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 for Human Rights and Democracy will hold its opening session at the Palais des Nations, the European headquarters of the United Nations.

The renowned Geneva Summit assembles hundreds of courageous dissidents, human rights activists, diplomats, journalists, and student leaders to shine a spotlight on urgent human rights situations that require global attention, including Afghanistan, Cuba, China, Iran, Russia, Ukraine, Venezuela and Zimbabwe.

The event will showcase the voices of the world’s bravest human rights defenders, many of whom have suffered torture, and give a vital platform to family members of political prisoners who are struggling to free their loved ones.

Previous editions of the Geneva Summit have drawn a standing-room only audience of more than 800 participants, along with international coverage in major media including CNN, BBC, Al Jazeera, Le Monde and TIME magazine.

Admission to this year’s Geneva Summit is free and open to the public, but registration is mandatory.

For media inquiries and interview requests, please contact Pat Rose at media[]genevasummit.org.

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Geneva Summit 2023 Speakers:

Evgenia Kara Murza, Human rights activist, wife of jailed Russian prisoner of conscience and opposition politician Vladimir Kara-Murza

Yang Jianli, President of Initiatives for China, former political prisoner

Peter Yang, Son of Guo Feixiong, imprisoned Chinese “barefoot lawyer” and civil rights activist

Dr. Gyal Lo, Academic expert on China’s mass use of boarding schools to eradicate Tibetan identity and culture

Frances Hui, First Hong Kong activist granted political asylum in the US, Director of We the Hong Kongers organization

Qelbinur Sidik, Uyghur activist, witness to Chinese reeducation camp atrocities, survivor of forced sterilization

Fadzayi Mahere, Constitutional lawyer and opposition spokesperson arrested repeatedly in Zimbabwe

Nila Ibrahimi, 15-year-old Hazara activist who narrowly escaped the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan

Shima Babaei, Activist imprisoned for removing hijab, daughter of forcibly disappeared dissident Ebrahim Babaei

Darya Safai, Belgian MP fighting for rights of Iranian women

Hadrien Ghomi, French MP outspoken for victims of repression in Iran

Alireza Akhondi, Swedish MP campaigning to designate IRGC as terrorist entity

Ali Ehsassi, Chair of Foreign Affairs Committee, Canadian Parliament

Dolkun Isa, President of the World Uyghur Congress

Songmi Han, North Korean escapee and survivor of extreme poverty, oppression, and abandonment

Andrey Kurkov, Renowned Ukrainian novelist, author of “Diary of an Invasion” on Russia’s war

Anastasia Shevchenko, First dissident convicted under Russia’s “undesirable organizations” law, profiled in Oscar-shortlisted film “Anastasia”

Marie-Claire Kakpotia, Survivor and activist fighting to end Female Genital Mutilation

Nevşin Mengü, Turkish journalist dropped from CNN Turk after she criticized President Erdogan

Melissa Mahtani, Journalist, former CNN producer

Abraham Jiménez Enoa, Prominent Cuban journalist forced into exile, grandson of the bodyguard to Fidel Castro and Che Guevara

Hasler Iglesias, Venezuelan youth leader, went into hiding to escape arrest by the Maduro regime

Hillel Neuer, Executive Director of United Nations Watch, on behalf of the 25 NGO co-sponsors of the Geneva Summit

Javier El-Hage, Chief Legal and Policy Officer at Human Rights Foundation

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