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Who We Are

View module on Who We Are – ILA (original page) (this link opens in new window)

 

 

Apply for Assistance

Initiative pour la Liberté Artistique (ILA) accepts applications from at-risk artists around the world seeking support, protection, and relocation opportunities in Europe.

For artists already in Europe, ILA also supports those who fear persecution in their home countries and are navigating displacement or seeking to rebuild their lives in safety.

In collaboration with our sister organization, Artistic Freedom Initiative (AFI), ILA may also assist artists pursuing pathways to protection beyond Europe.

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Frequently asked questions

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What We Do

Our programs are designed to directly assist artists whose freedom of expression has been restricted, support artists committed to advancing positive social change and fundamental human rights, and improve the laws, policies, and systems that shape artists’ lives and work.

Our work

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Learn more
Learn more
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TO THIS END…

ILA provides legal and resettlement assistance to artists and cultural workers facing persecution and censorship, leads advocacy and strategic litigation efforts globally, and advances professional opportunities for artists and cultural workers at risk.

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Executive Director

Sanjay Sethi

Sanjay Sethi is the Executive Director of Initiative pour la Liberté Artistique (ILA). With over two decades of experience at the intersection of international human rights, immigration law, and nonprofit leadership, he has built and led initiatives focused on protecting vulnerable populations and expanding legal pathways to safety for artists and cultural workers at risk.

Sanjay is also co-founder and managing partner of Sethi & Mazaheri, an immigration and asylum law firm with offices in the United States and Geneva. Through his legal practice, Sanjay has represented individuals facing persecution and complex cross-border legal challenges, and has developed particular expertise in protection-based immigration frameworks. In parallel, he has served as an Adjunct Associate Professor at Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs, where he teaches on human rights in Central and Eastern Europe.

Sanjay holds a Master’s degree from Columbia University’s Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, as well as a Master of International Affairs from Columbia’s School of International and Public Affairs. He earned his undergraduate degree from Northwestern University. His academic and professional work reflects a sustained engagement with the role of artistic expression within human rights systems, bridging legal practice, policy development, and cultural advocacy at the international level.

 

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Our Impact

AFI Makes a Difference

Since our founding in 2017, we have helped thousands of refugee artists with their legal concerns, resettlement, and more.

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Our impact
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AFM Tracker

The AFM Tracker is a centralized, public record of federal and state government actions that narrow artistic freedom and weaken the independence of arts and cultural institutions in the United States, designed to increase transparency and allow users to follow developments over time. Click below to explore the platform.

Launch the Tracker
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Support ILA’s Work

As censorship rises and artists are targeted for speaking truth to power, protecting creative voices has never been more urgent. Since 2024, ILA has supported over 100 courageous artists who continue making art even when it places them at risk. Your contribution ensures artists can keep creating, sharing, and inspiring change—protecting both their voices and the right to artistic freedom worldwide.

Donate
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Get all the information you need on eligibility and how to get assistance from AFI, including application instructions and other useful resources.

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View module on Resettlement Services (original page) (this link opens in new window)
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View module on Advocacy Activity Panels and Events (original page) (this link opens in new window)
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Holistic Resettlement Services

Following forced displacement and relocation, an artist under threat must establish more than their legal status.

An artist’s creative process can often be restored only after other vital factors governing daily life have stabilized. Our Resettlement Assistance program provides holistic support to US-based artists in our network as they navigate meeting emergent personal, logistical, professional, and legal needs post-relocation. AFI’s resettlement team leverages organizational partnerships and referrals to connect artists with professional development opportunities, mental and physical well-being resources, emergency funding and grant programs, immigrant services, and more.

AFI’s resettlement team helps US-based artists within AFI’s network obtain Employment Authorization Documents (EADs) and Social Security Numbers. We also support artists’ logistical needs by working with them to build a personalized resettlement plan, which includes customized resources for their needs, including professional development, logistical support, and social services.

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View module on Who We Are – ILA (original page) (this link opens in new window)

Partners

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In Artists' Words

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Featured Artist Case

Mai Khoi

Known as the “Lady Gaga of Vietnam,” Mai Khoi was forced to flee her country after her anticensorship music and activism earned her the Vaclav Havel International Prize for Creative Dissent.

AFI supported Mai Khoi with critical resettlement assistance and through placement in the AFI-led New York Safe Haven Residency Program.

Because of AFI’s dedicated provision of professional development and living assistance, Mai Khoi was able 
to develop and debut her multimedia autobiography “Bad Activist” as part of AFI’s Artists for Social Change programming.

View module on — Holistic Resettlement Services (original page) (this link opens in new window)

Our Mission

Based in Geneva, ILA works closely with its sister organization, Artistic Freedom Initiative (AFI), to protect and promote freedom of artistic expression worldwide.

AFI was founded on the notion that artists are uniquely situated to positively and powerfully effect change, provided their voices can be heard.

As artists are increasingly censored, imprisoned, restricted from moving freely across borders, tortured, or even killed, it is more critical than ever that we safeguard the right to artistic freedom and zealously champion the courageous artists who exercise it.

 

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Why we launched the monitor

Launched in response to an escalating wave of censorship, politicized funding decisions, and ideological interference in cultural life, AFM USA makes visible how federal and state authorities are restricting artistic and cultural expression protected under the First Amendment and international human rights law. These measures—ranging from content-based restrictions and governance interference to immigration barriers for artists—pose serious risks not only to artists and cultural institutions, but to democratic accountability itself.

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View module on Who We Are – ILA (original page) (this link opens in new window)