Recent News

• "Everyone should learn from Leymah Gbowee" | December 10, 2011 | Oslo Freedom Forum founder Thor Halvorssen profiled in Norway's Aftenposten on 2011 Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Leymah Gbowee.
• Lina Ben Mhenni profiled in The New York Times | October 12, 2011 | 2011 Oslo Freedom Forum speaker and Tunisian activist Lina Ben Mhenni is profiled as "a blogger at Arab Spring's genesis" in The New York Times.
• Leymah Gbowee wins Nobel Peace Prize | October 7, 2011 | Liberian activist Leymah Gbowee won the 2011 Nobel Peace Prize jointly with Liberian president Ellen Johnson Sirleaf and Yemeni activist Tawakkul Karaman. Watch Gbowee's presentation at the 2011 Oslo Freedom Forum here.
• Nobel Laureate Leymah Gbowee profiled in TIME | October 7, 2011 | 2011 Oslo Freedom Forum speaker and 2011 Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Leymah Gbowee is profiled in TIME. The article draws from her 2011 OFF speech, where she tells the world "the road to freedom is long, the cost of freedom is high, and the fight for freedom is not for the fainthearted and the pessimists."
• Oslo Freedom Forum speakers urge reform of United Nations | September 30, 2011 | Uyghur leader Rebiya Kadeer, Chinese dissident Yang Jianli, and Ugandan activist Kasha Jacqueline are among the Oslo Freedom Forum speakers urging the UN to expel dictatorships from its human rights and women's rights bodies.
• Inter-American Court rules in favor of Leopoldo Lopez | September 28, 2011 | The Inter-American Court of Human Rights has issued a ruling that enables 2009 Oslo Freedom Forum speaker Leopoldo Lopez to run for the Venezuelan presidency. The Venezuelan government has banned Lopez from running since 2008. El Nacional reports on how dozens of international authorities are pushing Venezuela to abide by the IACHR's decision here.
• Park Sang-hak assassination plot foiled | September 17, 2011 | South Korean officials foiled a plot by the North Korean government to assassinate 2009 Oslo Freedom Forum speaker Park Sang-hak. Read the full story in the UK's Independent here.
• How to Defeat a Dictator, published in Colombia | August 18, 2011 | Oslo Freedom Forum founder Thor Halvorssen interviewed 2011 speaker George Ayittey at this year's conference on "How to Defeat a Dictator." Their discussion has now been published in the Colombian media outlet Semana, and can be read here. Shortly thereafter, Halvorssen and Ayittey appeared on NTN 24, a Colombian television program, to further explore their interview. You can hear their discussion here.
• Ales Bialiatski arrested in Belarus. | August 4, 2011 | Belarusian rights activist and 2009 Oslo Freedom Forum speaker Ales Bialiatski was arrested by the Lukashenko regime on August 4. Many international organizations and the U.S. State Dept have called for his immediate and unconditional release. Read more here.
• Maryam al-Khawaja profiled in The Atlantic | June 29, 2011 | Bahraini activist Maryam al-Khawaja was profiled in The Atlantic by Karen Leigh. The two met at the 2011 Oslo Freedom Forum.
• How to Defeat A Dictator | June 24, 2011 | Oslo Freedom Forum founder interviews 2011 speaker George Ayittey on "How to Defeat a Dictator" at this year's conference.
• Peter Thiel on why he supports the Oslo Freedom Forum | June 20, 2011 | Paypal creator and Facebook angel investor Peter Thiel explains why he's supporting the Oslo Freedom Forum in this interview with The Street
• David Andelman writes about the Forum in the World Policy Journal | June 14, 2011 | David Andelman, editor of the World Policy Journal, writes about the precarious situation of Gaddafi's Libya and the concept of "competitive authoritarianism," the thesis of Oslo Freedom Forum speaker Steven Levitsky.
• James Fallon on the mind of a dictator | June 9, 2011 | Neurobiologist James Fallon elaborates on his Oslo Freedom Forum talk on the Mind of a Dictator in an article for Psychology Today.
• Rape is Public Policy in Pakistan | June 3, 2011 | Thor Halvorssen and Pedro Pizano recount the harrowing story of 2010 Oslo Freedom Forum speaker and Pakistani rights activist Mukthar Mai in this Huffington Post column.
