Search

North Korea’s Oppression

Timothy Cho, North Korean human rights activist and defector who was imprisoned four times in North Korea and China, addressed the U.N. Opening for the 18th Annual Geneva Summit for Human Rights and Democracy on February 17th, 2026.

Key Quotes:

“Where is justice for the people of North Korea in the face of such dehumanizing crime and oppression? And where is the United Nations?”

“Arriving in freedom was not the end of our journey but the beginning of our good fight of the faith and our enduring hope.”

Speakers and Participants

Victor Navarro

Exiled Venezuelan human rights activist and former political prisoner

Ali Ehsassi

Member of Canadian Parliament, Chair of Foreign Affairs Committee

Veronica Tsepkalo

Exiled Belarusian opposition figure and chair of the Belarus Women’s Foundation

Toribia Lero Quispe

Bolivian indigenous leader from the Sura Nation, member of the Bolivian Legislative Assembly

Job Sikhala

Zimbabwean opposition leader held for 595 days in pre-trial detention

Load More
This speaker doesn't have any speeches posted yet.

Related

55103503495_4b7423e414_k
Authoritarianism

Escaping North Korea to Freedom

Kim Yumi, North Korean defector who escaped by boat to South Korea with her family in 2023, addressed the 18th Annual Geneva Summit for Human Rights and Democracy on February 18, 2026.   Full Prepared Remarks: Hello. It is my honour to stand here today and meet all of you.

Screenshot 2022-02-28 172621
Democracy

The Struggle for Democracy in Latin America

Centa Rek, Senior Legal and Policy Associate at the Human Rights Foundation, addresses the 11th Annual Geneva Summit for Human Rights and Democracy – see quotes below, followed by full prepared remarks. On authoritarianism in Latin America:  “For over a decade now Latin America in general and more specifically countries like

Screenshot 2022-02-28 164911
Political Prisoners

North Korea: Escape from Starvation, Torture, Persecution

Jihyun Park, two-time North Korean escapee and human rights activist who survived a North Korean forced labor camp, addresses the 13th Annual Geneva Summit for Human Rights and Democracy – see quotes below, followed by full prepared remarks. On life in North Korea: “North Koreans are stripped of their individuality

Screenshot 2022-02-28 181204
Human Rights

Speaking out against ISIS

Abdalaziz Alhamza, award-winning journalist and co-founder of Raqqa is Being Slaughtered Silently, which exposes the atrocities committed by the Assad regime and ISIS, addresses the 11th Annual Geneva Summit for Human Rights and Democracy – see quotes below, followed by full prepared remarks. On becoming a citizen journalist: “The local