Misplaced Pages

#440559

85-712: Oslo Freedom Forum ( OFF ) is a series of global conferences run by the New York–based non-profit Human Rights Foundation under the slogan "Challenging Power". OFF was founded in 2009 as a one-time event and has taken place annually ever since. The forum aims to bring together notable people, including former heads of state, winners of the Nobel Peace Prize , prisoners of conscience , as well as of other public figures in order to network and exchange ideas about human rights and exposing dictatorships. The main OFF conference

170-420: A Václav Havel Prize for Creative Dissent . Suu Kyi discussed the motives behind human rights violations and said that they cannot be addressed unless "we know what can be done to prevent" people from dehumanizing one another. The Forum brought attention to a number of human rights issues, and other attendees included Manal al-Sharif , a Saudi woman who challenged her country's ban on women driving by coordinating

255-559: A prisoner of conscience and a political prisoner According to HRF Llori was imprisoned on trumped up terrorism charges by the government. She was sent to El Inca prison where she remained for about ten months. HRF filed a communication with the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention, pleading that it activate its urgent action procedure and send an appeal to the government of Ecuador for the immediate release of political prisoner Guadalupe Llori. HRF visited her in prison. She

340-631: A "Women2Drive" protest via YouTube , and the spokesman of jailed Russian punk band Pussy Riot . In November 2014, the Oslo Freedom Forum curated a session at the Sime MIA conference in Miami. The conference featured HRF president Thor Halvorssen, Jordanian cartoonist Suleiman Bakhit , and North Korean refugee Yeonmi Park . Following the 2009 Honduran coup d'état that deposed President Manuel Zelaya , HRF requested all member states of

425-400: A "friend" and "brother". Youssef had been a consistent supporter of the 2013 Egyptian coup d'état and was supportive of the media clampdown which included the arrests of several employees of various stations, despite it being carried out by the military with no due process, and celebrated the coup's aftermath in a song and dance number sung to the tune of Old MacDonald . Youssef backed

510-629: A cardiothoracic surgeon in Egypt for 13 years, until his move into comedy and political satire . He also received training in cardiac and lung transplantation in Germany , after which he spent a year and a half in the United States working for a company that produces medical equipment related to cardiothoracic surgery. In January 2011, Youssef assisted the wounded in Tahrir Square during

595-507: A contract dispute with CBC. In the verdict, the courts condemned satirical television shows and implied that Youssef was disrupting the peace and inciting public unrest. Fearing he would be arrested if he stayed in Egypt, Youssef fled to Dubai on 11 November 2014. In January 2015, Harvard's Institute of Politics (IOP), at the John F. Kennedy School of Government , announced that Youssef would be

680-536: A digital series, Democracy Handbook with Bassem Youssef . The show premiered online and in a one-hour broadcast special in mid-July 2016. Tickling Giants , a documentary film about Youssef directed by Sara Taksler, premiered on 14 April 2016, at the Tribeca Film Festival . John Oliver and Ed Helms were moderators for Q&As at screenings in Los Angeles. In October 2023, Youssef signed

765-601: A guest on the show in June 2013. On 1 July 2013 America in Arabic (United Arab Emirates) debuted. He appeared for the second time on The Daily Show . After a four-month break, Al Bernameg returned to air on CBC for its third series on 25 October 2013. The season premiere marked the first broadcast for the show since the 2013 Egyptian coup d'état had deposed Mohamed Morsi from the Egyptian presidency. Youssef criticised both

850-581: A little something about the humour business; your show is sharp, you're really good on it, it's smart, it's well executed, I think the world of what you're doing down there", Stewart said to Youssef. The segment was one of the highest in viewership on The Daily Show ' s website. Following the success of The B+ Show on YouTube and the first season of Al Bernameg on ONTV, Tarek ElKazzaz convinced an old friend, Ahmed Abbas, to join QSoft as chief operations officer and Project Director for Al Bernameg with

935-443: A major success. It is constantly topping the regional YouTube charts, making Youssef's YouTube channel the most subscribed to in Egypt. On 30 March 2013, an arrest warrant was issued for Youssef for allegedly insulting Islam and Morsi . The move was seen by opponents as part of an effort to silence dissent against Morsi's government. Youssef confirmed the arrest warrant on his Twitter account and said he would hand himself in to