• El Espectador profiles Alejandro Toledo | June 1, 2011 | Colombia's El Espectador publishes an article drawing on El Pais's interview with Alejandro Toledo at the Oslo Freedom Forum.
• El Pais interviews and profiles Alejandro Toledo at the Oslo Freedom Forum | May 28, 2011 | El Pais, Spain's largest newspaper, discusses Peru's democratic process after an interview with Alejandro Toledo at the Oslo Freedom Forum.
• Fernão Lara Mesquita reflects on the Oslo Freedom Forum in O Estado | May 21, 2011 | Oslo Freedom Forum speaker Fernão Lara Mesquita reflects on his Oslo experience in O Estado de S. Paulo, one of Brazil's leading papers.
• PR Mercenaries and their Dictator Masters | May 19, 2011 | Thor Halvorssen exposes the immoral work of PR firms that aid dictatorships like the Bahraini regime, and shows how they are hired to "disappear" rights activists such as 2011 speaker Maryam al-Khawaja and 2011 invitee Ali Abdulemam.
• Jay Nordlinger's Oslo Journal on NRO | May 19, 2011 | National Review senior editor Jay Nordlinger shares his comprehensive account of the Oslo Freedom Forum in seven parts - find them all here: I, II, III, IV, V, VI, VII.
• Sudanese Thinker reflects on the Oslo Freedom Forum | May 18, 2011 | Leading Sudanese blogger Amir Ahmad Nasr talks about why the Oslo Freedom Forum is the first event at which he gave a speech using his true identity, and discusses his participation at the conference.
• Shabana Rehman on the Oslo Freedom Forum | May 16, 2011 | Writing in Aftenposten, Shabana Rehman celebrates the Oslo Freedom Forum as a gathering of world whistleblowers.
• Svenska Dagbladet: An interview with Shirin Ebadi in Oslo | May 16, 2011 | Claes Arvidsson, SvD's foreign editor, interviews the Iranian Nobel Laureate at the Oslo Freedom Forum.
• Aftenposten - a reflection on human rights and hypocrisy | May 15, 2011 | Shoaib Sultan asks the readers of Aftenposten if they are ready to leave hypocrisy behind in the discusson on human rights.
• Argentina's Clarin on the Oslo Freedom Forum and its speakers | May 13, 2011 | Argentina's biggest paper profiles several Oslo Freedom Forum speakers, including neuroscientist James Fallon and Burmese activist Zoya Phan.
• The Economist profiles the Oslo Freedom Forum's remarkable speakers | May 12, 2011 | Calling the conference a "glittering gathering," The Economist highlights the struggles of its speakers from Tunisia, Jamaica, Malawi, South Africa, and more.
• The Advocate profiles Busi Kheswa: The Stain on the Rainbow Nation | May 11, 2011 | The world's premier LGBT monthly publishes Busi Kheswa's speech from the Oslo Freedom Forum.
• Sweden's Svenska Dagbladet: There is a Future Beyond Dictatorship | May 11, 2011 | SvD's foreign editor profiles the Oslo Freedom Forum.
• El Pais: Wael Ghonim triumphs in Oslo | May 11, 2011 | Spain's biggest newspaper celebrates the Oslo Freedom Forum's Dawn of a New Arab World panel and its participants.
• The Washington Post and Alejandro Toledo at the Oslo Freedom Forum | May 11, 2011 | Jackson Diehl meets former Peruvian president Alejandro Toledo at the Oslo Freedom Forum and interviews him on Peru's upcoming elections and the fabric of that country's democracy.
• Sohrab Ahmari on Ahmed Benchemsi, Maryam al-Khawaja, and Shirin Ebadi | May 10, 2011 | Reporting for the Weekly Standard, Sohrab Ahmari profiles Oslo Freedom Forum speakers from Morocco, Bahrain, and Iran.
• Tunisian activist Lina Ben Mhenni blogs about her Oslo experience | May 10, 2011 | Lina Ben Mhenni shares her Freedom Forum speech on her influential blog, A Tunisian Girl.
