On February 16, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton hosted a Strategic Dialogue with Civil Society. Sherif Mansour of Freedom House was one of the few participants invited to speak during the public portion of the event, providing input on the importance of U.S. support for civil society, support that was conspicuously absent during recent events in Egypt. Representatives from more than 20 countries as well as senior Administration officials physically participated in the dialogue, while interactive video connected participants from 50 embassies around the world.
 

Click here to watch the event.

This year Freedom House celebrates its 70th anniversary. We invite you to visit the special anniversary section of our website where you can learn more about the history and evolution of Freedom House through photos, videos, and narrative. We will be adding information throughout the year so please revisit us often during the coming months as we chronicle the life of Freedom House and celebrate 70 years of serving as an unwavering advocate for democracy and human rights throughout the world.
 

Launch the 70th Anniversary application

Watch the introductory video

(Senate Subcommittee on European Affairs, 1/27/2011)

Freedom House Executive Director David J. Kramer testified yesterday before the Senate Subcommittee on European Affairs about the violence and egregious human rights violations that occurred in the aftermath of last month’s presidential elections in Belarus and the possibility of  increased U.S. sanctions against members of the Lukashenko regime.  Following the election, which was marred by irregularities according to observers from the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) and the U.S. Embassy, security forces arrested hundreds of activists, including seven of the opposition candidates who ran for president, who protested the official claim of Mr. Lukashenko’s overwhelming victory.

View the testimony here
Watch the testimony here