The San Francisco Freedom Forum, to be held September 28, will connect a network of international human rights advocates with a diverse Bay Area audience. Speakers will exchange stories and ideas, illuminating the many paths individuals take to reach freedom.

In her first trip to the United States in more than 20 years, Burmese opposition leader Daw Aung San Suu Kyi will address a community of trendsetters from advocacy, business, media, policy, and technology.

Those speaking alongside her include: Russian democracy activist Garry Kasparov; Saudi women’s rights pioneer Manal al-Sharif; Pussy Riot spokesman Pyotr Verzilov; Egyptian-American journalist Mona Eltahawy; Slate editor William J. Dobson; Ghanaian economist George Ayittey; drug policy reformer Ethan Nadelmann; anti-genocide artist Naomi Natale; conflict psychologist Justine Hardy; Iranian author and former prisoner of conscience Marina Nemat; and Venezuelan journalist Marcel Granier.

The San Francisco Freedom Forum will be held at the Bently Reserve in downtown San Francisco beginning at 11:30am on Friday, September 28, and conclude that evening with the awarding of the Václav Havel Prize for Creative Dissent to Daw Suu Kyi.

For event updates, please follow the Freedom Forum on Twitter and Facebook. For registration, media, or sponsorship inquiries, please contact Pedro Pizano at (212) 246.8486 or pedro [at] SanFranciscoFreedomForum [dot] com