• George Ayittey in Aftenposten: How to Defeat a Dictator | May 9, 2011 | Ghanaian economist George Ayittey publishes his Oslo Freedom Forum speech in Norway's leading paper.
• Aftenposten: Ghazi Gheblawi and intervention in Libya | May 9, 2011 | The leading Norwegian paper interviews Oslo Freedom Forum speaker Ghazi Gheblawi on today's foreign intervention in Libya.
• Colombia's El Semana profiles Oslo Freedom Forum | May 9, 2011 | Leading Colombian magazine El Semana interviews Thor Halvorssen on human rights and more.
• Austria's Die Presse on the Oslo Freedom Forum | May 9, 2011 | A leading Austrian paper, Die Presse profiles the Oslo Freedom Forum.
• Wan Yanhai talks about his experience in Oslo | May 9, 2011 | On the Voice of America Chinese blog, 2011 speaker Wan Yanhai talks about his experience at the Oslo Freedom Forum, focusing on his discussion on democracy with a Chinese tour group.
• 2011 Oslo Freedom Forum to Extend Global Impact | May 6, 2011 | The Wall Street Journal highlights the 2011 Oslo Freedom in its weekly Ideas Calendar as one of the top four events of the week.
• Yoani Sanchez wins Freedom Prize | May 5, 2011 | 2010 Oslo Freedom Forum speaker and Cuban blogger Yoani Sanchez won this year's CEPOS Freedom Prize, but was forbidden by her government from traveling to Denmark to receive the award. Thor Halvorssen shares the whole story in this Huffington Post column.
• A Royal Wedding Divorced of Human Rights Concerns; Dictators Will Eat Wedding Cake | April 28, 2011 | Oslo Freedom Forum president and CEO, Thor Halvorssen, condemns the British Royal Family for inviting representatives from regimes with some of the world's worst human rights records to Prince William and Kate Middleton's wedding here.
• Belarus, Assaulted | February 7, 2011 | Jay Nordlinger draws on contacts made at the Oslo Freedom Forum for his latest article on Belarus in The National Review.
• An interview with Congressmen Smith and Wu on Hu Jintao | January 19, 2011 | Read our interview with Congressmen Smith and Wu here.
• Truth will Outweigh the Chinese Dictatorship | December 23, 2010 | Read why Liu Xiaobo's Freedom is the Test.
• Fire in Oslo Over Liu's Nobel Peace Prize | December 10, 2010 | Beijing campaigns aggressively against Liu Xiaobo's Nobel Peace Prize ceremony and convinces many to join up on its side against the imprisoned human rights defender.
• United Nations: It's Okay to Kill the Gay | November 23, 2010 | Read Thor Halvorssen in The Huffington Post on a recent UN vote that endangers sexual minorities.
• Starving for Food, Thirsting for Freedom | November 16, 2010 | Freedom Forum founder Thor Halvorssen in The Huffington Post on why human rights are essential for effective development efforts.
• China's bullying over Liu Xiaobo | November 5, 2010 | Oslo Freedom Forum quoted in the LA Times on China's diplomatic bullying over Liu Xiaobo's upcoming Nobel Peace Prize ceremony.
• Human Rights Defender wins Nobel Peace Prize | October 8, 2010 | Chinese writer Liu Xiaobo won the 2010 Nobel Peace Prize. Read Thor Halvorssen on why human rights was the big winner of this selection.
• Thor Halvorssen on the meaning of Venezuela's election results | September 30, 2010 | Conference founder Thor Halvorssen discusses Venezuela's recent election on The Huffington Post.
• Conference organizers speak out about backroom U.N. diplomacy | September 25, 2010 | Thor Halvorssen and S.E. Parker on renovating the rules of U.N. backroom diplomacy in The Huffington Post
• Thor Halvorssen on Moscow's Shadow War | September 20, 2010 | Freedom Forum founder Thor Halvorssen in The Huffington Post on Chechnya and Moscow's Shadow War in Poland.
• Thor Halvorssen on Cuba's Ladies Courageous | September 2, 2010 | Freedom Forum founder Thor Halvorssen on Cuban civil society leaders the "Ladies in White" in The Huffington Post - watch the Human Rights Foundation's exclusive interview with the Damas de Blanco here.
