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Iranian Activist Wins International Women’s Rights Award, Presented by Top U.N. Official

GENEVA, May 18, 2023 —  A coalition of 25 human rights groups yesterday awarded its prestigious women’s rights award to Shima Babaei, an exiled Iranian women’s rights activist and former political prisoner. Click here for transcript and video of her remarks. Ms. Babaei received the 2023 International Women’s Rights Award at the 15th annual Geneva Summit for

May 18, 2023
Press releases

25 Human Rights NGOs Announce: Freed Nicaraguan Opposition Leader Félix Maradiaga to Receive 2023 Courage Award

GENEVA, May 4, 2023 —  A cross-regional coalition of 25 human rights organizations announced today that its prestigious human rights award will go this year to Félix Maradiaga, a leading Nicaraguan opposition politician who was released this year after being subjected to 611 days in prison and solitary confinement. Maradiaga will receive the 2023 Courage Award on

May 4, 2023
Press releases

25 Human Rights NGOs Announce 2023 International Women’s Rights Award Winner

GENEVA, May 2, 2023 —  A coalition of 25 human rights groups announced today that its prestigious women’s rights award will go this year to Shima Babaei, an exiled Iranian women’s rights activist and former political prisoner, in tribute to the courageous women and girl protesters of Iran. Ms. Babaei will receive the 2023 International

May 2, 2023
Press releases

Dissidents to Oppose Russian Bid to Rejoin UNHRC

GENEVA, April 27, 2023 — Some of the world’s most prominent Russian dissidents will gather soon at the UN Human Rights Council for the first major event opposing Moscow’s recently-announced bid to rejoin the 47–nation body, from which it was removed last year on account of its gross violations in Ukraine. The Geneva

May 1, 2023
Press releases

China Abuses To Be Spotlighted at Geneva Rights Summit

GENEVA, April 12, 2023 — An international coalition of 25 human rights groups announced today that Chinese abuses in Xinjiang, Tibet and Hong Kong will go under an international  spotlight at this year’s 15th Annual Geneva Summit for Human Rights and Democracy. The event will take place next to the United Nations Human Rights Council on May

April 30, 2023
Press releases

Dissidents to Meet at U.N. for Human Rights Summit

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

April 29, 2023
Press releases

Rights Groups Worldwide Demand Russian Dissident’s Release

Above: Russian dissident Vladimir Kara-Murza addresses the United Nations opening session of the 10th Geneva Summit for Human Rights and Democracy, February 19, 2018. (Oliver O’Hanlon)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

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
Press releases

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

25 Rights NGOs Announce Women’s Rights Award Winner: Zarifa Ghafari, Youngest Female Afghan Mayor

GENEVA, March 21, 2022 – A coalition of 25 human rights organizations announced today that its prestigious women’s rights award will go this year to Zarifa Ghafari, Afghanistan’s youngest female mayor and a survivor of three Taliban assassination attempts. Ghafari will receive the Geneva Summit for Human Rights and Democracy‘s 2022 International Women’s

March 21, 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
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