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Press releases

Rights Groups Worldwide Demand Russian Dissident’s Release

GENEVA, May 2, 2022 –Today, a coalition of 25 human rights organizations called on UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet, along with all other relevant UN human rights mandate-holders and special procedures, to condemn Russia’s imprisonment of leading Russian dissident Vladimir Kara-Murza and to demand his immediate release, along with all

May 2, 2022
Press releases

Ukrainian Advocate Calling for Russia Tribunal Announced as Rights Summit Speaker

GENEVA, March 31, 2022 – A cross-regional coalition of over 25 human rights NGOs announced today that Olga Aivazovska, a displaced Ukrainian civil society leader and one of the chief advocates for a special tribunal on Russian war crimes, will speak at the 14th Geneva Summit for Human Rights and Democracy. The announcement comes a day after

March 31, 2022
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Rights Summit To Spotlight Zimbabwean Opposition As Ruling Party Suffers Election Shock

GENEVA, March 27, 2022 – By-election results released Sunday revealed that Zimbabwe’s ruling ZANU-PF party had suffered significant losses in a vote viewed as a dry run for the country’s 2023 general election. President Mnangagwa’s party lost 19 of the 28 constituencies contested to a growing opposition movement which will be spotlighted at

March 28, 2022
Press releases

As China Considers Arming Russia in Ukraine, Dissidents Unite In Geneva

GENEVA, March 14, 2022 — A coalition of 25 human rights groups announced today that leading dissidents from Hong Kong, Tibet and China will come together to express their support for democracy at the 14th Geneva Summit for Human Rights and Democracy. The announcement comes as US officials reveal Russia has requested military assistance from China in

March 14, 2022
Press releases

Rights Groups Spotlight Abuses In Oil Rich Regimes As West Seeks New Energy Sources

GENEVA, March 9, 2022 — A coalition of 25 human rights NGOs announced today that dissidents from Saudi Arabia and Venezuela will deliver keynote remarks at the 14th annual Geneva Summit for Human Rights and Democracy. The move comes as Western countries seek to replace Russian energy with resources from the repressive regimes. Areej al-Sadhan, sister to Saudi

March 9, 2022
Press releases

Countries That Backed Russia At UNGA To Be Spotlighted At Rights Summit

GENEVA, March 7, 2022 — On Wednesday the United Nations voted to “deplore” Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and demand the withdrawal of Russian forces. Now the four states that voted with Russia and against the historic resolution—Eritrea, Belarus, Syria and North Korea—are coming under fire and will be featured at the upcoming Geneva Summit for Human Rights and Democracy on

March 7, 2022
Press releases

25 Rights NGOs Respond to Ukraine Invasion By Hosting Russian Opposition Leader

GENEVA, February 24, 2022 —  A coalition of 25 non-governmental human rights groups announced today that Russian opposition leader and chief of staff to the imprisoned Alexei Navalny Leonid Volkov will speak at the 14th annual Geneva Summit for Human Rights and Democracy. Volkov will expose Russia’s human rights abuses at home and abroad at the

February 25, 2022
Press releases

25 Human Rights NGOs Announce Enes Kanter Freedom as 2022 Courage Award Winner

GENEVA, February 22, 2022 —  A cross-regional coalition of 25 human rights organizations announced today that its prestigious human rights award will go this year to Enes Kanter Freedom, a NBA athlete and activist currently risking his career for speaking out against China’s persecution of ethnic Uyghurs. Freedom will receive the Geneva Summit’s

February 25, 2022
Press releases

Cuban dissident artist circumvents internet cut-off to submit testimony of abuses

GENEVA, June 8, 2021 — Despite government efforts to silence her, a Cuban dissident artist has managed to submit testimony about the regime’s gross and systematic abuses to an annual human rights assembly of activists and former political prisoners, in which she expresses concern over “the potential consequences that I will have to confront for

June 8, 2021
Press releases

China, Syria, Turkey, Cuba, Pakistan Scrutinized at Virtual Geneva Rights Summit

GENEVA, June 7, 2021 — China, Syria, Turkey, Cuba, and Pakistan were among  governments that came under scrutiny today at an annual assembly of dissidents and former political prisoners who have been oppressed by some of the world’s worst abusers. The 13th annual Geneva Summit for Human Rights and Democracy, organized by a cross-regional coalition of

June 7, 2021
Press releases

Pakistani Activist & Former Political Prisoner to Win International Women’s Rights Award

