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


Rayhan Asat, a Uyghur activist who was one of the speakers today at the virtual 2021 Geneva Summit for Human Rights and Democracy, testified about her brother Ekpar Asat who was abducted by Chinese authorities.

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 25 human rights groups, and being held virtually for the first time, takes place ahead of the June session of the UN Human Rights Council, in a bid to place urgent situations on the world agenda.

Waad Al-Kateab, a Syrian refugee and award-winning documentary filmmaker, spotlighted the Assad regime’s abuses.

Uyghur rights activist Rayhan Asat and exiled Hong Kong dissident Nathan Law called out China’s assault on Uyghurs in Xinjiang and democracy in Hong Kong.

Pakistani rights activist Gulalai Ismail, who fled the country after authorities falsely accused her of sedition for her advocacy, received the Geneva Summit’s 2021 International Women’s Rights Award.

Cuban political performance artist Tania Bruguera was supposed to speak at today’s event, but the conference announced that she was unable to join because government forces shut down her internet. Since November 2020, Bruguera has been repeatedly detained, interrogated and put under house arrest for her artwork and activism critical of the regime.

China, Cuba and Pakistan are members of the UNHRC, and their abuses typically go ignored there. The Geneva Summit hopes that today’s powerful testimonies will mobilize pressure upon the council to address the plight of the victims.

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Day 1: Testimonies from 13th Geneva Summit

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