Oslo Freedom Forum (OFF)

@HRF’s annual global conference series brings together human rights defenders worldwide to speak truth to power. 🗓️ May 31-June 2, 2027

[Oslo Freedom Forum (OFF) @OsloFF]

The 2026 Oslo Freedom Forum has come to a close, but the impact of our gathering continues to resonate.

[Carmen Lau 劉珈汶 @carmenkamanlau]

1/ Never thought I’d be on the world's biggest human rights stage. Delivering the first keynote for this year’s @OsloFF was a bit nerve-wracking. I chose to share intimate memories—a fragment of truth that is also a piece of Hong Kong’s collective history.

[Human Rights Foundation (HRF) @HRF]

Read "Who Will Blow FIFA's Final Whistle?" by @OsloFF Speaker Abdullah Ibhais in @RealClearWorld:
https://t.co/yzcI5FkCmw

[Special Presidential Envoy for Hostage Affairs @StateSPEHA]

The ordeal of unjust detention does not end when a returnee comes home. SPEHA’s Dr. Young Hoang spoke at the @OsloFF Conference about the importance of post-return support for those unjustly detained and how the U.S. helps returnees rebuild their lives after detention. Governments, NGOs, advocates, and communities can work together to better support returnee’s journey toward recovery.

[Joanna Chiu @joannachiu]

My friend @isaacstonefish gave me my first @ForeignPolicy byline, blazed a trail from journalism into consulting, and has shared advice along the way. So it's wildly un-Confucian of me to celebrate that I won the audience vote at our debate @OsloFF.

What I was proud of, though, was the @nuoraglobal team's effort—we pulled together our research and debate prep in just three days.

But the competition isn't over yet.

You can watch the official @OpentoDebateOrg video or listen to the podcast, then decide for yourself:

🎥 Watch: https://t.co/sdHfyNlbKa

🗳️ Vote: https://t.co/8LYGxzdR3e

[Open to Debate @OpentoDebateOrg]

Is It Ethical to Cooperate with Chinese State Institutions to Secure Incremental Change?

As democratic governments, universities, and civil society organizations around the world consider how to work with Chinese state institutions, this debate explores a challenging question: can cooperation create meaningful change, or do some compromises carry too great a cost?

Watch our live debate from the @OsloFF 2026, produced in partnership with @HRF.

Arguing Yes: @joannachiu, Managing Partner of @nuoraglobal; Author of "China Unbound"

Arguing No: @isaacstonefish, CEO and Founder of Strategy Risks

Moderated by @JohnDonvan

[Fedi @fedibtc]

Also on Monday, we shared a choice clip of our CEO @obi discussing bitcoin as sound money at this year's Oslo Freedom Forum (@OsloFF).

"It is money — it was always meant to be money."

Well said, Obi!

https://t.co/kQMrxjbkVk

[Oslo Freedom Forum (OFF) @OsloFF]

@Pandji brought comedy with a powerful message to the Oslo Freedom Forum stage, reflecting on the backlash he faced following the release of his tenth stand-up special, Mens Rea, on Netflix in Indonesia.

Watch the full set: https://t.co/o8tSusJWXq

[Oslo Freedom Forum (OFF) @OsloFF]

During the Freedom Tech track at the 2026 Oslo Freedom Forum, Femi Longe, global freedom tech lead at HRF, honors the life and legacy of Hadiya Masieh, a dear friend of HRF and a passionate advocate for financial freedom. Through her work with the Groundswell Project, Hadiya supported women recovering from repression and dedicated her life to helping others rebuild with dignity. Her legacy lives on in the lives she changed, and in the freer, more hopeful future she helped imagine and build.

Watch the full tribute: https://t.co/oXZmcoZhVv

[Oslo Freedom Forum (OFF) @OsloFF]

Watch his full set here: https://t.co/02ijzY3NRU

[Oslo Freedom Forum (OFF) @OsloFF]

At the Oslo Freedom Forum, Indonesian comedian Pandji Pragiwaksono turned lived experiences into punchlines that challenged repression, proving that a well-timed joke can do more than get a laugh.

[Oslo Freedom Forum (OFF) @OsloFF]

His set was a reminder that laughter isn’t an escape from serious issues; it can be a way of processing them, sharing them and moving them forward.

[Faisal Saeed Al Mutar @faisalalmutar]

Grateful to have joined the panel "The Middle East in Turmoil: Geopolitical Wars and the Future of Democratic Governance" at the Oslo Freedom Forum, alongside Gissou Nia (Iran), Lynn (Lebanon), and Mohamad (Syria).

@GissouNia

I made two arguments:

First, for people in #Iraq and across the region to build a real democracy, they have to start by seeing their neighbors as human beings and forging a new identity rooted in citizenship rather than sectarian and tribal loyalties.

Second, instead of an Axis of Resistance, the region needs an Axis of Prosperity, one that puts the wellbeing of its own citizens ahead of the interests of regional and international players. Without that, Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, and Yemen are not countries. They are battlefields.

Proud to do both of these things at @ideas_beyond_borders

What struck me most, and saddened me, was how much we all shared. The parallels between Iraq and Lebanon especially were hard to ignore: two countries where sectarian power-sharing was sold as stability and delivered paralysis instead.

We were completing each other's sentences..

Special thanks to the @osloff for having me back for a third time.

We had a fully packed venue.

Video should up this week.

[Carmen Lau 劉珈汶 @carmenkamanlau]

People are often moved by our stories, but sympathy isn’t enough—there is so much more we can do beyond pity.

Hear me out at @osloff, link in bio.

[Oslo Freedom Forum (OFF) @OsloFF]

@IamMissNabs @HRF @gladstein @arshmolu @AfroBitcoinOrg Thank you for joining us at OFF 2026!

[Oslo Freedom Forum (OFF) @OsloFF]

@waithiraah Thank you for joining us at OFF 2026!

[Oslo Freedom Forum (OFF) @OsloFF]

The forum may have ended, but its impact continues.

See you next year: https://t.co/1MwxCQAHtE

[Oslo Freedom Forum (OFF) @OsloFF]

At the 2026 Oslo Freedom Forum, activists, artists, technologists, and changemakers from around the world came together to confront authoritarianism and strengthen the movement for freedom.

[Oslo Freedom Forum (OFF) @OsloFF]

In this video, attendees reflect on the conversations that challenged them, the stories that inspired them, and the connections that reminded them they are not alone. Their voices capture what makes the Oslo Freedom Forum more than an event—it’s a community united by courage, creativity, and solidarity.

[Oslo Freedom Forum (OFF) @OsloFF]

While the Forum has come to a close, the conversations it sparked are only beginning. We’re excited to stay connected with this remarkable community and to see where the ideas, relationships, and discussions that began here will lead. We hope the stories shared this year continue to inspire action, strengthen solidarity, and advance the cause of freedom around the world.

[Oslo Freedom Forum (OFF) @OsloFF]

The 2026 Oslo Freedom Forum has come to a close, but the impact of our gathering continues to resonate.

[Oslo Freedom Forum (OFF) @OsloFF]

This year’s theme, Dismantling Dictatorship, reflected a simple truth: authoritarian regimes are built on fear, myth, and captured institutions, but they can be dismantled through courage, truth, and deliberate action.