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Attend OFF 2026

OFF 2025 Agenda

Explore the heartbeat of the Oslo Freedom Forum, a roadmap to human solidarity and hope.

Agenda

Oslo Konserthus

Registration & Networking

  • 8:30-9:30
  • Oslo Konserthus Plaza

Theater Session I

  • 9:30-11:20
  • Theater
Anne Lindboe
Anne Lindboe
Mayor of Oslo
Parit Wachirasindu
Parit Wacharasindhu
Thai Opposition Politician
Nyrola Elimä
Nyrola Elimä
Uyghur journalist
Maria Sarungi
Maria Sarungi Tsehai
Tanzanian human rights activist and journalist
Evgenia Kara Murza
Evgenia Kara-Murza
Project manager at the Free Russia Foundation
Vladimir Kara-Murza
Vladimir Kara-Murza
Russian democracy activist
Sir William Browder
Sir William Browder
Head of the Global Magnitsky Justice Campaign

Intermission

  • 11:20-11:55

Theater Session II

  • 11:55-13:30
  • Theater
Yulia Navalnaya
Yulia Navalnaya
Chair of the Human Rights Foundation
FaceSoul
FaceSoul
Somali singer-songwriter
Sulaima
Sulaima Ishaq Elkhalifa Sharif
Sudanese women’s rights activist
Dr. Dan Siegel
Dr. Dan Siegel
MD, Co-founder and Director of Education at Mindsight Institute

Lunch

  • 13:30-14:45
  • Oslo Konserthus Plaza
Office Hours

AI for Activists

  • 13:30-14:30
  • AI for Activists
Workshop

Financial Freedom 101

  • 13:30-17:30
  • Financial Freedom 101
Ben Perrin
Ben Perrin
Educator, BTC Sessions
Anna Chekhovich
Anna Chekhovich
Nonprofit Bitcoin Adoption Lead, Human Rights Foundation
Workshop

AI for Activists

  • 14:30-17:30
  • AI for Activists
Debate

Are Sanctions an Effective Policy Tool?

  • 15:00-16:00
  • Theater
Elizabeth Shackleford
Elizabeth Shackleford
Senior Policy Director, The John Sloan Dickey Center for International Understanding at Dartmouth College
John Donvan
John Donvan
Moderator-in-Chief at Open to Debate
Dr. Chris Sabatini
Dr. Chris Sabatini
Senior research fellow for Latin America, United States and the Americas Programme, Chatham House
Artie McConnell
Artie McConnell
Partner, BakerHostetler LLP and former US federal prosecutor
Leopoldo Lopez
Leopoldo López
Venezuelan Opposition Leader
Workshop

Bringing a Case to the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention (UNWGAD)

  • 15:00-16:00
  • Workshops
Lightning Talks

Ignite Talks: HRF Freedom Fellows

  • 15:00-16:00
  • Lille Sal
Office Hours

Resilience Lounge

  • 15:00-17:00
  • Resilience Lounge
Caroline Welch
Caroline Welch
Co-founder of the Mindsight Institute
Vanina Waizmann
Vanina Waizmann
Founder and Director of Living with Totality, Freedom Fellowship Mental Health mentor
Office Hours

OFF Medical Clinic

  • 15:00-17:30
  • OFF Medical Clinic
C. Michael Wright
C. Michael Wright
MD
Tabita Wright
Tabita A. Wright
MD
Office Hours

Spyware Surveillance Check with The Citizen Lab

  • 15:00-17:30
  • The Citizen Lab
Panel

After Dictatorship: Will Syrians Embrace a Free, Democratic, and Prosperous Future?

