Climate change, natural hazards, water and environmental pollution caused by micro- and nanoplastics, and the protection of human rights and freedoms may seem like entirely different issues at first glance. Yet they all concern challenges whose consequences can extend far beyond the borders of any single country.
These are the kinds of issues addressed by the international nonprofit organization ALLATRA. Its activities combine three main areas: scientific research, the dissemination of scientific knowledge, and international engagement, including work in the field of human rights protection.
According to the organization, its activities span more than 180 countries worldwide.
How ALLATRA Works
ALLATRA is a nonpolitical and nonreligious nonprofit organization. It operates through the efforts of volunteers and voluntary public support and has no formal membership system.
Its scientific activities are carried out by the ALLATRA Global Research Center. The Center brings together specialists from various scientific fields to study climate and environmental changes, processes occurring within the Earth, and emerging forms of pollution.
One of the topics to which the organization devotes considerable attention is micro- and nanoplastics.
Plastic We Can Barely See
Micro- and nanoplastics are extremely small particles of plastic. The ALLATRA Global Research Center studies their potential impact on human health, ecosystems, and the environment.
The Center has prepared an analytical report on this issue titled “Nanoplastics. A Systematic Analysis of Risks to Human Health, Ecosystems, and the Environment.”
Representatives of the organization have also raised the issue of micro- and nanoplastics at the international level. The research findings were presented at the European Parliament during the conference “Micro- and Nanoplastics in the Biosphere: Impact on Human Health and Planetary Climate.”
In 2026, at the international ChangeNOW summit in Paris, the ALLATRA Global Research Center held a dedicated expert workshop on nanoplastics and the risks associated with them.
To communicate the issue not only to specialists but also to a wider audience, ALLATRA uses documentaries, interviews with scientists, lectures, podcasts, seminars, and public events.
One such project was the documentary “Nanoplastics: A Threat to Life.” It was screened in the United States, Germany, Latin American countries, and other regions. The film also received awards at several international film festivals.
From Research to International Events
ALLATRA presents its materials at international conferences and forums.
Representatives of the organization participated in the climate conferences COP29 in Baku, COP30 in Belém, COP16 in Colombia, and COP16 in Saudi Arabia.
A separate area of work has been developing in Bolivia. There, ALLATRA established cooperation with the Vice Ministry of Civil Defense, the Bolivian Catholic University “San Pablo,” and the San Calixto Observatory.
Their joint work focuses on natural hazards, monitoring processes occurring within the Earth, and scientific consultation.
Together with the Vice Ministry of Civil Defense, the organization also held a four-day seminar devoted to national security and civil defense under conditions of climate stress.
Water-related issues have become another area of focus. During the event “Water in Bolivia: Science, Innovation, and Alliances for a Sustainable Future,” Dr. John Ahn, Chief Scientific Officer of the ALLATRA Global Research Center, delivered a presentation on nanoplastics and water security.
He also spoke at TEDxStLouis with a talk titled “Too Small to See, Too Dangerous to Ignore: Micro- and Nanoplastics.”
Why ALLATRA Began Talking About Human Rights
Another area of the organization’s activities concerns the protection of human rights and freedoms.
ALLATRA representatives participated in OSCE events in Vienna and Warsaw. One of the topics addressed was stigmatization.
Simply put, stigmatization is a situation in which a person or an entire group is given a negative label that causes society to perceive them primarily as dangerous or unacceptable.
This issue was the focus of an ALLATRA event held in Vienna in the summer of 2026.
What Was Discussed in Vienna
On June 29–30, 2026, the third Supplementary Human Dimension Meeting of the OSCE took place in Vienna under the title “Prevention of Torture and Ill-Treatment: Strengthening Co-operation and Implementation.”
As part of this meeting, ALLATRA held a side event devoted to the connection between stigmatization and subsequent ill-treatment.
Seven speakers participated in the discussion. They examined examples involving Russia, Ukraine, China, and Belgium.
The central question was straightforward: When do negative words and labels stop being merely words and begin to pose a real threat to human rights?
The moderator of the discussion, lawyer Vladimir Ivanov, expressed the view that systemic ill-treatment rarely begins directly with physical violence.
