Video: Voices from The Economist to Amnesty International

NEW YORK (August 7, 2009)— The Oslo Freedom Forum brought together some of the world’s leading minds to honor heroic survivors of political oppression and persecution this May 18-20 in Norway. The conference showcased the testimonies and noble purpose of these men and women who risked their lives for freedom.

John Peder Egenæs, Secretary General, Amnesty International Norway: “Mr. Armando Valladares was arrested and sentenced to 30 years in prison not for something he did, but for something he refused to do—and that was to become a part of Fidel Castro’s propaganda machine.”

Birgitta Ohlsson, Swedish Parliamentarian: “The Chinese communist dictatorship regime – they tried to break Harry Wu, but they failed. The Chinese communist regime – they tried to end his life, but he survived the beatings, the torture, and the starvation. The Chinese communist dictatorship regime – they tried to kill his voice, but Harry is still traveling around the world, testifying about his years in labor camps, in front of students, in front of congress, in front of us all here today.”

Richard Miniter, Vice President of Opinion, Washington Times: “It is possible to have peace. It is possible for people in a multi-cultural society to get along if they begin to respect the rights of other people to say things with which they disagree.”

Edward Lucas, Central and Eastern Europe correspondent, The Economist: “Vladimir Bukovsky [...] came out of the Soviet Union in ’76 and has been living in my country, in England, ever since, keeping up a phenomenal output of books, journalism, and speeches, criticizing both the totalitarian regime in the Soviet Union until it fell and then the deplorable tendencies that we’ve seen in the 1990s and thereafter as the old KGB comes back to power.”

Tammy Bruce, Author and talk radio host: “One thing we do know with all the stories that we have heard is that-- something that actually hasn’t been discussed--is that there is a common thread besides the tyranny and torture and disappearance of people within totalitarian societies. Within their ruling elite, they are devoid of women, for the most part. It is the first thing that tyrants do, is silence the voices that they know have the real impact of reform, the voices of women. The war begins with women.”

Benson Whitney, former U.S. Ambassador to Norway: “Guided by a passion for the people of the remotest parts of Pakistan and Afghanistan, Greg saw a deep need and a hope for the opportunity that could come from education. He did not wait for others to act; he did not do a study; he did not write a white paper; he didn’t give an interview or make a speech. Instead, Greg rolled up his sleeves and using his heart, hands, and his head founded and then grew the Central Asia Institute.”

Peter Berkowitz, Tad and Dianne Taube Senior Fellow at the Hoover Institution, Stanford University: “In the beginning of The Gulag Archipelago, Solzhenitsyn mentions the former Gulag guards, administrations and interrogators who, after the camps were closed, wanted to let bygones be bygones. They would quote a Russian proverb. It went, ‘dwell on the past, and you’ll lose an eye.’ They omitted, Solzhenitsyn ruefully noted, the remainder of the proverb, ‘forget the past, and you’ll lose both eyes.’ Solzhenitsyn’s monumental literary achievement actually suggests a corollary to the proverb—‘Restore the past, and you’ll give sight to others eyes.’”

HRF is an international nonpartisan organization devoted to defending human rights in the Americas. It centers its work on the twin concepts of freedom of self-determination and freedom from tyranny. These ideals include the belief that all human beings have the rights to speak freely, to associate with those of like mind, and to leave and enter their countries. Individuals in a free society must be accorded equal treatment and due process under law, and must have the opportunity to participate in the governments of their countries; HRF’s ideals likewise find expression in the conviction that all human beings have the right to be free from arbitrary detainment or exile and from interference and coercion in matters of conscience. HRF does not support nor condone violence. HRF’s International Council includes former prisoners of conscience Vladimir Bukovsky, Palden Gyatso, Armando Valladares, Ramón J. Velásquez, Elie Wiesel, and Harry Wu.

Contact: Alex Gladstein, Human Rights Foundation, (212) 246.8486, info@thehrf.org