• Oslo Freedom Forum organizers speak out on Taiwan | August 17, 2010 | Thor Halvorssen and Alex Gladstein report from a recent trip to Taiwan and explain in The Huffington Post how, when it comes to human rights, the island's leadership has failed to learn from its own history.
• Thor Halvorssen in The Huffington Post | August 3, 2010 | Oslo Freedom Forum founder Thor Halvorssen in The Huffington Post on Venezuela's disastrous food policy.
• Christopher Hitchens quotes Thor Halvorssen on Venezuela | August 2, 2010 | Christopher Hitchens quotes Oslo Freedom Forum founder Thor Halvorssen in a Slate essay on Chávez.
• Thor Halvorssen in the Washington Post | July 25, 2010 | Read Oslo Freedom Forum founder Thor Halvorssen in The Washington Post on the necromancing of Hugo Chávez.
• Oslo Freedom Forum in Malaysia Today | July 20, 2010 | "Malaysia's Bridge is Falling Down" gets picked up by Malaysia Today with Thor Halvorssen and Alex Gladstein as guest columnists.
• Oslo Freedom Forum in The Huffington Post on Malaysia | July 19, 2010 | Read Thor Halvorssen and Alex Gladstein in The Huffington Post on why Malaysia's Bridge is Falling Down.
• Venezuela's Animal Farm | July 6, 2010 | Oslo Freedom Forum founder Thor Halvorssen describes in The Huffington Post how Diego Arria had his farm in Venezuela confiscated after speaking at the 2010 conference.
• Oslo Freedom Forum's founder speaks in Taiwan | June 24, 2010 | Oslo Freedom Forum founder Thor Halvorssen spoke today at Taipei's 6th annual East Asia NGO Forum on the importance of promoting human rights as a core part of international development and humanitarian aid work.
• More Oslo videos on TED Fellows | June 16, 2010 | Estonia's Mart Laar, Venezuela's Leopoldo López, Pakistan's Mukhtar Mai, Liberia's Samuel Kofi Woods, and Chechnya's Lidia Yusupova all have their video featured at TED Fellows.
• Knight Center for Journalism on Oslo Freedom Forum | June 2, 2010 | University of Texas at Austin's Knight Center for Journalism in the Americas blogs about RCTV director and free speech advocate Marcel Granier's presentation at the Oslo Freedom Forum.
• The Economist weighs in on the Oslo Freedom Forum | May 27, 2010 | "A spectacular human-rights festival...on its way to becoming a human rights equivalent of the Davos economic forum" - more here.
• Signing OFF on Human Rights | May 26, 2010 | Jonathan Foreman tells us about Kasha Jacqueline, Mukthar Mai, Rebiya Kadeer, Lubna al-Hussein, and much more in his Oslo Freedom Forum dispatch for Standpoint Magazine.
• Yoani Sánchez on Current TV | May 24, 2010 | Current TV has posted the Oslo Freedom Forum's interview with Yoani Sánchez - watch it here.
• Another round of Oslo Freedom Forum videos at TEDFellows | May 24, 2010 | Sima Samar, Armando Valladares, Lubna al-Hussein, Yoani Sánchez, Diego Arria, and Lech Walesa have all been posted to TED Fellows.
• Mona Eltahawy on Confronting Tyrants | May 20, 2010 | Egyptian journalist Mona Eltahawy shares her perspective on the Oslo Freedom Forum here in an article for The Jerusalem Report.
• Lubna al-Hussein's speech posted at WorldPulse | May 20, 2010 | Sudanese reformer Lubna al-Hussein posts her Oslo Freedom Forum speech at WorldPulse, a media enterprise covering global issues through the eyes of women.
• Sweden's EU-Minister speaks at the Oslo Freedom Forum | May 18, 2010 | Sweden's Minister for EU Affairs, Birgitta Ohlsson, posts her Oslo Freedom Forum speech on maternal health, feminism, courage, education, and freedom.
• Lech Walesa's video up at TEDFellows | May 17, 2010 | TEDFellows posts our video of Nobel Laureate and first Polish president Lech Walesa giving the closing speech at the Oslo Freedom Forum 2010. Walesa touches on themes of solidarity, globalization, and the art of the possible.
