Summits

program

Human Rights

Summit Opening with Hillel Neuer

Hillel Neuer, international lawyer, diplomat, activist and Executive Director of UN Watch, addresses the 5th Annual Geneva Summit for Human Rights and Democracy – see below for full prepared remarks.   Full remarks   Hillel Neuer: Welcome to the Geneva Summit for Human Rights and Democracy.  My name is Hillel Neuer. I’m

Pakistan

Women’s Rights, Human Dignity and Equality with Mukhtar Mai

Mukhtar Mai, Pakistani author, women’s rights activist, and victim of “honor revenge,” addresses the 5th Annual Geneva Summit for Human Rights and Democracy – see below for full prepared remarks.   Full remarks   Mukhtar Mai: I am thankful for the Geneva Summit and its organizers, and I am thankful to all the

Iran

Women’s Rights, Human Dignity and Equality with Marina Nemat

Marina Nemat, Iranian author and former prisoner of conscience, addresses the 5th Annual Geneva Summit for Human Rights and Democracy – see below for full prepared remarks.   Full remarks   Marina Nemat: Hello, good morning. Thank you so, so much for your time and for having me here with you today,

Democratic Republic of Congo

Women’s Rights, Human Dignity and Equality with Colette Braeckman

Colette Braeckman, member of the Editorial Board of the Belgian newspaper Le Soir and expert on sexual violence in the Democratic Republic of Congo, addresses the 5th Annual Geneva Summit for Human Rights and Democracy – see below for full prepared remarks.   Full remarks    

Syria

Authoritarianism: The Police State and Its Victims with Philippe Robinet, Randa Kassis, Dicki Chhoyang, Regis Iglesias Ramirez, Rosa Maria Paya

A panel including Minister for Development and International Relations for the Central Tibetan Administration, Dicki Chhoyang; Franco-Syrian politician, journalist, anthropologist, and leading figure in the opposition to Bashar Al Assad’s Syrian regime, Randa Kassis;  Cuban pro-democracy activist and member of the Coordination Team of the Christian Liberation Movement (MCL), Rosa

Tibet

Authoritarianism in Tibet with Dicki Chhoyang

Dicki Chhoyang, Minister for Development and International Relations for the Central Tibetan Administration, addresses the 5th Annual Geneva Summit for Human Rights and Democracy – see below for full prepared remarks.   Full remarks   Dicki Chhoyang: Thank you for the very nice introduction. I want to start speaking about

Cuba

Authoritarism in Cuba with Rosa Maria Paya

Rosa Maria Paya, Cuban pro-democracy activist and member of the Coordination Team of the Christian Liberation Movement (MCL), addresses the 5th Annual Geneva Summit for Human Rights and Democracy – see below for full prepared remarks.   Full remarks   Rosa Maria Paya: I want to thank the first two speakers, because I realize

Syria

Authoritarianism in Syria with Randa Kassis

Randa Kassis, Franco-Syrian politician, journalist, anthropologist, and leading figure in the opposition to Bashar Al Assad’s Syrian regime, addresses the 5th Annual Geneva Summit for Human Rights and Democracy –see below her remarks in French, followed by the English translation. Full Remarks: French Bonjour, je vous remercie.  Quand on parle

Cuba

Authoritarianism in Cuba with Regis Iglesias Ramirez

Regis Iglesias Ramirez, Cuban activist, former prisoner of conscience, and member the Christian Liberation Movement (MCL), addresses the 5th Annual Geneva Summit for Human Rights and Democracy – see below for full prepared remarks.   Full remarks in Spanish. See below for English   En Mayo de 2002 por primera vez desde

Panel

From Moscow to the Middle East: The Silencing of Critical Voices with Kacem El Ghazzali, Lukpan Akhmedyarov, Guy Mettan, Pyotr Verzilov

A panel including one of Kazakhstan’s most prominent independent journalists and former editor-in-chief and reporter at Uralskaya Nedelya, Lukpan Akhmedyarov;  Moroccan human rights activist and intellectual, Kacem El Ghazzali; journalist and former Executive Director of the “Club Suisse de la Presse,” Guy Mettan; and Russian performance artist, political activist, and

Russia

The Silencing of Critical Voices in Russia with Pyotr Verzilov

Pyotr Verzilov, Russian performance artist, political activist, and founder of the news website MediaZona, adresses the 5th Annual Geneva Summit for Human Rights and Democracy – see below for full prepared remarks.   Full remarks   Extract from a September 2012 interview with President Vladimir Putin Reporter: I would like to talk

Kazakhistan

The Silencing of Critical Voices in Kazakhistan with Lukpan Akhmedyarov

Lukpan Akhmedyarov, one of Kazakhstan’s most prominent independent journalists, former editor-in-chief, and reporter at Uralskaya Nedelya,  addresses the 5th Annual Geneva Summit for Human Rights and Democracy – see below for full prepared remarks.   Full remarks   Lukpan Akhmedyarov: Good afternoon. I am very sorry, I don’t speak English. I don’t

Morocco

The Silencing of Critical Voices in Morocco with Kacem El Ghazzali

Kacem El Ghazzali, Moroccan human rights activist and intellectual, author of ‘Bahmut’, one of the most controversial blogs in the Arab world, adresses the 5th Annual Geneva Summit for Human Rights and Democracy – see below for full prepared remarks.   Full remarks   GS13 – The Silencing of Critical Voices in

Cuba

Conclusion with John Suarez

John Suarez, Executive Director at the Center for a Free Cuba, adresses the 5th Annual Geneva Summit for Human Rights and Democracy – see below for full prepared remarks.   Full remarks   John Suarez: Thank you Hillel and I just want to say thanks to UN Watch for making this possible

Speakers

Randa Kassis

Syrian politician, journalist and President of the Movement for a Pluralistic Society

James Kirchick

Journalist, author, and visiting fellow at the Brookings Institution

Mukhtar Mai

Pakistani rape victim, author and human rights activist

Abidine Merzough

Anti-slavery activist, European Coordinator of the Initiative for the Resurgence of the Abolitionist Movement in Mauritania

Guy Mettan

Journalist and Executive Director of the Club Suisse de la Presse 

Alfred Moses

Chair of UN Watch, former U.S. Ambassador to Romania, Special Presidential Envoy for the Cyprus Conflict, Special Counsel to President Jimmy Carter

Marina Nemat

Iranian author imprisoned for criticizing the Iranian regime at the age of 16

Pyotr Verzilov

Russian performance artist, husband of imprisoned Nadezhda Tolokonnikova, member of the Pussy Riot feminist rock band

News