SECTION 10

#1732771867441

1020-697: A more serious discussion, with Youssef mostly refraining from satire and debating with Morgan on antisemitism and the historic Arab–Israeli conflict . Since his interview with Morgan, Youssef has continued his pro-Palestinian commentary by engaging in debates on numerous podcasts and news channels, such as the PBD Podcast , ABC News Australia , the Lex Fridman Podcast, the LeBatard YouTube show, TRT World , Al Arabiya , India Today and BBC 's HARDtalk . Regarding

1105-644: A performance art piece in the center of Havana. In July 2014, HRF submitted a petition to the UN Special Rapporteur requesting an appeal to the government of Cuba on the assault of Roberto de Jesus Guerra Perez, a Cuban journalist and founder of Centro de Informacion Hablemos Press. The Sugar Babies : The Plight of the Children of Agricultural Workers in the Sugar Industry (2007) is a feature-length documentary film about exploitation in

1190-621: A public letter, the minister referred to HRF as "right wing". In the same month, eighteen Latin America scholars signed an opinion piece in the Norwegian newspaper Aftenposten criticizing the Oslo Freedom Forum for focusing criticism only on Venezuela, Bolivia, and Ecuador, three countries with leftist governments. The scholars praised the group for putting "the spotlight on key global issues", but also stated that Cuban human rights activist and HRF then-chairman Armando Valladares had defended

1275-621: A question and answer session with the audience. In 2016, the San Francisco Freedom Forum took place at the Regency Center and included Rosa Maria Paya ; Zineb El Rhazoui , Danilo Maldonado Machado , Lee Hyeon-seo , Roya Mahboob , Yulia Marushevska , Abdalaziz Alhamza , and Kimberley Motley . Regular participants include HRF board member and chess champion Garry Kasparov and activist Bill Browder . The Václav Havel International Prize for Creative Dissent

1360-715: A report called "The facts and the law behind the democratic crisis in Honduras 2009", in which it concluded that the Organization of American States had acted correctly in activating the Inter-American Democratic Charter , and incorrectly in its diplomatic actions to revert the military coup. The report also concludes that the OAS behaved as an agent of Zelaya prior to the coup d'état and that Zelaya had been eroding Honduran democracy. In July 2011,

1445-591: A resident fellow for the spring semester. In February 2015, it was announced that Youssef was collaborating with The Daily Show producer Sara Taksler to launch a crowdfunding campaign for her documentary about his experience, Tickling Giants . Youssef stated that he couldn't say no to her request to do the documentary as, "at the time, she was working at The Daily Show , and I didn't want to say no to anybody working with Jon Stewart. So I basically said 'yes' to be on his good side, but I discovered it didn't really make any difference". In November 2015, Youssef hosted

1530-601: A satirical comedy show focused on Egyptian politics . In 2015, Youssef hosted the 43rd International Emmy Awards in New York City. In 2013, Youssef was named one of the " 100 most influential people in the world " by Time magazine and one of Foreign Policy magazine's 100 Leading Global Thinkers. His life and career was profiled in the 2017 American documentary film Tickling Giants , and he also authored Revolution For Dummies that same year. In 2023, Youssef drew international media attention after engaging in

1615-481: A third prize shared by conductor Yuriy Kerpatenko and illustrator Mariia Loniuk . Human Rights Foundation HRF's website states that it adheres to the definition of human rights as put forth in the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (1976), believing that all individuals are entitled to the right to speak freely , the right to worship in the manner of their choice,

1700-633: A totalitarian system". It was reported that in October 2012 Urban Outfitters removed the merchandise in response to the outrage. In May 2013, HRF awarded the Václav Havel Prize for Creative Dissent to The Ladies in White (Las Damas de Blanco). In 2015, the award was given to Danilo Maldonado, El Sexto, a Cuban graffiti artist and activist who was arrested in December 2014 for trying to stage

1785-450: A typical show's broadcast have evolved, which began with a sarcastic take on current political events, and eventually incorporating the hosting of public figures and stars from various fields, as well as various artists' performances. Following the move, Youssef succeeded in increasing the show's worth by eight times in one year. The show gained tremendous success through its criticism of former Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi , representing

SECTION 20

#1732771867441

1870-636: A vile dictator." Following the 2010 earthquake that took place in Haiti, HRF began a fundraising campaign for a food program devoted to the children of the St Clare's community of Port-au-Prince. The program was started in 2000 by American author Margaret Trost and by Gérard Jean-Juste , a former Amnesty International prisoner of conscience who served as the priest of the St. Clare's community. The campaign aimed at providing 160,000 meals for children. In 2015,

