Dissidents and Dictators

In recent years, FIFA has earned a reputation for granting the hosting rights of its most prestigious competition, the World Cup, to countries ruled by authoritarian regimes. In December, Qatar hosted the 2022 World Cup, despite global concerns regarding the country’s poor human rights record. In this episode, we hear from Håvard Melnæs, editor of the Norwegian soccer magazine Josimar, as the 2022 World Cup entered its final stages. Håvard and his team use critical and investigative journalism to shed light on the corruption, cronyism, and sportswashing running rampant in the sport.

In August 2021, the Taliban forcibly reclaimed control of Afghanistan, promising to institute a modern form of Islamic government. Instead, the regime has systematically implemented gender-specific measures against women, in direct contrast to their initial claims of substantial reform. The progress of Afghanistan’s civil society has declined under the Taliban’s draconian governance of women’s rights, a microcosm of a larger theocratic system. In this episode, we hear from Dr. Sima Samar, a central pioneer of women’s rights in Afghanistan, who explores the country in the aftermath of the Taliban takeover.

In this episode, recorded at the 2022 Oslo Freedom Forum in New York, we hear from Berta Valle, a Nicaraguan journalist, human rights activist, and vocal critic of the authoritarian Ortega regime. Berta is currently in exile, campaigning tirelessly to bring international attention to the 140+ political prisoners in Nicaragua, including her husband, former presidential candidate and 2019 OFF speaker, Félix Maradiaga.

In this episode, recorded at the 2022 Oslo Freedom Forum in New York, we hear from exiled Hong Kong activist Anna Kwok, who currently serves as the Executive Director at Hong Kong Democracy Council (HKDC). Anna reflects on the pro-democracy movement within Hong Kong and her hopes to strengthen the Hong Kong diaspora globally.

In this episode, recorded at the 2022 Oslo Freedom Forum in New York, we hear from Tibetan activist and community organizer Chemi Lhamo, who has dedicated her life to resisting the Chinese occupation of her homeland. Tune in to learn how we can rise above tyranny together and elevate the Tibetan cause.

In this episode, recorded at the 2022 Oslo Freedom Forum in New York, Venezuelan Opposition leader Leopoldo López discusses the fight for democracy in Venezuela and globally. “There is no one person, there is no one movement, there is no one country, there is no one company that can be successful in bringing about freedom. It’s only about the ‘We’.”

In this episode, recorded at the 2022 Oslo Freedom Forum in New York, we hear from Oleksandra Matviichuk, the 2022 Nobel Peace Prize laureate and head of the Center for Civil Liberties. Matviichuk speaks on the horrors and atrocities of Putin’s war in Ukraine — she says, "You don't need to be Ukrainian to support Ukraine. You just need to be human."

In this episode, recorded at the 2022 Oslo Freedom Forum in New York, we hear from Iranian journalist and activist Masih Alinejad, who spearheaded the “My Stealthy Freedom” campaign to protest Iran’s compulsory hijab laws for women and girls. Alinejad talks about the recent murder of Mahsa Amini and the reality of life for women living under the tyrannical Iranian regime.

Recorded at the 2022 Oslo Freedom Forum, Hong Kong political and digital rights activist Chung Ching (Glacier) Kwong shares why the international community should stand in solidarity with Hong Kong’s pro-democracy movement. She was previously the founder and spokesperson of Keyboard Frontline, an organization dedicated to monitoring censorship and digital rights, and a former columnist at Apple Daily. Chung Ching is currently the Hong Kong Campaigns coordinator at the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China.

In this episode, recorded at the 2022 Oslo Freedom Forum, we hear from Roman Dobrokhotov, a Russian investigative journalist, activist, political scientist, and one of the founders and leaders of the 5th of December Party. Dobrokhotov discusses the tools necessary for journalists to expose dictatorships, and his own work with the investigative online newspaper The Insider.