Opposition warns: Dictatorships networking globally - Berlin’s Freedom Week unites dissidents in a global fight for democracy
Berlin is marking the anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall with its inaugural Freedom Week, a new annual event that kicked off with a World Liberty Congress. The conference brought together 200 dissidents from 60 autocratic regimes, highlighting the global struggle for democracy and human rights.
The week began with powerful testimonies from persecuted opposition figures. Leopoldo López, a former Venezuelan mayor, shared his experience of spending seven years in prison before being forced into exile. Sebastien Lai from China spoke about his father's imprisonment for running an opposition newspaper. Carine Kanimba of Rwanda recounted her father's abduction, torture, and imprisonment by the regime. Masih Alinejad, an Iranian activist, described conditions in countries like Afghanistan and Iran as a form of apartheid due to bans on education and forced hijab laws.
López noted a worrying trend of autocrats forming global alliances, with 70 percent of the world's population living under dictatorship. However, specific organizations or states in Latin America and Africa were not explicitly identified by opposition groups as part of this alliance. Alinejad also expressed fear of Islamist groups like Hamas and Hezbollah, noting their presence and ideology in Berlin.
Berlin Freedom Week, marking the anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall, is a weeklong program featuring around 130 events across 80 venues. The conference called for a global fight for democracy and human rights, with persecuted opposition figures and former political prisoners sharing their stories and advocating for change. The event underscores Berlin's commitment to promoting freedom and democracy worldwide.
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