To our community,
In this edition of Freedom in Focus, we are excited to share some of our major achievements this summer and progress in the fight for freedom and democracy worldwide. These include our efforts to free prisoners of conscience, investments in innovators and educators supporting financial freedom, and bringing human rights into the global spotlight through events like the Oslo Freedom Forum.
We are grateful for your unwavering support, which enables us to continue supporting and advancing the movement against tyranny. On behalf of HRF and the many individuals who benefit from our work, thank you.
With gratitude,
The Human Rights Foundation
The 2024 Oslo Freedom Forum: Reclaim Democracy
From June 3 to 5, our community of human rights defenders and innovators from around the globe reconvened in Oslo, Norway, for the 16th Oslo Freedom Forum (OFF). It was our largest event yet: more than 1,400 participants attended in person, and 60,000 tuned into the livestream. OFF and its speakers received coverage in the world’s leading news outlets, including the New York Times, Forbes, and Fortune, as well as in all of Norway’s top platforms, ranging from Aftenposten, NRK, TV2, DN, to Verdens Gang.
On the main stage, changemakers from all over the world shared their journeys to reclaim democracy. Speakers included Paul Rusesabagina, the real-life hero of “Hotel Rwanda,” who shared his experience hosting Hutu and Tutsi refugees in his hotel during the Rwandan genocide; Twitter and Block co-founder Jack Dorsey, who discussed the critical role open-source software — like Bitcoin and Nostr — plays in the face of increasing global censorship; and Agather Atuhaire, a Ugandan lawyer and journalist who stressed the importance of Uganda’s digital public square in campaigns against government corruption.
We were also delighted to welcome Grammy Award-winning singer-songwriter and Colombian music icon Carlos Vives to perform at the Konserthus. In an uplifting performance, Vives and his band brought the OFF community to its feet in shared moments of joy, celebration, and solidarity.
On June 3, HRF hosted the inaugural Thulani Maseko Justice Prize Ceremony at Oslo City Hall. The Maseko Prize, which honors the late Swazi human rights lawyer Thulani Maseko, recognizes the courageous human rights lawyers who risk, or have risked, their lives to defend the rule of law and democracy. This year’s prize was awarded to the late Russian dissident and opposition leader Alexei Navalny, who was imprisoned and murdered in February by Vladimir Putin’s regime for his unwavering dedication to disrupting kleptocracy in Russia. Maseko’s widow and CEO of the Thulani Maseko Foundation, Tanele Maseko, presented the award to Nalvany’s wife, Yulia Navalnaya, who accepted it on her husband’s behalf, followed by a touching performance by Norwegian singer Lavrans Svendsen. We are thrilled to announce that on July 1, HRF elected Navalnaya as its new chair.
The 17th OFF will return to Oslo from May 26-28, 2025. Apply to attend and secure your spot today!
Toomaj Salehi’s Death Sentence Overturned
At the 2024 OFF, HRF honored Iranian hip-hop artist Toomaj Salehi with the Václav Havel International Prize for Creative Dissent. At the time, Salehi faced a death sentence for his criticism of the Iranian regime. At the height of the “Women, Life, Freedom” protests in Iran in September 2022, Salehi’s songs in support of women’s rights became a symbol of resistance. He was first arrested in October 2022 but was released on bail in November 2023 after the court overturned his charges of “corruption on earth,” “propaganda against the system,” “collaboration with a hostile government,” “inciting people to murder and riot,” and “insulting the leadership.” On Nov. 27, Salehi released a YouTube video recounting the torture and forced confession that he endured while in prison. Three days later, he was abducted and, on April 23, was resentenced to death by the Isfahan Revolutionary Court.
Salehi’s friend, social media manager, and spokesperson, Negin Niknaam, accepted the award on his behalf at the ceremony in Oslo, which was shared and reposted on social media more than 10,000 times. Jack Dorsey tweeted #FreeToomaj while in attendance, which his followers reposted more than 2,700 times.
