Oslo Freedom Forum Speakers

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

2025 Speakers

Ani Chkhikvadze

Georgian independent journalist

Anne Lindboe

Mayor of Oslo

Azza Abo Rebieh

Syrian artist and activist

Dr. Dan Siegel

MD, Co-founder and Director of Education at Mindsight Institute

Enrique Del Risco

Cuban writer and professor

Evgenia Kara-Murza

Project manager at the Free Russia Foundation

Irina Schoulgin-Nyoni

Ambassador for Human Rights, Democracy and the Rule of Law, Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Sweden

Kim Yumi

North Korean defector and YouTube content creator

Maria Sarungi Tsehai

Tanzanian human rights activist and journalist

Nyrola Elimä

Uyghur journalist

Parit Wacharasindhu

Thai Opposition Politician

Pavel Durov

CEO and founder of Telegram

Sir William Browder

Head of the Global Magnitsky Justice Campaign

Sulaima Ishaq Elkhalifa Sharif

Sudanese women’s rights activist

Venâncio Mondlane

Mozambican democratic opposition leader

Vladimir Kara-Murza

Russian democracy activist

Yulia Navalnaya

Chair of the Human Rights Foundation

Past Speakers

Garry Kasparov

Former chairman of the Human Rights Foundation

Génesis Dávila

Venezuelan lawyer and founder, Defiende Venezuela

George Ayittey

Ghanaian political economist

Georges Azzi

Gender and sexual rights activist

Gershon Baskin

Israeli columnist and political activist

Ghazi Gheblawi

Libyan author and blogger

Gilbert Tuhabonye

Burundian runner and genocide survivor

Grace Gao

Chinese human rights activist

Grace Jo

North Korean defector and vice president of North Korean Refugees in the USA (NKinUSA)

Gregory Shvedov

Russian investigative journalist

Guadalupe Llori

Ecuadorean politician

Gulbahar Haitiwaji

Uyghur survivor of China’s concentration camps

Gulchera Hoja

Uyghur journalist

Gustavo Tovar Arroyo

Venezuelan filmmaker, author, poet, and nonviolence activist

Hanna Liubakova

Exiled Belarusian journalist

Hannah Song

North Korean human rights activist

Hans Rosling

Swedish statistician and co-founder of the Gapminder Foundation

Harry Wu

Chinese dissident and former political prisoner

Hatice Cengiz

Turkish activist and the fiancée of late Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi

Hernando de Soto

Peruvian economist

Hilde Sandvik

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

Hugo Rodriguez

Former Twitter director of public affairs in Latin America

Humberto Prado

Venezuelan lawyer and human rights activist

Hyeonseo Lee

North Korean defector and author

Ian Birrell

British columnist, foreign correspondent, and contributing editor at the Mail on Sunday

Ian C. Kelly

Former U.S. statesman and foreign service officer

Igor Eidman

Russian sociologist and dissident

Irina Schoulgin-Nyoni

Ambassador for Human Rights, Democracy and the Rule of Law, Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Sweden

Irwin Cotler

Canadian parliamentarian and human rights lawyer

Iyad el-Baghdadi

Palestinian writer, satirist, and activist

Izzeldin Abuelaish

Palestinian doctor and writer

Jack Dorsey

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

Learn more about the Thulani Maseko Justice Prize

Events

News

Oslo Freedom Forum Speakers

2025 Speakers

Georgian independent journalist

Mayor of Oslo

Syrian artist and activist

MD, Co-founder and Director of Education at Mindsight Institute

Cuban writer and professor

Project manager at the Free Russia Foundation

Ambassador for Human Rights, Democracy and the Rule of Law, Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Sweden

North Korean defector and YouTube content creator

Tanzanian human rights activist and journalist

Uyghur journalist

Thai Opposition Politician

CEO and founder of Telegram

Head of the Global Magnitsky Justice Campaign

Sudanese women’s rights activist

Mozambican democratic opposition leader

Russian democracy activist

Chair of the Human Rights Foundation

Past Speakers

Former chairman of the Human Rights Foundation

Venezuelan lawyer and founder, Defiende Venezuela

Ghanaian political economist

Gender and sexual rights activist

Israeli columnist and political activist

Libyan author and blogger

Burundian runner and genocide survivor

Chinese human rights activist

North Korean defector and vice president of North Korean Refugees in the USA (NKinUSA)

Russian investigative journalist

Ecuadorean politician

Uyghur survivor of China’s concentration camps

Uyghur journalist

Venezuelan filmmaker, author, poet, and nonviolence activist

Exiled Belarusian journalist

North Korean human rights activist

Swedish statistician and co-founder of the Gapminder Foundation

Chinese dissident and former political prisoner

Turkish activist and the fiancée of late Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi

Peruvian economist

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

Former Twitter director of public affairs in Latin America

Venezuelan lawyer and human rights activist

North Korean defector and author

British columnist, foreign correspondent, and contributing editor at the Mail on Sunday

Former U.S. statesman and foreign service officer

Russian sociologist and dissident

Ambassador for Human Rights, Democracy and the Rule of Law, Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Sweden

Canadian parliamentarian and human rights lawyer

Palestinian writer, satirist, and activist

Palestinian doctor and writer

CEO at Block; co-founder, Twitter

How can we help?