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Gulnara Akhundova is the Head of International Media Support (IMS) Global Response Department and a human rights defender with wide-ranging international advocacy expertise. Akhundova has reported on and advocated for scores of journalists and media workers who have been censored, threatened, intimidated, unjustly prosecuted, imprisoned, attacked, blackmailed or murdered. She specialises in Eastern Europe politics, international human rights law, Council of Europe & UN Human Rights Council. Akhundova has done research and publications on violations of press freedom and contributed to international media outlets, including French Liberation, the Independent, and Huffington Post.