Berlin hosts 'Freedom Week' for the 30th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall - Berlin’s ‘Freedom Week’ Honors 35 Years Since the Wall Fell with Global Voices
Berlin is marking the 35th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall with 'Freedom Week', a weeklong festival celebrating liberty. The event kicked off with the 'World Liberty Congress', bringing together 200 dissidents from 60 autocratic regimes. On Monday, the 'Berlin Freedom Conference' will explore safeguarding and strengthening freedom and democracy, with notable attendees including Bundestag President Julia Klöckner, Ukrainian human rights activist Oleksandra Matviychuk, and Russian opposition figure Vladimir Kara-Murza.
Key partners for the event include the Robert Havemann Society, the Axel Springer Freedom Foundation, and Frank Ebert, Berlin's commissioner for addressing the legacy of the SED dictatorship. The conference will feature dissidents from minority groups in the Middle East, with confirmed panelists such as Moroccan artist and activist Chama Mechatly, German-Kurdish scientist Schilan Kurdpoor, American-Israeli human rights lawyer and filmmaker Paula Kweskin, and Coptic-Christian analyst and activist Mariam Wahba.
On Sunday, a ceremony will be held at the Berlin Wall Memorial to commemorate the 35th anniversary of the fall of the Wall. Berlin's Governing Mayor Kai Wegner is expected to attend. Throughout the week, around 80 locations will host approximately 130 events, including conferences, workshops, concerts, and exhibitions, offering numerous public events for Berliners and visitors until November 15.
The 'Freedom Week' festival is intended as a powerful statement for freedom, peace, and democracy, and is set to become an annual fixture in Berlin's calendar. The event brings together diverse voices from around the world to discuss and celebrate the values of liberty and democracy.
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