  • 16:30-17:30
  • Theater
Fatima Aljijakli
Fatima Aljijakli
Syrian expert in civil society resilience, institutional reform, and conflict response
Katya AlKhateeb
Dr. Katya Alkhateeb
Co-director of Syria in Transition project and Senior Researcher at Essex Law School
Amjad Aun
Amjad Aun
Economist & Researcher, German Research Foundation.
Abdulmueen Alsebai
Abdulmueen Alsebai
Book translator and freedom advocate
Dr Tom G Palmer
Dr. Tom G. Palmer
George M. Yeager chair for Advancing Liberty, Atlas Network
Panel

Engaging UN Bodies to Free Prisoners of Conscience

  • 16:30-17:30
  • Lille Sal
Dr. Ganna Yudkivska
Dr. Ganna Yudkivska
Chair-Rapporteur, United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention
Dr. Matthew Gillet
Dr. Matthew Gillett
Vice-Chair on Communications, United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention
Panelist - Caoilfhionn Gallagher
Caoilfhionn Gallagher KC
Human rights lawyer
Sirikan Charoensiri
Sirikan Charoensiri
Executive advisor and co-founder, Thai Lawyers for Human Rights (TLHR)
Roberto González
Chief advocacy officer, Human Rights Foundation
Vladimir Kara-Murza
Vladimir Kara-Murza
Russian democracy activist
Book Signing

Song Byeok

  • 16:30-17:30
  • Atrium
Song Byeok
North Korean artist and defector
Oslo Konserthus

Registration & Networking

  • 8:30-9:30
  • Oslo Konserthus Plaza

Theater Session III

  • 9:30-11:20
  • Theater
Michelle Gurevich black background
Michelle Gurevich
Canadian singer-songwriter
Enrique Del Risco
Enrique Del Risco
Cuban writer and professor
Azza Abo Rebieh
Azza Abo Rebieh
Syrian artist and activist
Kim Yumi
Kim Yumi
North Korean defector and YouTube content creator

Intermission

  • 11:20-11:55

Theater Session IV

  • 11:55-13:30
  • Theater
Pavel Durov
Pavel Durov
CEO and founder of Telegram
Michelle Gurevich black background
Michelle Gurevich
Canadian singer-songwriter
Venancio Mondlane
​​Venâncio Mondlane
Mozambican democratic opposition leader
Aleksandra Skochilenko
Sasha Skochilenko
Russian artist
Azza Abo Rebieh
Azza Abo Rebieh
Syrian artist and activist
Ani Chkhikvadze
Ani Chkhikvadze
Georgian independent journalist

Lunch

  • 13:30-14:45
  • Oslo Konserthus Plaza
Office Hours

AI for Activists

  • 13:30-14:30
  • AI for Activists
Workshop

Financial Freedom 101

  • 13:30-17:30
  • Financial Freedom 101
Ben Perrin
Ben Perrin
Educator, BTC Sessions
Anna Chekhovich
Anna Chekhovich
Nonprofit Bitcoin Adoption Lead, Human Rights Foundation
Workshop

AI for Activists

  • 14:30-17:30
  • AI for Activists
Workshop

Becoming a Democratic Leader

  • 15:00-16:00
  • Workshops
Nikola Ilic
Nikola Ilić
Founder & CEO of ChangeLab
Panel

Democracy’s Funding Crisis: How Private Philanthropy Can Step In

  • 15:00-16:00
  • Theater
Damon Wilson
Damon Wilson
President and CEO of the National Endowment for Democracy
Dr. Gregory Wolcott
Dr. Gregory Wolcott
Director, Individual Freedom & Free Markets, John Templeton Foundation
Pema Doma
Pema Doma
Executive Director of Students for a Free Tibet
Margaret Hoover
Margaret Hoover
Host of PBS' "Firing Line with Margaret Hoover"
Dr. Alvavaro Salas Castro
Álvaro Salas-Castro
President and CEO of the Reynolds Foundation
Book Signing

Lilian Tintori

  • 15:00-16:00
  • Atrium
Lilian Tintori
Lilian Tintori
Venezuelan activist, athlete, and television and radio host
Panel

Sports & Dictators: Gulf Monarchies, Rwanda’s Reputation, and the Global Game

  • 15:00-16:00
  • Lille Sal
Abdullah Ibhais
Abdullah Ibhais
2022 FIFA World Cup whistleblower
Anaise Kanimba
Anaïse Kanimba
Human rights activist, genocide survivor, and daughter of formerly detained “Hotel Rwanda” hero, Paul Rusesabagina
Miguel Delaney
Miguel Delaney
Chief Football Writer at The Independent, author of “States of Play: How Sportswashing Took Over Football”
Michael Ott
Michael Ott
Football activist and lawyer
Karim Zidan
Karim Zidan
Sports & Dictators Fellow, Human Rights Foundation
Office Hours