1955-602: A virtual interview on Piers Morgan Uncensored , in which he spoke about the 2023 Hamas-led attack on Israel and the broader Israeli–Palestinian conflict . Youssef graduated from Cairo University 's Faculty of Medicine, majoring in cardiothoracic surgery , in 1998. He passed the United States Medical Licensing Examination and has been a member of the Royal College of Surgeons ( MRCS ) since February 2007. He practiced as

2040-537: A way that played into Egypt's hate-filled political polarization, Sisi 's coup, and the disastrous consequences of both. Indeed, Youssef cheered on the military coup — as well as the bloodshed of anti-coup protesters, because unlike him they were Islamists." Youssef's support for the military coup and his criticism of anti-coup protesters were evident in his public statements and social media activity. For instance, on 5 July 2013, he tweeted, "MB leadership sending its youths to die at army HQs to victimize themselves against

2125-641: Is "an initiative that unites activists in Korea with technologists and campaigners in the West." In 2014, HRF hosted the world's first hackathon for North Korea at Code for America 's offices in San Francisco. According to the Wall Street Journal , "about 100 hackers, coders and engineers gathered in San Francisco to brainstorm ways to pierce the information divide that separates North Korea from

2210-955: Is an annual HRF conference in Oslo, Norway, supported by several grant-giving institutions in Scandinavia and the United States through HRF. Donors include Fritt Ord , the City of Oslo, the Thiel Foundation , the Norwegian Helsinki Committee , the Royal Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Amnesty International Norway, Plan Norway, the Brin Wojcicki Foundation , Human Rights House Foundation , and Ny Tid . The forum

2295-578: Is as "on its way to becoming a human right equivalent of the Davos economic forum." In 2011 the Forum theme was "Spark of Change", focused on the world's most prominent dictatorships, and the impact that a single individual can have on the world. Peter Thiel praised the Forum engaging "the intellectual debate as well as the moral cause." The 2012 theme was "Out of Darkness, Into Light", focusing on forms of modern-day slavery; PR agency support for dictatorships;

2380-886: Is funded in part by the municipality of Oslo, the Norwegian Ministry of affairs, and the Fritt ord Foundation. During the 2020–2021 Belarusian protests , the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights documented more than 450 cases of torture and ill-treatment of detainees, as well as reports of sexual abuse and rape. At the end of 2020, the Viasna Human Rights Centre documented 1,000 testimonies of torture victims. HRF sent letters to fifteen officers of law enforcement agencies of Belarus and officials of

2465-474: Is held annually in central Oslo, Norway , while satellite events have been held in San Francisco , New York, Taiwan , and on college campuses in the United States. OFF talks are live-streamed and consist of lectures and panel discussions taking place in front of a live audience. OFF was founded by human rights activist Thor Halvorssen . The inaugural 2009 Oslo Freedom Forum, titled "The Nobility of

2550-406: The 2009 Honduran coup d'état while speaking at the forum. Bassem Youssef Bassem Raafat Mohamed Youssef (born 22 March 1974) is an Egyptian-American comedian, television host, and surgeon. Beginning his career with The B+ Show (2011), which was inspired by his experience during the 2011 Egyptian Revolution , he later rose to prominence as the host of El Bernameg (2011–2014),

2635-529: The 2024 Presidential Election , Youssef stated in the interview that he doesn't care about former President Donald Trump winning but doesn't want President Joe Biden to win re-election. In his words, "All we asked him ( Biden ) for was a ceasefire. Stop the killing. Stop the killing." On 19 April 2024, it was announced that Youssef would join Mehdi Hasan 's new media company, Zeteo, as co-host for their new podcast 'We're Not Kidding'. In 2013, Youssef

Oslo Freedom Forum - Misplaced Pages Continue

2720-467: The 43rd International Emmy Awards in New York City. In the fall of 2016, Youssef was a visiting scholar at Stanford University 's Center on Democracy, Development and the Rule of Law (CDDRL). His research interests were stated as "political satire and its role in disrupting political, social and religious taboos." In February 2016, it was announced that Youssef had reached a deal with Fusion to produce

2805-523: The Artists4Ceasefire open letter, urging President Joe Biden to push for a ceasefire and an end to Israel-Hamas war . On 17 October 2023, Youssef drew international media attention after engaging in a virtual interview on Piers Morgan Uncensored , in which he spoke—often satirically—about the recent Hamas attack on Israel and the ensuing Israel–Hamas war , as well as the broader Israeli–Palestinian conflict . He also drew comparisons with

