education and health sectors, where he actively engages in initiatives aimed at fostering inclusivity and addressing the unique needs of the LGBTI+ community in health and education sectors. His involvement in multi-communal initiatives reflects his dedication to fostering understanding, cooperation and reconciliation across the divide in Cyprus. Erol’s multifaceted contributions as an LGBTI+ activist underscore his commitment to creating a more equitable and inclusive united federal Cyprus.

Jasmina Lazovic Head of the Heartefact Institute, Coordinator for Exchange & Cooperation with Kosovo

Biography:

Jasmina Lazovic is a Head of the Heartefact Institute. She holds a degree in journalism from the Faculty of Political Sciences in Belgrade. Since 2007, Jasmina has been active in the field of dealing with the past and human rights in the Western Balkans. For almost 10 years, she worked at the regional organization Youth Initiative for Human Rights (with offices in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Kosovo, Montenegro, and Serbia) on transitional justice programs that address the past and regional cooperation. She is a co-founder of the Belgrade-based Center for Public History, a member of the trans-European network of memory practitioners – Memori Lab, an alumna of the Alliance for Historical Dialogue and Accountability (Columbia University) and the Kosovo-Serbia Professional Exchange Program (Balkan Trust for Democracy). From 2017 to 2022, she worked as a Global Research Manager at the Danish organization Freemuse, which advocates for artistic freedom. Her work involved documenting cases in which artists face legal consequences, physical and digital violence, as well as censorship due to their artistic work or personal identity. She is the author of the report Painting the rainbow: How LGBTI freedom of artistic expression is denied. Since 2023, she has been employed at Heartefact on exchange, regional cooperation, and dealing with the past programs, with a special focus on Kosovo-Serbia relations.

Antonis Papageorgiou Vice President of Accept Cyprus

Biography:

Antonis Papageorgiou is a primary school teacher in Cyprus. He graduated from the University of Cyprus from the Faculty of Education – Primary Education and then studied at the Department of Pastoral Theology at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki. He then received his Master’s degree from the European University of Cyprus in Educational Leadership and also completed the four-year training programme in systems psychotherapy and counselling at the Centre for Personal Development and Psychotherapy.

Ηe is the Vice President in Accept LGBTI Cyprus. Within the Organization he was the coordinator of the campaign/research “Your identity does not want change” conducted by the Greek scientific organization Orlando LGBT+. He is also responsible for Education, the Trans community, LGBTI asylum seekers, Cyprus Polychrome Meetings and is a member of Accept’s Advocacy Group.

He was a pioneer in voting to ban Conversion Therapies in Cyprus and in successfully contributing to the non-exemption of priests or where there is “consent”. He is also a member of the communication team of the organisation and a columnist in the Cypriot magazine “Check In”. At the same time he is also Vice President in Cyprus Humanist Association.