GENEVA, May 19, 2021 – An international coalition of 25 human rights organizations has announced that its prestigious International Women’s Rights award will be presented to Gulalai Ismail, a prominent campaigner for Pakistani women’s rights who fled the country after authorities falsely accused her of a litany of serious offenses for her advocacy work. The Pakistani

May 19, 2021
Press releases

25 Human Rights NGOs Announce Jailed Russian Dissident as 2021 Courage Award Winner

GENEVA, April 19, 2021 – A cross-regional coalition of 25 human rights organizations announced today that its prestigious international human rights award will go this year to Alexey Navalny, a political prisoner in Russia whose current condition is so severe that U.S. National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan yesterday warned Moscow that “there will be

April 19, 2021
Press releases

Rights Abusers Scrutinized at Geneva Summit

Dissidents spotlight abuses in Russia, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Cuba, Turkey, China, Pakistan, DR Congo, Venezuela, Vietnam, Mauritania GENEVA, Feb. 18, 2020 – China, Russia, Iran, Cuba, Turkey and Venezuela were among the governments that came under scrutiny today in Geneva, days ahead of the 2020 UN Human Rights Council that opens there on

February 18, 2020
Press releases

25 NGOs Announce 2020 Courage Award for Mauritanian Anti-Slavery Activist

GENEVA, February 18, 2020 – An international coalition of 25 human rights organizations will today award a prestigious international human rights prize to Biram Dah Abeid, a descendant of former slaves who has been called “the Nelson Mandela of Mauritania,” for dedicating his life to ending slavery in the country. The award will be presented today

February 18, 2020
Press releases

TODAY: Iranian Activist & Former Political Prisoner to Win International Women’s Rights Award

GENEVA, February 18, 2020 – An international coalition of 25 human rights organizations will today present a prestigious international women’s rights award to Shaparak Shajarizadeh, a prominent Iranian women’s rights activist who was jailed, beaten and brutalized for removing her headscarf in public. The Iranian activist became a leader in the “Girls of Revolution Street”

February 18, 2020
Press releases

Russian Opposition Leader to Testify at UN Human Rights Forum Tomorrow

GENEVA, February 16, 2020 — Russia’s leading anti-corruption activist will put Moscow in the hot seat tomorrow at the United Nations just one week before foreign ministers gather in the same building to open the 2020 U.N. Human Rights Council.  Lyubov Sobol, a Russian lawyer and rights activist who has become one of the country’s

February 16, 2020
Press releases

Russian Political Prisoner Anastasia Shevchenko Honored at 2019 Geneva Summit

GENEVA, March 26, 2019 — An empty chair sat on stage at the 2019 Geneva Summit for Human Rights and Democracy in honor of Anastasia Shevchenko, a Russian political prisoner and democracy activist. Full remarks: The empty chair on this panel is dedicated to the Russian human rights activist Anastasia

April 3, 2019
Press releases

Leading Nicaraguan Dissident Heads to UN For Geneva Human Rights Summit

GENEVA, February 19, 2019 — A coalition of 25 non-governmental human rights groups announced today that Felix Maradiaga, a leading opponent of the Daniel Ortega administration in Nicaragua, will share his story at the 11th annual Geneva Summit for Human Rights and Democracy on March 25-26, 2019, which opens at United Nations European headquarters in Geneva,

March 27, 2019
Press releases

Tomorrow: Dissidents Meet at UN For Shadow Rights Summit

Human rights heroes to spotlight China, Cuba, Turkey, Venezuela, Burundi, Vietnam, after UNHRC session turned blind eye  GENEVA, March 24, 2019 — Dissidents and political prisoners’ families from around the globe have gathered in Geneva for a two-day summit that opens tomorrow at the United Nations European headquarters, aimed at giving a voice

March 24, 2019
Press releases

Jailed Myanmar Journalists To Be Honored at Geneva Rights Summit

GENEVA, March 22, 2019 – Jailed Reuters journalists Kyaw Soe Oo and Ko Wa Lone will be honored at an international human rights summit next week in Geneva, Switzerland, before an estimated crowd of 800 diplomats, human rights activists, journalists and students. A coalition of 25 human rights organizations will shine an international spotlight on the

March 23, 2019
Press releases

25 NGOs Announce Courage Award For Tibetan Dissident and Filmmaker

GENEVA, March 23, 2019 – An international coalition of 25 human rights organizations announced today that a prestigious international human rights award will go this year to Dhondup Wangchen, a former political prisoner and Tibetan filmmaker who exposed life under Chinese rule through a groundbreaking documentary. The award ceremony will take place

March 23, 2019
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