• Oslo Freedom Forum sets the stage for a WikiLeaks interview | May 16, 2010 | Mark Davis of SBS Dateline Australia interviews WikiLeaks editor Julian Assange at the Oslo Freedom Forum.
• Oslo Freedom Forum in The Huffington Post on a new kind of children's peace movement | May 14, 2010 | Oslo Freedom Forum founder Thor Halvorssen writes about A Different Kind of Army - Centipede, a unique peace movement in the Czech republic that empowers children to help disadvantaged children around the globe.
• Five more talks up at TEDFellows | May 14, 2010 | Five more Oslo Freedom Forum videos are up at TEDFellows - Garry Kasparov, Marina Nemat, Julian Assange, Benjamin Skinner, and Marcel Granier.
• Four Oslo Freedom Forum videos up at TEDFellows Blog | May 13, 2010 | Fascinating talks from Anwar Ibrahim, Kasha Jacqueline, Rebiya Kadeer, and Thich Quang Do are now up at TEDFellows.
• Veteran dissident’s smuggled message demands democracy for Vietnam | May 13, 2010 | Democracy Digest reports on the production of Oslo Freedom Forum's interview with The Most Venerable Thich Quang Do.
• CNN on Oslo Freedom Forum and Vietnam Human Rights Day | May 11, 2010 | CNN's iReport has the details on a congressional ceremony on Capitol Hill today where the Oslo Freedom Forum's rare interview with Thich Quang Do was screened to an audience of senators, congressmen, and global human rights leaders.
• Diego Arria discusses the Oslo Freedom Forum on CNN | May 11, 2010 | Diego Arria appears on CNN to discuss how the Venezuelan government seized his property after his speech at the Oslo Freedom Forum.
• The New York Times on the seizure of Diego Arria's property | May 10, 2010 | The New York Times picks up the story of Diego Arria's property being seized after his remarks at the Oslo Freedom Forum.
• Shabana Rehman interview on Oslo Freedom Forum | May 10, 2010 | Norwegian-Pakistani journalist Shabana Rehman interviews Thor Halvorssen, founder of the Oslo Freedom Forum, in Aftenposten.
• Diego Arria's farm seized in Venezuela | May 9, 2010 | The Guardian reports on Oslo Freedom Forum speaker and former assistant secretary general of the United Nations Diego Arria, as his farm is seized in Venezuela.
• Revaluing Freedom | May 7, 2010 | Claudia Rosett shares her perspective on the Oslo Freedom Forum at Forbes.
• Bukovsky, Medvedev, and the exile Chechens | May 7, 2010 | Michael C. Moynihan's notes from the Oslo Freedom Forum at Reason.
• Sophal Ear and the Oslo Freedom Forum on TED Fellows | May 7, 2010 | Oslo Freedom Forum speaker Sophal Ear writes about his experience over at TED Fellows.
• News from Poland on Lech Walesa's visit to Oslo | May 6, 2010 | Reporting from Poland on former Polish president and Nobel Laureate Lech Walesa's participation in the Oslo Freedom Forum.
• Yemen's Abdulkarim Al-Khaiwani and Press Freedom | May 6, 2010 | Jane Novak writes about Oslo Freedom Forum speaker and courageous Yemeni journalist Abdulkarim al-Khaiwani.
• Rafto Laureates at Oslo Freedom Forum | May 6, 2010 | The Rafto Foundation reports on the participation of Rebiya Kadeer and Lidia Yusupova, both Rafto Prize winners, in the Oslo Freedom Forum.
• Alvaro Vargas Llosa on the Oslo Freedom Forum | May 5, 2010 | Alvaro Vargas Llosa comments on the Oslo Freedom Forum in his Real Clear Politics article License to Oppress.
• Kasparov and Human Rights in Oslo | May 5, 2010 | ChessBase has posted a wide range of articles, interviews, and reporting on Garry Kasparov's participation in the Oslo Freedom Forum.
• Oslo Freedom Forum endorsed by Aftenposten | April 30, 2010 | Norway's most internationally respected newspaper endorses and discusses the Oslo Freedom Forum.