Resilience Lounge

  • 15:00-16:00
  • Resilience Lounge
Licia Sky
Licia Sky
Co-founder and Global Ambassador of the Trauma Research Foundation.‬
Annette Knopp
Annette Knopp
Co-founder of the Blue Spirit retreat center in Nosara, Costa Rica
Dr. Trudy Goodman
Dr. Trudy Goodman
Founding teacher of InsightLA and Co-founder of the Institute for Meditation and Psychotherapy
Office Hours

OFF Medical Clinic

  • 15:00-17:30
  • OFF Clinic
C. Michael Wright
C. Michael Wright
MD
Tabita Wright
Tabita A. Wright
MD
Office Hours

Spyware Surveillance Check with The Citizen Lab

  • 15:00-17:30
  • The Citizen Lab Room
Panel

From Hub to Crisis: Hong Kong's Shift

  • 16:30-17:30
  • Lille Sal
Benedict Rogers
Benedict Rogers
Senior Director at Fortify Rights and co-founder and trustee of Hong Kong Watch
Carmen Lau
Carmen Lau
Senior International Advocacy Associate at the Hong Kong Democracy Council
Chloe Cheung
Chloe Cheung
Hong Kong activist at the Committee for Freedom in Hong Kong Foundation
Samuel Bickett
Samuel Bickett
Convenor, US Hong Kong Policy Roundtable, and principal attorney
Book Signing

Miguel Delaney

  • 16:30-17:30
  • Atrium
Miguel Delaney
Miguel Delaney
Chief Football Writer at The Independent, author of “States of Play: How Sportswashing Took Over Football”
Fireside

Resilience-Building for Activists and Dissidents

  • 16:30-17:30
  • Theater
Annette Knopp
Annette Knopp
Co-founder of the Blue Spirit retreat center in Nosara, Costa Rica
Dr. Dan Siegel
Dr. Dan Siegel
MD, Co-founder and Director of Education at Mindsight Institute
Bessel Van Der Kolk
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”
Rebel

Registration & Networking

  • 9:30-10:15
  • Rebel
Office Hours

Spyware Surveillance Check with The Citizen Lab

  • 10:00-17:30
  • The Citizen Lab Room
Panel

Dark Waters: Combating Human Rights Abuses at Sea

  • 10:30-11:30
  • Yellow Room
Daniel Murphy
Daniel Murphy
Investigative researcher, advocate, and journalist
Milko Schvartzman
Milko Schvartzman
Marine conservation campaigner
Steven Haines
Steven Haines
Professor of Public International Law at the University of Greenwich
Irini Papanicolopulu
Irini Papanicolopulu
British Academy Global professor of international law, SOAS University of London
Panel

The Path Forward in the Middle East: Democracy or Dictatorship?

  • 14:45-15:45
  • Green Room
Hagar Hajjar Chemali
Hagar Hajjar Chemali
Former Director for Syria and Lebanon at the White House National Security Council
Ammar Abdulhamid
Ammar Abdulhamid
Parliamentarian and Director of Policy at the World Liberty Congress
Ahmed Fouad Alkhatib Gaza writer and analyst headshot
Ahmed Alkhatib
Director of Realign For Palestine and resident senior fellow at the Atlantic Council
Ladan Boroumand
Dr. Ladan Boroumand
Honorary Professor at The University of Parma & Co-founder of Abdorrahman Boroumand Center For Human Rights in Iran
Panel

Venezuela: A Challenge for Democratic Solidarity in Latin America

  • 10:30-11:30
  • Blue Room
Juan José Matarí
Spanish Senator and President of the Senate’s Ibero-American Affairs Committee
Tomás Pascual Ricke
Ambassador Tomás Pascual Ricke
Human Rights Director at Chile’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Ana Corina Sosa
Ana Corina Sosa
HRF Freedom Fellow and daughter of Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado
Hector Schamis
Senior advisor to OAS Secretary General Luis Almagro, author, columnist, and professor of democracy, Georgetown University
Javier El-Hage
Chief legal and policy officer, Human Rights Foundation
Sessions