2890-655: The Dominican Republic drew protest from the Fanjul brothers , one of the largest beneficiaries of the human trafficking depicted in the film. In March 2008 HRF wrote to Ecuadorian President Rafael Correa asking for the release of the imprisoned governor of the province of Orellana, Guadalupe Llori , implying that the charges against her were politically motivated. Later in March Amnesty International declared that governor Llori may be

2975-626: The Egyptian revolution . Youssef has credited surgery for making him "a much harder working person, a nerd, a perfectionist." Inspired by the 2011 Egyptian revolution , Youssef created his first satirical show in March 2011. The initial idea came from his friend Tarek El Kazzaz . Entitled The B+ Show after his blood type, the program, at 5 minutes per episode, was uploaded to his YouTube channel in May 2011 and gained more than five million views in

3060-549: The International Atomic Energy Agency and onetime presidential candidate. The show became the platform for many writers, artists, and politicians to speak freely about the social and political scene. Al-Bernameg 's success inspired a number of amateur initiatives on various social media channels, who credit The B+ Show as their inspiration. In June 2012, Jon Stewart invited Youssef to The Daily Show for an extended interview, "I do know

3145-623: The Israel–Gaza war , being arrested for jokes, and the crackdown on free expression. In 2010, Youssef married Hala Diab, with whom he has a daughter and a son. The family resides in Los Angeles, California . Diab is half Egyptian and half Palestinian ; her Palestinian family is originally from Ramla and was displaced to the Egyptian-occupied Gaza Strip during the 1948 Arab–Israeli War . Youssef identifies as

3230-739: The Magnitsky Act Bill Browder ; Palestinian journalist Asmaa al-Ghoul ; Malaysian lawyer and democracy advocate Ambiga Sreenevasan ; and Serbian nonviolent resistance leader Srđa Popović . The conference received more international press coverage this year, chronicled in VICE , BuzzFeed , El País , El Mundo , Aftenposten , and Verdens Gang . Speakers were profiled in The Atlantic , CNN , The Economist , The New York Times , CNET , The Wall Street Journal , NPR , Dagens Næringsliv , and Finansavisen . BuzzFeed described

3315-483: The Muslim Brotherhood . On the season's premiere, Youssef made the owner and coworkers of his channel the subject of his show, as an assurance that he is granted full freedom of expression, and that no topic was off limits. CBC did not, however, air his second episode, which also featured further criticism of a TV show host who filed a lawsuit against Youssef. The show returned to its regular schedule for

3400-470: The New York Times , HRF "has helped smuggle activists out of repressive countries, provided many with broader exposure and connected others with prominent financiers and technologists". On 1 July 2024, Navalnaya was announced as the chairperson of Human Rights Foundation, succeeding Garry Kasparov . The foundation had net assets of approximately US$ 34 million in 2022. The Oslo Freedom Forum

3485-577: The Organization of American States to adhere to the Inter-American Democratic Charter . HRF also advocated for the suspension of the government that ousted President Zelaya. HRF chairman Armando Valladares resigned on July 2, 2009, in response to the HRF position on the Honduran coup. The new chairman of the organization was poet and former Czech president Václav Havel. In November 2009, HRF published

Oslo Freedom Forum - Misplaced Pages Continue

3570-679: The University of Colorado Boulder on 11 March 2014. Speakers included Chinese civil rights activist Chen Guangcheng ; Ugandan LGBT rights advocate Kasha Jacqueline ; Bahraini human rights activist Maryam al-Khawaja ; and North Korean defector and democracy advocate Park Sang Hak . In 2015, the College Freedom Forum was held at Yale University on 26 March 2015. Speakers included North Korean defector Yeonmi Park ; American journalist William Dobson; and Serbian expert on nonviolent resistance Srđa Popović . Talks were followed by

3655-601: The commencement address for the College of Online & Continuing Education at Southern New Hampshire University . Al Bernameg was chosen by South by Southwest , one of the largest international interactive festivals, as the first and most successful internet to TV conversion story in the Middle East . Al Bernameg ' s YouTube channel was the first channel in the MENA region to reach one million subscribers and

