GENEVA, February 9, 2026 — The Geneva Summit for Human Rights and Democracy, a cross-regional coalition of more than 30 human rights organizations, announced today that Marzieh Hamidi will receive the 2026 Geneva Summit International Women’s Rights Award.
Hamidi was Afghanistan’s national champion in Taekwondo, and has become a powerful voice for women’s rights. She and her family were forced to flee Afghanistan in 2021 when the Taliban seized power in August 2021. Now exiled to France, where she continues her Taekwondo career, she lives under 24-hour police protection following death threats due to her activism. Despite the danger, she refuses to back down.
Through both sport and advocacy, Hamidi continues to fight for justice, for freedom, and for every young woman who dares to raise her voice. In September 2025, she released her book, “Ils n’auront pas mon silence,” co-written by Baptiste Bérard-Proust and edited by Robert Laffont, telling the compelling story of her journey and struggles, and the resilience of women who refuse to be erased.
Marzieh Hamidi will receive the prestigious prize on Wednesday, Feb. 18, 2026, at the 18th annual Geneva Summit for Human Rights and Democracy, in recognition of her unwavering commitment to women’s rights in Afghanistan.
In reaction to receiving the award, Hamidi said: “This prestigious award from the Geneva Summit is for all the women of Afghanistan. The Taliban have reinstituted gender apartheid in my homeland. Women are being erased from society: not seen and not heard, only veiled and hidden. The world cannot turn a blind eye as Afghani women are removed from existence. I am honored to accept this award in the fight to ensure women’s rights are restored, and that the people of Afghanistan may soon be free.”
“As someone who also lived in Iran, where many thousands of innocent people have just been murdered, when I go to Geneva to accept this award, and to address the United Nations, I will also be sending a strong message of solidarity with the courageous people of Iran, and their just struggle for women’s rights, freedom and human dignity,” said Hamidi.
Hamidi will join this year’s Geneva Summit for Human Rights and Democracy, alongside dissidents, activists, victims, and relatives of political prisoners from China, Russia, Iran, North Korea, Hong Kong, Belarus, Zimbabwe, and other dictatorships, who will testify on abuses in their countries. The Geneva Summit and award ceremony will be attended by UN ambassadors, former political prisoners, human rights activists, and journalists from around the world.
“Marzieh Hamidi is a warrior in the face of a regime that seeks to erase women from existence,” said Hillel Neuer, Executive Director of United Nations Watch. “By recognizing Marzieh, we are shining a spotlight on the millions of Afghan women who are being silenced and subjugated. She refuses to give in, and today we stand with Marzieh Hamidi to ensure the Taliban hears her roar.”
“The Taliban has banned women’s voices and faces, banned their very presence in public life. It is gender apartheid, pure and simple,” said Neuer. “Yet the international community has responded with a deafening silence that borders on complicity. We are giving this award to Marzieh to shatter that silence and to force the world to confront a reality it prefers to ignore.”
Previous laureates of the International Women’s Rights Award include prominent women’s rights activists such as Fatou Baldeh of Gambia, Shima Babaei from Iran, Julienne Lusenge of Congo, and Gulalai Ismail from Pakistan.
ABOUT THE GENEVA SUMMIT FOR HUMAN RIGHTS AND DEMOCRACY:
The Geneva Summit for Human Rights and Democracy is a major annual event for dissidents that shines a spotlight on urgent human rights situations that require global attention. It provides human rights heroes, activists and former political prisoners with a unique platform to testify about their personal struggles for democracy and freedom, while building an international community to take on dictatorships.
Videos of past speaker testimonies are available at www.genevasummit.org.
Admission to this year’s Feb. 18 Summit is free and open to the public, but registration is mandatory. The summit will also be available via live webcast. Speakers are available for interviews before the event. For a full list of speakers, please see our media kit.
For media inquiries or interview requests, please contact media@genevasummit.org.
