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Civita Panel Discussion: Fellow Prisoners of Conscience
On October 20 to 22, 2014, dissidents, activists, world leaders, journalists, policymakers, entrepreneurs, artists, philanthropists, and scholars are united in Norway for the 6th Oslo Freedom Forum. The speakers shared their stories and collaborate on ideas for Defeating Dictators, the theme of this year’s conference.
Speakers from 13 countries gave enlightening talks on a wide variety of issues:
- Strategies of nonviolent resistance
- Using art and film to promote freedom
- Courage and survival under authoritarian regimes
- The growing global threat to journalists
- Beneficial and harmful impacts of technology on human rights
Harvard cognitive scientist Dr. Steven Pinker, American actor Mr. Jeffrey Wright, Russian former political prisoner Mr. Mikhail Khodorkovsky, and Ukrainian pro-democracy activist Ms. Yulia Marushevska joined 25 other remarkable speakers and a diverse global audience to share experiences and discuss how to best promote free and open societies. In addition to the conference panels, Tibetan documentary filmmaker Mr. Dhondup Wangchen, Turkish protester Mr. Erdem Gunduz, and Russian’s Pussy Riot group received Václav Havel International Prize for Creative Dissent.
At a joint event in Norwegian think tank Civita titled: Fellow Prisoners of Conscience, former political prisoners from Russia (Mr. Mikhail Khodorkovsky), China (Dr. Yang Jianli) and Iran (Ms. Yulia Marushevska) discussed the human costs of promoting freedom in authoritarian states and the importance of expressing solidarity with the prisoners of conscience of today.
| Fellow Prisoners of Conscience: Footage of Speeches |
| Fellow Prisoners of Conscience: Q&A |
Initiatives for China
Oct. 25, 2014