3740-1026: The 72nd session of the United Nations General Assembly . The event took place at Alice Tully Hall , Lincoln Center , and was considered a "one-day" version of the event typically held in Oslo, later replicated in other cities. Speakers included among others former World Chess Champion and chairman of the Human Rights Foundation Garry Kasparov , Iranian dissident Marina Nemat , Russian democracy activist Vladimir Kara-Murza , Serbian political activist Srđa Popović and Venezuelan democracy activist Wuilly Arteaga . In 2018, speakers included Clare Rewcastle Brown , Lebo Mashile , Asma Khalifa , Galia Benartzi , Mu Sochua , Leyla Yunus , Tiff Stevenson , Antonio Ledezma , Netiwit Chotiphatphaisal , Fang Zheng , Wael Ghonim , Jason Silva , Rick Doblin , Maziar Bahari and Emmanuel Jal . Starting in 2019,

3825-456: The Egyptian police under the El-Sisi regime raided the offices of the production company, arresting several employees and confiscating their computers. According to Youssef, the police told producer Amr Ismail that they would continue harassing the company if Youssef did not stop speaking publicly at international conferences. The Egyptian courts then levied a E£50 million fine against Youssef in

3910-709: The Honduran Truth and Reconciliation Commission (CVR-H), led by Eduardo Stein, published its final report on the events. The CVR-H based its main conclusions on HRF's report. Thor Halvorssen participated in National Review symposium on the death of Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet , and was noted as the only one of the six commentators to condemn Pinochet. After the HRF criticized the Bolivian government and specifically government minister Sacha Sergio Llorenti Soliz for alleged human rights violations in

3995-506: The Human Rights Foundation has helped to organize and bankroll a balloon drop of 10,000 copies of an edited version of the movie The Interview over North Korea. Previously, the HRF "has financed balloon drops of pamphlets, TV shows, books and movies over a course of several years, though nothing as high-profile and crudely belittling to Kim Jong Un as is The Interview ." According to Wired , HRF's North Korea program

4080-544: The Human Spirit and the Power of Freedom", had over 30 speakers with an emphasis on the importance of literature in advancing the cause of freedom. Participants included Nobel Laureate Elie Wiesel ; Czech playwright and politician Václav Havel ; Kurdish rights advocate Leyla Zana ; and Tibetan former political prisoner Palden Gyatso . The Wall Street Journal described OFF as "unlike any other human-rights conference...

4165-616: The Morsi administration and the people's idolization of the Egyptian Defense Minister Abdul Fatah al-Sisi . The following day the CBC network issued a statement distancing the channel from the political stance taken by Youssef. The CBC network issued another statement, and decided to stop broadcasting Al Bernameg because of violations in the contract signed. Meanwhile, more than 30 complaints against Youssef and

4250-484: The Morsi government, however his approach also extended to labeling many of his opponents as being "Muslim Brotherhood", regardless of their actual affiliations. According to a Vox, "The Youssef who we do not typically see in the United States is the satirist who didn't just challenge the Muslim Brotherhood government — but who went a step further, vilifying the regular Egyptians who supported the Islamist government, characterizing them as lesser citizens or internal enemies in

4335-550: The San Francisco Freedom Forum, which featured talks exploring various paths to freedom. Other speakers included: Saudi women's rights pioneer Manal al-Sharif ; conflict psychologist Justine Hardy ; Iranian author and former prisoner of conscience Marina Nemat ; Slate editor and author William J. Dobson ; drug policy reformer Ethan Nadelmann ; Chinese scholar and former political prisoner Yang Jianli ; Ghanaian economist George Ayittey ; Moroccan journalist Ahmed Benchemsi ; and Kazakhstani theater director Bolat Atabayev . In 2013,

SECTION 50

#1732771867441

4420-405: The abuses committed by their respective governments. In May 2009, with support from the city of Oslo and the John Templeton Foundation, HRF organized the Oslo Freedom Forum . During the conference, democracy and human rights activist toell their stories and express their views about human rights in the world. The forum holds an annual event in Oslo, along with satellite events organized across

4505-465: The commonly held view that apostasy from Islam should be punishable by death. On 18 March 2014, he faced plagiarism accusations by his readers, and through Twitter, by the original British writer, Ben Judah , who wrote the article for Politico magazine. He later published an apology in El Sherouk newspaper for initially publishing an article without citing any references. As Al Bernameg continued with its growing success, Jon Stewart appeared as

