Dr. Mine Yıldırım is a distinguished researcher and activist, serving as a senior advisor at the Norwegian Helsinki Committee (NHC). She is the coordinator of NHC’s work on Türkiye including the Freedom of Belief Initiative (FoBI). She earned her doctorate from the Åbo Akademi University Institute for Human Rights in Finland and completed postgraduate studies in Human Rights and Civil Liberties at the University of Leicester, Faculty of Law. Her undergraduate studies in International Relations were completed at Marmara University.
Dr. Yıldırım has contributed to numerous national and international projects as a researcher, focusing on freedom of religion or belief (FoRB). She is the author of the book The Collective Dimension of Freedom of Religion or Belief: A Case Study on Turkey, which offers in-depth analysis and insights into the subject. In 2021, she authored the report Strengthening the Protection of Freedom of Religion or Belief in the Western Balkans: A Roadmap for Parliamentarians.Since 2013, she has been instrumental in producing FoBI’s annual monitoring reports on the state of FoRB in Türkiye.
Her achievements include receiving the prestigious Stefanus Prize in 2016 for her significant contributions to advancing FoRB. Between 2019 and 2022, she served as a member of the Expert Panel on FoRB at the Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights under the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE). Dr. Yıldırım is also a prolific author with numerous publications in the field, further cementing her expertise in promoting human rights globally. She is also on the editorial board of the academic journal Religion & Human Rights.