AI for Human Rights

  • 11:30-13:00
  • Purple Room
Fireside

Disrupting the Authoritarian Playbook: Lessons from Serbian Protests

  • 12:00-12:40
  • Yellow Room
Nikola Ilic
Nikola Ilić
Founder & CEO of ChangeLab
Srdja Popovic
Srdja Popovic
Executive Director, Center for Applied Nonviolent Action and Strategies
Workshop

Bringing a Case to the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention (UNWGAD)

  • 12:00-13:00
  • Blue Room
Panel

In the Shadows: Gendered Violence Under Authoritarian Rule

  • 12:00-13:00
  • Green Room
Melissa Mahtani
Melissa Mahtani
Executive producer and journalist
Hajer Sharief
Hajer Sharief
Co-Founder of Together We Build It
Rita Kahsay
Rita Kahsay
Researcher and director of Irob Anina civil society
Sulaima
Sulaima Ishaq Elkhalifa Sharif
Sudanese women’s rights activist
Friba Rezayee
Friba Rezayee
Founder, Women Leaders of Tomorrow

Lunch

  • 13:00-14:30
Session

Freedom Tech Track

  • 14:00-17:30
  • Purple Room
Workshop

Becoming a Democratic Leader

  • 14:45-15:45
  • Blue Room
Nikola Ilic
Nikola Ilić
Founder & CEO of ChangeLab
Panel

China and Russia’s Influence in Africa

  • 14:45-15:45
  • Yellow Room
Gaëlle Borgia
Gaëlle Borgia
Pulitzer Prize-winning Malagasy investigative journalist
Philip Obaji
Philip Obaji
Award-winning Nigerian investigative journalist, Daily Beast correspondent
Beverly Ochieng
Beverly Ochieng
Senior analyst, control risks and senior associate, Center for Strategic & International Studies Africa Program
Panelist - Dr. Emeka Umejei
Dr. Emeka Umejei
Nigerian researcher and author of “Chinese Media in Africa: Perception, Performance and Paradox”
Podcast

Dictators and Dirty Money Live Podcast: Examining the Case of Bashar al-Assad

  • 10:30-11:30
  • Green Room
Erica Hanichak
Erica Hanichak
Deputy Director of the Financial Accountability and Corporate Transparency (FACT) Coalition
Alan Haji
Alan Haji
Team Lead for the Case-Building Project at the Syria Justice and Accountability Centre
Casey Michel
Casey Michel
Director, Combating Kleptocracy Program, Human Rights Foundation
Workshop

Sneak Peek: HRF’s Tyranny Tracker Index

  • 16:15-17:15
  • Blue Room
Kristen Anna
Kristen Anna
Senior Legal and Research Consultant, Human Rights Foundation
Malaak Jamal
Malaak Jamal
Director of Policy And Research, Human Rights Foundation
Gorazd Ordanoski
Gorazd Ordanoski
Research Fellow, Human Rights Foundation
Javier El-Hage
Chief legal and policy officer, Human Rights Foundation
Workshop

Bearing Witness and Finding Peace: A Workshop on Community Trauma and Healing

  • 16:30-17:30
  • Green Room
Jack Saul
Jack Saul
Psychologist and Director of the International Trauma Studies Program in New York
Dr. Jack Kornfield
Dr. Jack Kornfield
Co-founder of the Insight Meditation Society and Spirit Rock Center
Fireside Chat

Jailed for Revealing Qatar’s FIFA’s World Cup Lies: A fireside chat with Abdullah Ibhais

  • 16:20-17:00
  • Yellow Room
Abdullah Ibhais
Abdullah Ibhais
2022 FIFA World Cup whistleblower
Karim Zidan
Karim Zidan
Sports & Dictators Fellow, Human Rights Foundation

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