4590-910: The conference as "an internationalist networking party where dissidents trade tips on overthrowing authoritarian regimes," while Al Jazeera wrote it "gives the people who challenge repressive regimes a platform to speak." In 2014, speakers included Egyptian satirist Bassem Youssef ; Harvard cognitive scientist Steven Pinker ; Cuban blogger Yoani Sánchez ; American actor Jeffrey Wright ; Ukrainian pro-democracy activist Yulia Marushevska ; Turkish protester Erdem Gündüz , as well as Marcela Turati Muñoz , Yeonmi Park , Hyeonseo Lee , Iyad El-Baghdadi , Ti-Anna Wang , Suleiman Bakhit , Jamila Raqib , Nadezhda Tolokonnikova , Maria Aljokhina and Mikhail Khodorkovskij . In 2015, speakers included Charlie Hebdo columnist Zineb El Rhazoui , North Korean Ji Seong-ho , Afghan entrepreneur Saad Mohseni , and Twitter vice president Colin Crowell . The Financial Times called

4675-492: The contract with CBC, the production company behind Al Bernameg received offers from different TV channels. The third season was scheduled to air during the first quarter of 2014. In February 2014 it was announced that Youssef had signed a deal with the Middle East Broadcasting Center and that they would start broadcasting Al Bernameg from 7 February on MBC MASR satellite channel. Al-Bernameg achieved unprecedented weekly viewership ratings for 11 consecutive weeks. On one of

4760-702: The drug war's impact on human rights; Russian opposition to Vladimir Putin ; and the state of the Arab uprisings. Supporters included the City of Oslo , the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs , Amnesty International , the Thiel Foundation , Fritt Ord , the Nobel Peace Center , and the Norwegian Helsinki Committee . In 2013, the theme was "Challenging Power" and focused on the art of dissent, asymmetric activism, and new tools for rights advocates. Speakers included Chinese dissident Chen Guangcheng ; recently escaped Bahraini blogger Ali Abdulemam ; Peruvian Nobel laureate Mario Vargas Llosa ; Zimbabwean artist Owen Maseko ; Tibetan prime minister Lobsang Sangay ; creator of

4845-468: The emphasis was on promoting basic rights in all nations at all times." The 2010 Forum, organized around the theme "From Tragedy to Triumph", with participants from more than 40 countries and six continents. The event focused on the progress made in the realms of civil liberties and freedoms over the past century, while highlighting the innovation of modern-day advocates—activists, policy makers, world leaders, and media entrepreneurs. The Economist described

4930-433: The first College Freedom Forum took place at Tufts University on 5 November. Speakers included Iranian author and former prisoner of conscience Marina Nemat ; Moroccan journalist and media entrepreneur Ahmed Benchemsi ; Equatoguinean human rights lawyer Tutu Alicante ; president and CEO of Liberty in North Korea (LiNK) Hannah Song ; and Egyptian journalist Abeer Allam . In 2014, the College Freedom Forum took place at

5015-431: The first three months alone. The show was shot in Youssef's laundry room using a table, a chair, one camera, and a mural of amateur photos from Tahrir Square that cost $ 100. The show was a collaboration by Youssef with Tarek El Kazzaz , Amr Ismail, Mohamed Khalifa, and Mostafa Al-Halawany. Youssef used social media to showcase his talent and his show gave a voice to the millions of Egyptians who were seething with anger from

5100-416: The forcible removal of Morsi , declaring himself "very glad" with the putsch. As news reports were trickling in that dozens of Muslim Brotherhood supporters had been shot dead by security forces, He tweeted that the entire incident amounted to nothing more than "blood for publicity" and blamed the organisation itself for its supporters being murdered. Youssef was widely recognized for his bold criticism of

5185-512: The forum "Davos for dissidents." In 2016, speakers included Afghan entrepreneur Roya Mahboob and Russian opposition activist Vladimir Kara-Murza . In 2017, speakers included Norway's Prime Minister Erna Solberg , the Maldives' first democratically elected president, Mohamed Nasheed , Peter Thiel , and American Nobel Laureate and director of the International Campaign to Ban Landmines , Jody Williams . An additional one-day event took place on 19 September 2017 in New York City , parallel to

SECTION 60

#1732771867441

5270-825: The forum was not held in Oslo for three years. In 2019, the Forum held a one-day Forum in Taipei . Speakers included Denise Ho , Thae Yong-ho , and Thai education reformer and activist Netiwit Chotiphatphaisal . In 2020, the forum was held online due to the pandemic. Speakers included Park Eun-hee . In 2021, the forum was held in Miami 's New World Center . In 2022, the forum returned to Oslo. Speakers included Ukrainian human-rights lawyer Oleksandra Matviichuk , Syrian refugee Omar Alshogre , and comedian Sakdiyah Ma’ruf . In 2023, speakers included Francis Fukuyama , Hanna Liubakova , Nur Sajat Kamaruzzaman , Sanaa Seif , and Toribia Lero Quispe . One-day events have been held in San Francisco, New York, and Taipei. In 2012, Burmese pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi headlined

