Forum 2000 Conference to Welcome Hundreds Of Guests from Dozens of Countries
We look forward to welcoming Czech President Petr Pavel, Russian opposition leader Vladimir Kara-Murza, the speaker of the Czech parliament, Markéta Pekarová Adamová, Belarusian opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, Czech Foreign Minister Jan Lipavský, Ukrainian MP Ivanna Klympush-Tsintsadze, Bolivian Senator Cecilia Requena, cabinet secretary at the Kenyan Ministry of Information, Communications and the Digital Economy Margaret Nyambura Ndung’u, Sierra Leone’s Deputy Speaker of Parliament Ibrahim Tawa Conteh, American journalist Walter Russell Mead of The Wall Street Journal, Yale University, and the Hudson Institute, Jerzy Pomianowski, a former Polish diplomat who is executive director of the European Endowment for Democracy, Hsu Szu-chien, deputy secretary-general of the Taiwanese National Security Council, Eva Decroix, a Czech MP and co-chair of IPAC, Rushan Abbas, executive director of the U.S.-based Campaign For Uyghurs, Joan Chirwa, Founder of the Zambia Free Press Initiative, Hisham Kassem, an Egyptian activist and ex-chairman of the Egyptian Organization for Human Rights, Ali Ehsassi, a member of the Canadian parliament and chair of Canada’s Foreign Affairs and International Development Committee, Lech Walesa, former Polish President and Solidarity leader and many more.
Internet Shutdowns: Assessing Their Impact and Effective Countermeasures
Understanding the evolution of internet shutdowns is crucial as they increasingly serve as tools for authoritarian governments to crush dissent, control information, and violate human rights. This new policy paper discusses the growing sophistication of these widespread tactics, as well as circumvention methods that are vital for ensuring access to essential information, protecting freedom of expression, and enabling communication among communities and activists.
More information here
Stories of Political Prisoners from Various Parts of the World
Finally free from Russian prison, Vladimir Kara-Murza, chairman of the Boris Nemtsov Foundation for Freedom, will rejoin the Forum 2000 conference. Last year, he was awarded the Forum 2000 International Award for Courage and Responsibility, which was accepted by his wife, Evgenia Kara-Murza, advocacy director of the Free Russia Foundation. Evgenia and Vladimir will share their story in the Power of the Powerless session, organized together with the Human Rights Foundation.
Africa Global Outlook
During last year’s conference, the “Democratic Solidarity Africa (DSA)” project was launched. Following the successful model of the Democratic Solidarity Latin America project, this initiative addresses the long-standing need for stronger and more inclusive cooperation among African democracy advocates and stakeholders. The DSA will reconvene at this year’s conference, where the meeting will also serve as an opportunity to introduce new members to the network.
More information here
Illiberal Equilibrium of Western Balkan Democracies
The fragile political situation and the European future of the Western Balkans region will again be among the important topics covered by the conference. The state of Western Balkan democracies, stuck in “illiberal equilibrium”, will be discussed at Forum 2000 by Kosovar President Vjosa Osmani-Sadriu, Montenegrin European Affairs Minister Maida Gorčević, the president of the Committee for Editorial Independence, Misha Glenny, and a number of other Balkan experts.
The Forum 2000 editor’s pick
A selection of essential articles, opinions, ideas, and news from the Forum 2000 community.
The Committee to Protect Journalist Calls on Azerbaijani Authorities to Immediately Release Bahruz Samadov | Bahruz Samadov, a 29-year-old Azerbaijani researcher and political science PhD candidate at Charles University in Prague, has been charged with treason. If found guilty, he faces between 12 and 20 years in prison or a life sentence. Samadov has already registered for this year’s Forum 2000 Conference and we call for his immediate release.
Press Play Prague, the first European film festival focused exclusively on works about journalism, will take place on October 8-12 in Prague’s legendary Atlas cinema. The festival’s rich program includes, for example, The State Capture, a documentary which offers a revealing look at Slovakia’s political reality. The documentary Section 16 spotlights the personal stories and exceptional work of four women journalists in South Africa, and the award-winning film Endangered chronicles a year in the lives of four journalists working in democratic countries where freedom of the press has historically been taken for granted. Forum 2000 is a partner of the festival, and you can find the program here.
The views expressed in these works/in the framework of these projects are the responsibility of their authors/organizers and do not necessarily reflect those of the Forum 2000 Foundation or its staff.