HRF hosted “COVIDCon,” its first virtual conference, which examined how authoritarian governments sparked the pandemic through censorship and exploited the virus to grab emergency powers and crack down on free speech and individual rights. COVIDCon sessions showcased the difference in the responses of authoritarian regimes and democratic governments to the outbreak of the novel coronavirus.

HRF remained committed to keep giving a voice to those living under closed societies in a time when the devastating social effects of dictatorship were being made vividly clear.