5355-400: The government of the country, in which it called on them to voluntarily resign and warned them of responsibility for the crimes against humanity . In 2011, HRF announced its membership in the International Committee to Support Liu Xiaobo. The committee consists of a "coalition composed of six Nobel Peace Prize winners and 15 non-governmental organizations," formed to defend, and advocate for

5440-436: The highest viewership ratings on both TV and internet with 40 million viewers on TV and more than 184 million combined views for his show on YouTube alone. The program, which began with a small group working at home with Youssef, moved from ONTV's smallest studio to Radio Theatre in Cairo's downtown, a theatre redesigned in the likeness of New York's Radio City , making it the first live audience show in Egypt. The contents of

5525-518: The mission of developing and upgrading the show into a multifaceted and global brand. This was done with the help of a team that covered many disciplines, including marketing, operations, legal and public relations. This all helped in developing both Youssef and Al-Bernameg on all levels and created a global audience. The show was renewed for a second season after a contract with a second channel, CBC , which premiered on 23 November 2012. The second season consisted of 29 episodes and has recorded one of

5610-473: The ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine and criticized the Israeli military's tactics in the Gaza Strip , questioning how the Western world would perceive Israel's response to the attack if it was being conducted by Russian troops. The video garnered 17 million views by 22 October, becoming the channel's most viewed video. On 1 November 2023, Youssef was brought back onto the show for an in-person interview after Piers Morgan visited him in Los Angeles for

5695-399: The prosecutor's office, jokingly adding, "Unless they kindly send a police van today and save me the transportation hassle." The following day, he was questioned by authorities before being released on bail of 15,000 Egyptian pounds. The event sparked international media attention as well as a segment on Jon Stewart's The Daily Show in which he declared his support for Youssef, calling him

5780-436: The release of the 2010 Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Liu Xiaobo and his wife Liu Xia, both detained in China. In September 2012, HRF founder Thor Halvorssen wrote an open letter to Ted Marlow, CEO of Urban Outfitters , urging him to reconsider Urban Outfitters' sale of Che Guevara emblazoned merchandise "for the sake of the thousands who perished in the Cuban revolution, and for the sake of the 11 million Cubans who still endure

5865-441: The rest of the world." In 2016, the HRF smuggled USB flash drives with films and television shows to expose North Koreans to popular culture from overseas. The flash drives were called "flash drives for freedom". In 2014, HRF invited Swazi human rights lawyer Thulani Maseko to speak at the Oslo Freedom Forum. He was later jailed for "defaming the King's justice system". After a sustained media international campaign, Maseko

5950-447: The right to freely associate with those of like mind, the right to acquire and dispose of property , the right to leave and enter their country, the right to equal treatment and due process under law, the right to be able to participate in the government of their country, freedom from arbitrary detainment or exile , freedom from slavery and torture , and freedom from interference and coercion in matters of conscience . According to

6035-441: The series made him the first Internet-to-TV conversion in the Middle East. The show, which consisted of 104 episodes, premiered during Ramadan 1432 (2011) with Egyptian-American engineer Muhammad Radwan as its first guest. In his show, Youssef has parodied such Egyptian celebrities as show host Tawfik Okasha , composer Amr Mostafa , Salafist presidential candidate Hazem Salah Abu Ismail , and Mohamed ElBaradei , former head of

6120-545: The show were filed at the General Prosecutor's office, accusing him of insulting the Egyptian Armed Forces and President Adly Mansour and describing the June 30 protests as a military coup, in addition to disrupting public order and peace. The General Prosecutor transferred some of the complaints for investigation, which were subject to the prosecutor's decision and judgment. After terminating

6205-458: The shows, Youssef mocked the Egyptian military's claims to be able to cure hepatitis C and AIDS . In June 2014, after a six-week break during the 2014 Egyptian presidential election campaign , the Al-Bernameg team held a press conference where Youssef announced the termination of the show due to pressure on both the show and the airing channel. He felt that the political climate in Egypt

6290-693: The speakers one-on-one and during a question and answer session. In November 2012 and 2013, HRF co-hosted an event at the United Nations headquarters in New York with the Geneva-based organization UN Watch. The events focused on raising awareness of the election of competitive authoritarian and fully authoritarian regimes to the UN Human Rights Council. HRF brought human rights activists from different countries to testify about

