Oslo Freedom Forum Speakers

Explore more than 15 years of talks, panels, and performances by the world’s top pro-democracy advocates.

2024 Speakers

Agather Atuhaire

Ugandan journalist and digital activist

Ahmed Alkhatib

Gazan writer and analyst

Ambassador Marie Antoinette Sedin

Palestinian ambassador to Norway and Iceland

Anastasia Shevchenko

Russian politician and opposition figure

Carlos Chamorro

Nicaraguan journalist in exile

Dr. Bessel van der Kolk

Researcher, founder of the Trauma Research Foundation, and New York Times best-selling author of “The Body Keeps the Score”

Espen Barth Eide

Minister of Foreign Affairs of Norway

Faisal Al Mutar

Founder and president, Ideas Beyond Borders

Georges Azzi

Gender and sexual rights activist

Gershon Baskin

Israeli columnist and political activist

Hilde Sandvik

Journalist, author, and creator of the award-winning podcast "Norsken, svensken og Dansken"

Jack Dorsey

CEO at Block; co-founder, Twitter

Lyn Alden

Macroeconomist; author of “Broken Money”

Mustafa Barghouti

Head of the Palestinian National Initiative

Olga González

Venezuelan human rights activist

Paul Rusesabagina

Humanitarian and real-life hero of “Hotel Rwanda”

Raqib Hameed Naik

Founder India Hate Lab & Hindutva Watch

Sam Rainsy

Co-founder of Cambodia's main opposition party

Sebastien Lai

Son of Jimmy Lai, founder of Hong Kong's Apple Daily newspaper

Zhala Bayramova

Child Of Azerbaijani Political Prisoner On A Quest To Free Their Father

Past Speakers

Anjan Sundaram

War reporter

Anna Kwok

Executive director of the Hong Kong Democracy Council

Anne Applebaum

American-Polish journalist and historian

Antonietta Ledezma

Venezuelan human rights activist and daughter of former Caracas Mayor Antonio Ledezma

Antonio Ledezma

Venezuelan opposition leader and former prisoner of conscience

Anwar Ibrahim

Malaysian opposition leader and former deputy prime minister

Areej al Sadhan

Activist and sister of jailed Saudi dissident and humanitarian worker Abdulrahman Al-Sadhan

Aric Toler

Former Bellingcat researcher, now an investigative journalist for The New York Times

Ariel Ruiz Urquiola

Cuban environmentalist, biologist, and LGBTQ+ rights activist

Armin Reinartz

German scholar and diplomat

Arthur Holland Michel

Journalist and researcher

Arzina Begum

Child marriage abolitionist

Asma Jahangir

Pakistani human rights lawyer and social activist

Asma Khalifa

Libyan human rights activist

Asmaa al-Ghoul

Lebanese investigative journalist and news host

Audrey Mbugua

Kenyan activist and head of Transgender Education and Advocacy

Audrey Tang

Taiwan’s digital minister

Aung San Suu Kyi

Burmese pro-democracy leader and former prisoner of conscience

Ausama Monajed

Syrian activist and member of the Syrian National Council

Badiucao

Chinese political artist and activist

Barbara Demick

American journalist

Bassem Youssef

Egyptian satirist, columnist, and talk show host

Bektour Iskender

Kyrgyz journalist and free speech activist

Belisario Betancur

Former Colombian president

Belquis Al Lahabi

Yemeni pro-democracy and women's rights activist

Benjamin Skinner

Founder, Transparentem

Benny Wenda

Chairman of the United Liberation Movement for West Papua (ULMWP)

Berta Valle

Nicaraguan journalist and pro-democracy activist

Bethany Allen-Ebrahimian

China reporter at Axios and author

Bill Browder

Founder and CEO of Hermitage Capital Management, head of the Global Magnitsky Justice Campaign, and author

Bjørn Ihler

Norwegian activist, writer, designer, and filmmaker

Bolat Atabaev

Learn more about the Oslo Freedom Forum

Meet our dedicated partners and sponsors

Discover our diverse lineup of speakers

Explore 16 years of talks at the Oslo Freedom Forum

Learn more about the Václav Havel Prize for Creative Dissent

Events

News