The 16th annual Oslo Freedom Forum (OFF) commenced on Monday, with a session focused on highlighting the plight of Iranian protesters who lost their eyes and showcasing the efforts of Iranian activists campaigning for democracy and human rights.
Organized by the New York-based nonprofit, Human Rights Foundation, the three-day event brings together a diverse array of human rights defenders and civil activists from across the globe with this year’s theme being “reclaiming democracy”.
Since its inception in 2009, the OFF has become a global platform for human rights advocates worldwide to share their efforts in challenging repression, advocating against injustice, and promoting liberal democracy.
Speakers this year include the likes of Venezuelan human rights activist, Olga González, Russian politician and opposition figure, Anastasia Shevchenko, Ugandan journalist and digital activist, Agather Atuhaire, Co-founder of Twitter, and Jack Dorsey amongst other renowned authors and activists from various parts of the globe.
Among the speakers on Monday were Iranian journalist and activist Masih Alinejad and activists Sima Moradbeigi, Kosar Eftekhrai, and Zaniar Tondro — three protestors who were injured during Iran’s nationwide Woman Life Freedom uprising in 2022 sparked by the killing of Mahsa (Zhina) Amini in police custody.
The Iranian Struggle at Center Stage
Iran has been a focal point at the Oslo Freedom Forum for several years, reflecting the ongoing repression and human rights abuses in the country. This year, Masih Alinejad, accompanied by the three injured activists, brought the audience face-to-face with the brutal realities faced by protestors.
During her speech, Alinejad shared the stage with Moradbeigi, Eftekhari, and Tondro.
“I am here to ask you to pick a side… to call for action to your leaders, the leaders of democratic countries, the policymakers of the free world whether they want to stand with the killers or the freedom fighters… so hear their stories and make your decision…whether you want to be united with the true people who say that there is one solution for peace in the middle east and the solution is revolution,” stated Alinejad.
Moradbeigi spoke about the sacrifices made by Iranian citizens, including leaving her young daughter at home to protest for freedom and a better future.
Eftekhrai detailed the Iranian regime's deliberate targeting of protestors' eyes, urging attendees to empathize with the pain of being blinded.
Speaking to Iran International following their speech, Kosari further shed light on Iranian protestors who lost both of their eyes as a result of being shot at by state security forces during the protests in Iran.
“People like Hossein Naderbeigi, Ali Taouneh, Matin Manani, and Farideh Salavatipour. These are some of the people who the Islamic Republic shot at and blinded both of their eyes for the crime of being a protestor. Despite this, we stand firm until the end…and we will tell the world that the Islamic Republic is a terrorist,” Kosari stated.
Tondro, who lost his right eye at 16 and still has eight pellet bullets in his head, shared his harrowing experience and mentioned his cousin's killing at the hands of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) by being shot at with a DShK machine gun, motivating him to represent the voices of Kolbars - Iranian cross-border porters.
Alinejad emphasized the strength and resilience of these young activists, calling on the international community to support their fight against the Islamic Republic's gender apartheid regime.
Artistic Expression as Resistance
Atena Farghadani, an Iranian cartoonist and human rights activist, work is also at OFF 2024. Her installation, "We Are Products of the Same Factory," celebrated the power of creative expression in the face of repression. Farghadani, who has been arrested and tortured for her critical cartoons of the Iranian regime, received the 2016 Václav Havel International Prize for Creative Dissent.
Havel Prize Honors Imprisoned Iranian Rapper
This year, the Václav Havel Prize for Creative Dissent includes Iranian rapper and activist Toomaj Salehi among its winners. Toomaj, known for his powerful lyrics against the Iranian regime, remains imprisoned and faces a death sentence. The prize will be presented to Negin Niknaam, a friend and campaigner for Toomaj's freedom, in his honor on Tuesday.
The Oslo Freedom Forum will continue until Wednesday, June 5.