6375-518: The sugar plantations of the Dominican Republic. The film, narrated by Edwidge Danticat , suggests that the descendants of African slaves, brought over from Haiti, live and work in unfair conditions akin to "modern day slavery". HRF produced and provided the funding for the documentary film The Sugar Babies . It was first screened at Florida International University on June 27, 2007. The documentary about human trafficking of Haitians in

6460-454: The third episode. Just three episodes into the show, several lawsuits were filed against Youssef and his show, accusing him of insulting Islam , Morsi and disrupting public order and peace. In March 2013, Youssef started writing a weekly column expressing his views for Al-Shorouk ; one of Egypt's most prominent and independent daily newspapers. Youssef also wrote newspaper columns, where he tackled taboo subjects such as atheism and questioning

6545-485: The traditional media's coverage of the Egyptian Revolution. After the success of The B+ Show , Egyptian channel ONTV , owned by Egyptian billionaire Naguib Sawiris , offered Youssef a deal for Al Bernameg (literally, The Program ) a news satire show. Youssef had planned to move to Cleveland to practice medicine but instead signed his show's contract. With a budget of roughly half a million dollars,

6630-406: The world. In October 2012 the Human Rights Foundation hosted the first San Francisco Freedom Forum, which was described as "a unique convergence of-pro freedom voices." The event was supported by Peter Thiel 's charitable foundation, Sergey Brin 's foundation, and Anne Wojcicki . Nobel Peace Prize laureate Aung San Suu Kyi , on her first trip to the United States since 1971, was presented with

6715-557: The world. Blood for publicity. Cheap. #not_a_coup." This tweet has since been deleted. Following the killing of over 50 protestors in front of the Republican Guard HQ on the morning of 7 July. Youssef reportedly made no comment other than "Kifaya" (enough) in response to the incident. Youssef characterized the MB as "the new form of Nazis," a statement he made both on his show and on social media. After Al Bernameg ended,

6800-493: Was awarded the gold button trophy. Youssef's comedic style has led to him being dubbed "Egypt's Jon Stewart " after Stewart's satirical The Daily Show , which had itself inspired Youssef to pursue a career in television. In 2013, he was named on Time 100 . On 2 May 2024 Bassem Youssef was awarded the ″Gold Medal for Outstanding Contribution to Public Discourse″, College Historical Society , Trinity College Dublin . In his talk he spoke about advocacy for Palestine and

6885-555: Was eventually freed after an intense international campaign and credited HRF with her release. In August 2012, HRF called for former US President Bill Clinton , who according to tax documents is the "honorary chairman" of the Leon H Sullivan Foundation, to revoke the foundation's decision to allow Teodoro Obiang to host their Sullivan Summit. Of Clinton, Halvorssen said "Mr Clinton's wife is US Secretary of State...It seems perplexing that he would allow himself to be so closely associated with

6970-511: Was eventually freed. In 2014, HRF hosted Hack North Korea, a gathering of Bay Area technologists, investors, engineers, designers, activists and North Korean defectors that aimed to spark new ideas for getting information into North Korea. The College Freedom Forum (CFF) is a series of one-day events designed to educate and enlighten students about individual rights and democracy around the world. Each CFF features presentations and an opportunity for students and audience members to interact with

7055-511: Was named one of the " 100 most influential people in the world " by Time magazine and one of Foreign Policy magazine's 100 Leading Global Thinkers. In November 2013, Youssef's role in the media was recognized by the committee to Protect Journalists, which awarded him with the International Press Freedom Award, along with three other journalists. In 2015, Youssef received an honorary degree and delivered

7140-481: Was set up in 2012 to honor artists who creatively fight back against authoritarian regimes through art. The inaugural 2012 recipients included Aung San Suu Kyi . 2013 recipients were Syrian cartoonist Ali Ferzat, North Korean democracy activist Park Sang Hak , and Cuban civil society group Ladies in White —represented by their leader Berta Soler . 2023 recipients were Nicaraguan political cartoonist Pedro X. Molina ; Ugandan novelist Kakwenza Rukirabashaija ; and

7225-436: Was too dangerous to continue the show. On 1 January 2013, the daily newspaper Al-Masry Al-Youm reported that an Egyptian prosecutor was investigating Youssef on charges of maligning President Mohamed Morsi , whose office claimed that Youssef's show was "circulating false news likely to disturb public peace and public security and affect the administration." Despite all of the controversy it sparks, Al Bernameg has been

#440559