• Reason's Michael C. Moynihan from the Oslo Freedom Forum | April 29, 2010 | Michael C. Moynihan shares his thoughts on "Another Awesome Week for Free Speech" for Reason from the Oslo Freedom Forum.
• Former Romanian President issues Medal to Oslo Freedom Forum | April 29, 2010 | Former Romanian President Emil Constantinescu awarded a Presidential Medal to Thor Halvorssen, founder of the Oslo Freedom Forum. The medal is a freedom prize issued order to commemorate the downfall of the dictatorship in Romania.
• ‘Those Who Choose to be Dictators Will Fail’, Liberian Minister tells Oslo Freedom Forum | April 28, 2010 | Liberian Minister of Labor Samuel Kofi Woods's speech at the Oslo Freedom Forum is covered by Front Page Africa here.
• Al Jazeera discusses the Oslo Freedom Forum with its founders | April 28, 2010 | Riz Khan discusses human rights and progress in an interview with Thor Halvorssen and Sarah, Duchess of York, in an interview with Al Jazeera.
• James Kirchick on the Battle of the Flags in Oslo | April 27, 2010 | Writing for Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, James Kirchick examines the encounter between the Russian president and leading Russian human rights defenders at the Oslo Freedom Forum.
• Sarah, Duchess of York's Oslo Freedom Forum speech at The Daily Beast | April 26, 2010 | Sarah, Duchess of York calls for governments to prioritize children's rights at The Daily Beast.
• Medvedev vs. Human Rights Defenders in The Associated Press | April 26, 2010 | The Associated Press covers the confrontation between on one hand human rights defenders Garry Kasparov, Vladimir Bukovsky, and Lidia Yusupova and on the other Russian President Dmitry Medvedev in Business Week.
• Duchess Sarah on the Oslo Freedom Forum on CNN's Connect the World | April 26, 2010 | Sarah, Duchess of York's participation at the Oslo Freedom Forum is featured on CNN's Connect the World.
• Jay Nordlinger's Oslo Freedom Forum Journal | April 26, 2010 | The National Review's Jay Nordlinger covers the Oslo Freedom Forum in his journal at the Corner - Part I here, Part II here, Part III here, Part IV here, Part V here, Part VI here, and notes on his discussion with Nobel Laureate and former president of Poland Lech Walesa here.
• Oslo Freedom Forum participant on reform in the Middle East | April 23, 2010 | Oslo Freedom Forum participant Nasser Weddady discusses why Arab and Iranian reformers should unite at PBS's Frontline.
• The Noble Purpose of of a Vietnamese Monk | April 21, 2010 | Read Thor Halvorssen's Huffington Post account of his recent visit to Thich Quang Do here.
• Oslo Freedom Forum in The Huffington Post | April 9, 2010 | Read Thor Halvorssen and Alex Gladstein on why Tyrants Shouldn't Dictate Human Rights Policy here.
• Marina Nemat in The Huffington Post | April 6, 2010 | Marina Nemat, one of the Oslo Freedom Forum 2010's speakers, writes about political prisoners in Tehran here.
• Sophal Ear in the The New York Times | March 17, 2010 | Sophal Ear, an Oslo Freedom Forum 2010 speaker, on Khmer Rouge Tribunal vs. Karmic Justice here.
• Oslo Freedom Forum in Ny Tid | March 15, 2010 | Read the Ny Tid article on the Oslo Freedom Forum 2010. View PDF
• 2010 Speaker Biographies | March 15, 2010 | Download a full set of biographies covering our 2010 speakers. View PDF
• Anwar Ibrahim in The Wall Street Journal | January 25, 2010 | Anwar Ibrahim, Malaysia's opposition leader and Oslo Freedom Forum 2010 speaker, discusses why Muslims Have No Monopoly Over 'Allah' here.
• Oslo Freedom Forum in The Wall Street Journal | June 5, 2009 | Read the Wall Street Journal report on the Oslo Freedom Forum 2009. View PDF
• Oslo Freedom Forum 2009 Videos | May 18, 2009 | Watch all video presentations from the Oslo Freedom Forum 2009 here.
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