“It begins with words. With institutional labels.”
According to Ivanov, the danger arises when an organization, spiritual movement, or particular group of people is systematically portrayed as “subversive,” “hostile,” a “cult,” or a “sect.” As a result, the public may begin to perceive that group not as citizens with equal rights, but as a threat.
One Label — Real Consequences
During the meeting, speakers presented examples from different countries.
Italian researcher Alberto Contu spoke about stereotypes concerning people from Sardinia. He gave the example of negative attitudes toward Sardinian shepherds that resulted in them being viewed as a potentially criminal group.
His main point was that simply enshrining human rights in law is not enough. What matters is how those rights are upheld in practice by the police, courts, and public authorities.
Another example concerned Belgium.
Political scientist Aicha Bacha cited data from UNIA. In tests, employers were sent identical job applications, with essentially only the applicant’s name being changed. According to the data she presented, applicants with Arab or African names received 30–50% fewer invitations to job interviews.
In other words, negative or biased attitudes can have very practical consequences for a person’s life.
Testimony of a Former Volunteer from Russia
One of the most serious parts of the meeting concerned Russia.
A woman whose identity was withheld for security reasons spoke at the event. She holds a master’s degree in geology, worked as a geophysicist, and joined ALLATRA volunteers in 2019.
According to her account, she analyzed scientific climate data, wrote specialized materials, prepared presentations, and helped organize scientific conferences.
The woman said that over the years, media reports had appeared describing ALLATRA as a “destructive sect” and an “apocalyptic cult.” According to her testimony, searches and raids began later.
She described a search of her apartment on June 5, 2024. According to her, a group of approximately 15 people, including armed security personnel, entered the apartment. The woman herself was outside the country at the time.
She also described searches involving other former ALLATRA volunteers. In one case she recounted, two women were forced to lie face down on the floor, while one of them, according to her account, was held at gunpoint for more than an hour.
It is important to note that the source material presents these events specifically as the testimony of a participant in the event.
From China to Bomb Threats Against Theaters
Another participant in the discussion, Leoš Strnad, a representative of the Falun Dafa Association in the Czech Republic, spoke about transnational repression.
Put simply, this refers to situations in which pressure against people extends beyond the borders of the country where it originated.
Strnad described several methods of such pressure: threats, the spread of false information, pressure on theaters, journalists, and public authorities, as well as the use of complaints and legal proceedings.
According to the data he presented, since March 2024 his organization’s database has recorded 298 threats against Falun Gong or Shen Yun Performing Arts in different countries.
Among the examples mentioned was the Prague Congress Centre, which received demands to cancel a performance and later received bomb threats if the performance went ahead.
Where Does Criticism End?
This became one of the most important questions raised during the meeting.
Criticizing organizations, individuals, or their views is one thing. But what happens when, instead of facts, a person or group is repeatedly assigned a particular negative image?
Mariia Anapreichyk, a researcher in international and European law, spoke about how labels such as “sect” or “cult” can immediately create an impression of danger and incompatibility with “normal” society.
She also drew attention to another problem: it may be legally possible to defend one’s reputation, but if doing so requires pursuing court cases and hiring lawyers in several countries at once, such protection becomes extremely difficult.
Lawyer Jevgenija Malecka proposed treating the period before physical violence appears as a separate stage in the development of the problem.
She drew attention to systematic information campaigns in which an enemy image is created and a particular group is dehumanized.
She formulated the warning sign as follows:
“When the label replaces evidence and reputation replaces facts.”
Why Talk About the Problem Before Violence Appears?
This was the question to which the discussion in Vienna ultimately returned.
Participants emphasized that ill-treatment and torture rarely arise in isolation. Before physical violence occurs, there may be a prolonged period of public discrediting during which people or organizations gradually lose equal treatment and are increasingly viewed through a negative public image.
The discussion therefore left an important question open: Where is the boundary between criticism protected by freedom of expression and actions that lead to dehumanization, discrimination, and social exclusion?
The participants’ position was that prevention should not wait until physical violence becomes visible. In their view, it should begin earlier — when stigmatization, dehumanization, and institutional pressure are already creating conditions in which people’s rights and dignity may be placed at risk.
