GENEVA, March 30, 2023 — An international coalition of 25 human rights organizations announced today that it will hold its 15th annual gathering of pro-democracy dissidents — courageous activists from around the globe who are standing up against dictatorships — on May 17, 2023, in Geneva, Switzerland.
On May 16, the 2023 Geneva Summit for Human Rights and Democracy will hold its opening session at the Palais des Nations, the European headquarters of the United Nations.
The renowned Geneva Summit assembles hundreds of courageous dissidents, human rights activists, diplomats, journalists, and student leaders to shine a spotlight on urgent human rights situations that require global attention, including Afghanistan, Cuba, China, Iran, Russia, Ukraine, Venezuela and Zimbabwe.
The event will showcase the voices of the world’s bravest human rights defenders, many of whom have suffered torture, and give a vital platform to family members of political prisoners who are struggling to free their loved ones.
Previous editions of the Geneva Summit have drawn a standing-room only audience of more than 800 participants, along with international coverage in major media including CNN, BBC, Al Jazeera, Le Monde and TIME magazine.
Admission to this year’s Geneva Summit is free and open to the public, but registration is mandatory.
For media inquiries and interview requests, please contact Pat Rose at media[]genevasummit.org.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Geneva Summit 2023 Speakers:
Evgenia Kara Murza, Human rights activist, wife of jailed Russian prisoner of conscience and opposition politician Vladimir Kara-Murza
Yang Jianli, President of Initiatives for China, former political prisoner
Peter Yang, Son of Guo Feixiong, imprisoned Chinese “barefoot lawyer” and civil rights activist
Dr. Gyal Lo, Academic expert on China’s mass use of boarding schools to eradicate Tibetan identity and culture
Frances Hui, First Hong Kong activist granted political asylum in the US, Director of We the Hong Kongers organization
Qelbinur Sidik, Uyghur activist, witness to Chinese reeducation camp atrocities, survivor of forced sterilization
Fadzayi Mahere, Constitutional lawyer and opposition spokesperson arrested repeatedly in Zimbabwe
Nila Ibrahimi, 15-year-old Hazara activist who narrowly escaped the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan
Shima Babaei, Activist imprisoned for removing hijab, daughter of forcibly disappeared dissident Ebrahim Babaei
Darya Safai, Belgian MP fighting for rights of Iranian women
Hadrien Ghomi, French MP outspoken for victims of repression in Iran
Alireza Akhondi, Swedish MP campaigning to designate IRGC as terrorist entity
Ali Ehsassi, Chair of Foreign Affairs Committee, Canadian Parliament
Dolkun Isa, President of the World Uyghur Congress
Songmi Han, North Korean escapee and survivor of extreme poverty, oppression, and abandonment
Andrey Kurkov, Renowned Ukrainian novelist, author of “Diary of an Invasion” on Russia’s war
Anastasia Shevchenko, First dissident convicted under Russia’s “undesirable organizations” law, profiled in Oscar-shortlisted film “Anastasia”
Marie-Claire Kakpotia, Survivor and activist fighting to end Female Genital Mutilation
Nevşin Mengü, Turkish journalist dropped from CNN Turk after she criticized President Erdogan
Melissa Mahtani, Journalist, former CNN producer
Abraham Jiménez Enoa, Prominent Cuban journalist forced into exile, grandson of the bodyguard to Fidel Castro and Che Guevara
Hasler Iglesias, Venezuelan youth leader, went into hiding to escape arrest by the Maduro regime
Hillel Neuer, Executive Director of United Nations Watch, on behalf of the 25 NGO co-sponsors of the Geneva Summit
Javier El-Hage, Chief Legal and Policy Officer at Human Rights Foundation
