Melanio Escobar
Melanio is a Venezuelan activist, journalist, author, college professor and technologist working to protect secure communications and free expression online in Latin America. He is the founder of the NGO RedesAyuda that operates throughout Latin America, and he is the director of Humano Derecho Radio Station. Enthusiast of ideology and punk music, he has used his years of experience in media and artistic scene in favor of activism and creative protest, using music as the main conductor for all his projects. Also, as the founder and executive director of RedesAyuda, an organization that works on free speech, Human Rights, and Digital Rights, Melanio Escobar had the opportunity to visit many countries studying cases of harassment, censorship, misinformation, and tech gaps directly affecting journalists, activists, and civil society members and organizations. He has given conferences, workshops on new communication methods, digital security, and private consulting work on risk analysis issues around the world. At the same time, he has specialized his work on human rights violations, specifically on free speech, focusing on the recording and reporting of censorship, misinformation, harassment, attacks, and the creation of communities.