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

Dr. Katrina Lantos Swett has spent her career fighting for prisoners of conscience, from chairing the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom to leading the @LantosFndn. As Xi Jinping sits down with Trump this week, her message is simple: #ReleaseThem

Tencho Gyatso (SaveTibetOrg) has spent two decades advocating for Tibet, from Congress to Dharamshala. As Xi Jinping sits down with Trump this week, her message is simple: #ReleaseThem

Sophie Luo (@luoshch) continues to bravely advocate for the release of her husband, imprisoned Chinese lawyer Ding Jiaxi. As Xi Jinping sits down with Trump this week, this is her message: #ReleaseThem

@ZubayraZubeyre, a prominent Uyghur community member and the Co-Executive Director of the Network for Uyghur Rights (NUR), has not seen her brother, Abdurazzak Shamseden, for 28 long years. Her brother remains behind bars as a political prisoner in a Chinese jail. As Xi Jinping sits down with Trump this week, her message: #ReleaseThem

Last night, @GaoPu1231 saw his father’s face projected onto the streets of Washington, D.C. Pastor Gao Quanfu is nearly 70, in poor health, and arbitrarily detained since May 2025 for exercising his freedom of religion. Gao Pu’s mother, Pang Yu, also remains arbitrarily detained. Today, as Xi Jinping sits down with President Trump, Gao Pu has one demand: #ReleaseThem

Last night, Owen Chow’s face was projected across Washington, D.C. He is serving 7 years and 9 months in the HK47 case for his role in Hong Kong’s democracy movement. Today, as Xi Jinping meets with President Trump, Owen’s friend @_joeysiu is making sure his name stays in public view: #ReleaseThem

@Yaqiu has spent years advocating for political prisoners, human rights, and freedom in China. As Xi Jinping visits Washington, D.C., she has a message for him: #ReleaseThem

Misran Dolan, president of the Uyghur American Association (@Uyghur_American) is a leading voice. He shares why human rights must remain central to US–China relations. As Xi Jinping visits Washington, D.C., Dolan’s message to Xi is clear: #ReleaseThem

Last night, @RushanAbbas saw her sister's image projected across Washington, D.C. Just days after Rushan spoke out against the regime’s abuses, Dr. Gulshan Abbas was forcibly disappeared. She has now spent eight years in a Chinese prison on fabricated charges. Rushan has one message for Xi Jinping: #ReleaseThem

As Xi Jinping visits Washington, D.C., we are projecting the faces and names of political prisoners across the city. @GulchehraHoja has spent years speaking out for Uyghurs imprisoned and disappeared by the Chinese Communist Party. She remains committed to advocating for her loved ones and her community. Her story is part of a message Xi Jinping cannot ignore: #ReleaseThem

Last night, @JewherIlham saw her father's face projected onto the streets of Washington. Twelve years and he's still detained. Her message to Xi Jinping as he sits down with President Trump: #ReleaseThem

Last night, as Xi Jinping landed in Washington for his first state visit in more than a decade, we projected the faces of eight political prisoners onto the streets of D.C. Their names rolled through the city on truck ads. Their faces were prominently featured in Roll Call. Their families continue speaking up for them — because the Chinese Communist Party locked them up for peaceful acts: teaching, writing, worshipping, speaking, simply existing. Joshua Wong, awaiting sentence on a charge that carries a maximum of life imprisonment. Owen Chow, sentenced to nearly 8 years in the HK47 case. Dr. Gulshan Abbas, taken days after her sister spoke in Washington. Ilham Tohti, serving life as a professor. Gao Zhen, sentenced to three years for art. Pastors Wang Lin, Gao Yingjia, and Gao Quanfu, imprisoned for leading their churches. Today, as Xi sits down with President Trump, HRF has one simple request: #ReleaseThem

@GraceJDrexel advocated for the release of her father, Pastor Ezra Jin, who was imprisoned for exercising his freedom of religion. He was freed this past July. Her advocacy continues: Last night she stood beneath the faces of eight prisoners of conscience projected across Washington, D.C., in solidarity with the family of those still waiting to be reunited with their loved ones. #ReleaseThem

When Xi Jinping arrived in Washington, D.C., we put the faces and names of political prisoners across the streets of the city. For those who have experienced the Chinese Communist Party’s abuses firsthand, this was a moment to demand freedom for those still behind bars. Their message to Xi Jinping: #ReleaseThem

Eight people. A student, a legislator, a professor, a doctor, an artist, and pastors. All imprisoned by the Chinese Communist Party for peaceful acts. As Xi Jinping visits Washington, D.C., this week, we call on him to release them all, now. This video brings together the friends and loved ones of these eight prisoners of conscience, demanding the release of the people with whom they desperately want to reunite. Joshua Wong, arrested and detained multiple times over more than a decade for his peaceful activism and for advocating for democratic reform — awaiting sentence after a Sept. 2 guilty plea on a national security charge that carries a maximum of life imprisonment. Owen Chow, a student activist turned legislator, was sentenced to 7 years and 9 months in the HK47 trial. Dr. Gulshan Abbas, a retired physician sentenced to 20 years in a secret trial, forcibly disappeared days after her sister spoke out in Washington. Ilham Tohti, a professor serving a life term for building understanding between Uyghurs and Han. Gao Zhen, an artist sentenced in August 2026 to three years for sculptures made a decade before the law they were charged under took effect. Pastors Wang Lin, Gao Yingjia, and Gao Quanfu, imprisoned for leading their congregations peacefully and faithfully. These eight represent thousands of innocent people imprisoned for exercising basic rights. Their families will not be silent. The world must not be silent. Free them now. #ReleaseThem

Will Smith’s decision to continue collaborating with Angola’s regime-backed PR campaign shows why amplifying the voices of those fighting repression matters. At the Oslo Freedom Forum, we gave Angolan dissident rapper and activist @LuatyBeirao a platform to share his experience of detention, repression, and the fight for freedom in Angola. For Angolans pushing for change, having their stories heard matters. Listen to Beirão’s full talk → oslofreedomforum.com/talk/an…

What does kleptocracy look like for the people living under it? It can mean failing hospitals, missing resources, and institutions that are unable to serve those who depend on them.

In 2012, Tutu Alicante took to the stage at the Oslo Freedom Forum to expose corruption and injustice in Equatorial Guinea under Africa’s longest-ruling dictator, Teodoro Obiang. Today, he’s still exposing how authoritarian regimes use power, money, and influence to shield their abuses. In the latest episode of The Dissident’s Mic, Tutu examines how regimes use soccer to launder their reputations and distract from corruption and human rights abuses. Listen to the full episode → hrf.org/podcast/the-dissiden…

Gao Zhen, one half of the Gao Brothers and a 2026 Václav Havel International Prize for Creative Dissent laureate, has been sentenced by the Chinese regime after two years in detention. The Gao Brothers were recognized at this year’s Oslo Freedom Forum for their decades of artistic resistance and willingness to challenge political repression. We stand with Gao Zhen and his family and call for his immediate and unconditional release.

What can a latex glove tell us about kleptocracy?