Just two weeks after the ceremony, on June 22, the Supreme Court overturned Salehi’s death sentence. “I thank the efforts of those who fight for human rights globally and who have raised their voices for my case in Iran because, by doing so, they are helping breathe new life not just into me but into the world,” Salehi shared with HRF through Niknaam. This victory was in large part due to the media attention from OFF and broader advocacy efforts, and it underscores the importance of OFF as a platform that raises awareness about human rights causes on a global scale.
While HRF celebrates the Supreme Court’s decision, Salehi has now been charged with four new crimes in two different courts, even though he should be out on bail. Last month, HRF submitted a joint petition with Doughty Street Chambers and Index on Censorship to the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention, which called for Salehi’s unconditional release and freedom from judicial harassment. The petition called on the Working Group to declare his detention arbitrary and in violation of international law.
HRF at Roskilde Festival
On July 4, HRF’s Art in Protest team attended the Roskilde Festival in Denmark, one of Europe’s largest festivals, to present a panel as part of the social activism track titled “The Power and Risk of Art.” Moderated by Dutch journalist Moussa Mchangama, the panel included displaced artists Alizera Shojaian, Emmanuel Jal, and Natalia Kaliada, who presented their testimonies of art as a force for change. Their backgrounds in Iran, South Sudan, and Belarus highlighted the power of art in democracy-building efforts in countries where human rights are restricted.
HRF Welcomes Release of Vladimir Kara-Murza
On Thursday, prominent Russian opposition leader and pro-democracy advocate Vladimir Kara-Murza was released after a prisoner exchange between the US and Russia, along with other prisoners of conscience in Russia. Kara-Murza is a prominent Russian opposition politician, longtime HRF community member, OFF speaker, and the Kremlin’s most high-profile target since the death of Russian dissident Alexei Navalny. In 2023, he was sentenced to 25 years on charges of high treason and participating in the actions of an undesirable organization.
Kara-Murza served his sentence under solitary confinement in a Siberian penal colony in Omsk, with restricted access to his family and lawyers. As a result of two poisoning attempts in 2015 and 2017, he suffers from polyneuropathy and other health complications. Under the prison’s severe conditions, his health deteriorated — he lost more than 50 pounds (22 kilograms) and experienced growing numbness in his limbs — but Russian officials consistently deprived him of adequate medical care.
In the face of his continued persecution, HRF remained steadfast in advocating for Kara-Murza’s release. On June 3, HRF submitted a joint petition to the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention (UNWGAD), requesting that it declare Kara-Murza’s detention arbitrary under international law and urge Russia to immediately and unconditionally release him. The petition followed a letter to the US State Department, urging the agency to designate Kara-Murza, a lawful permanent resident of the US, as wrongfully detained and to facilitate his release and safe return to the US.
HRF enthusiastically welcomes Kara-Murza’s return to his family and the community of democracy and human rights advocates.
HRF’s Financial Freedom Program Supports Activists, NGOs, and Developers
In April, HRF’s Financial Freedom program launched a free quarterly webinar series to educate nonprofits about resisting state censorship and repression with Bitcoin. This webinar series, led by HRF grantee and Bitcoin educator Ben Perrin (a.k.a BTC Sessions), explores the basics of Bitcoin and incorporates successful case studies of activists in HRF’s network who utilize Bitcoin to strengthen their advocacy. The course is an accessible way to equip activists and nonprofits with vital skills and knowledge to bolster their pro-democracy work. Stay tuned for the next webinar series in the fall.
HRF is also pleased to announce its latest round of grants awarded from its Bitcoin Development Fund (BDF), totaling 10 BTC. This cycle of grants focused on education for people living under authoritarian regimes, privacy and Lightning development, decentralized communication, and increased access to financial freedom tools. By supporting software developers and educators worldwide, the BDF leverages Bitcoin technology as a catalyst for global freedom. HRF continues to raise support for the Fund, with the next round of gifts to be announced in the fall.
The Human Rights Foundation (HRF) is a nonpartisan nonprofit organization that promotes and protects human rights globally, with a focus on closed societies.
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