About Us
The Wild Pigeon Collective is a non-profit and non-governmental organization that works to address gaps in the advocacy landscape by improving frontline data collection and analysis on transnational repression. The organization documents cases of forced displacement, detention, and human rights violations affecting Uyghurs and other vulnerable communities. It combines case documentation with legal research and policy analysis to identify structural risks such as refoulement and cross-border repression, including links between trade and investment partnerships and crackdowns on dissidents. Through research, policy briefings, and engagement with governments, international institutions, and civil society, WPC provides evidence-based analysis to support democratic responses to transnational repression.
Team
Nyrola Elimä
Executive Director
Nyrola is an independent researcher specializing in supply chain tracing, forced labour, and transnational repression related to Uyghur issues and the People’s Republic of China. She has produced research and risk assessments for institutions including the Atlantic Council and Sheffield Hallam University, and has conducted research on China’s transnational repression for the University of Sheffield. Her work has been cited by the U.S. Congress, the UK Parliament, the European Parliament, and the UN Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery. She has also testified before the U.S. Congress on China-related issues and has delivered briefings to relevant U.S. federal agencies. In addition to her research work, Nyrola is an Emmy-nominated journalist whose reporting has appeared in The New York Times, CNN, BBC, and The New Yorker. She also contributed reporting to an investigation into detention camps in Xinjiang that received the Pulitzer Prize.
Julie Millsap
Government Relations Director
Julie coordinates strategy regarding government outreach and intervention, and serves as the organization’s U.S. representative. In her work, she frequently liaises with members of Congress, diplomats, and others in order to achieve results on both current issue sets and sensitive WPC cases.
Board
Rune Steenberg
Chair
Dr. Steenberg Rune is an anthropologist who focuses on Xinjiang and Uyghurs. Extended fieldwork in Xinjiang, Kyrgyzstan and earlier in mainland China and Indonesia. Fluent in Uyghur and Chinese, functional communication in Kyrgyz.
Eleanor Hart
General Secretary
Eleanor Hart is a doctoral student at the National Institute of Oriental Languages and Civilisations (INaLCO) working as part of the DECRIPT program. She is a member of the European Uyghur Institute where she helps develop Uyghur language and culture projects alongside members of the Uyghur diaspora in Paris.
Peter Jansen
Treasurer
Peter has worked with project-affected communities on the social and environmental policies of international financial institutions for over two decades. He has participated in international coalitions working on public policy reforms. He previously worked in the Netherlands for several years as a program maker, developing and organizing a long-running series of debates on the macroeconomic policies of public banks.
Registration
Wild Pigeon Collective is registered as Ideella Föreningar (non-profit organization) in Sweden.
Registration number: 802550-8212
Contact Us
Info@wildpigeoncollective.org