Summits
Hillel Neuer, executive director of United Nations Watch, on behalf of 30 co-sponsoring NGOs, delivered the welcome address at the 17th Annual Geneva Summit for Human Rights and Democracy on February 18th, 2025. Full Remarks: Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen: Welcome to the 17th annual Geneva Summit for Human Rights and
Garry Kasparov, Vice-President of World Liberty Congress, pro-democracy leader, author, and former world chess champion, delivered the opening address at the 17th Annual Geneva Summit for Human Rights and Democracy on February 18th, 2025. Full Remarks: Thank you to the Geneva Summit for Human Rights and Democracy, and especially to
Björn Stritzel, chief correspondent at BILD, moderated a discussion with Evgenia Kara-Murza and Vladimir Kara-Murza at the 17th Annual Geneva Summit for Human Rights and Democracy on February 18th, 2025. Evgenia Kara-Murza is the advocacy director of the Free Russia Foundation, defending anti-war activists, dissidents and political prisoners. Vladimir Kara-Murza is
Times Wang, human rights lawyer and the son of Chinese democracy pioneer, Dr. Wang Bingzhang, who has been imprisoned since 2002, addressed the 17th Annual Geneva Summit for Human Rights and Democracy on February 18th, 2025. Full Remarks: I remember the message from my aunt like it was yesterday: “Your
Mathilde Gahier, a student at the Institut Florimont in Geneva, presented the empty chair for Maria Kalesnikava at the 17th Annual Geneva Summit for Human Rights and Democracy on February 18th, 2025. Full Remarks: The empty chair on this stage is dedicated to Maria Kalesnikava, an opposition leader and defender
Sebastien Lai, leader of the international #FreeJimmyLai campaign and son of imprisoned pro-democracy newspaper publisher Jimmy Lai, addressed the 17th Annual Geneva Summit for Human Rights and Democracy on February 18th, 2025. Full Prepared Remarks: Chinese New Year’s was just a few weeks ago. Since I was young, every year
Rahima Mahmut, Uyghur human rights activist, translator, and singer, addressed the 17th Annual Geneva Summit for Human Rights and Democracy on February 18th, 2025. Full Remarks: Good morning, ladies and gentlemen. It is an honor and privilege to be here with you today. In 1989, I was one of thousands
Van Trang Nguyen, Vietnamese democracy activist and survivor of regime attacks and transnational repression, addressed the 17th Annual Geneva Summit for Human Rights and Democracy on February 18th, 2025. Full Remarks: Hello everyone, Hello to all who fight for freedom and human rights! My name is Nguyen Van Trang, a
Mathieu Johansson, a student at Ecole Moser in Geneva, presented the empty chair for Ahmadreza Djalali at the 17th Annual Geneva Summit for Human Rights and Democracy on February 18th, 2025. Full Remarks: The empty chair on this stage is dedicated to Dr. Ahmadreza Djalali, an innocent man facing execution
Nazanin Afshin-Jam, Iranian-Canadian human rights and democracy advocate, presents the International Women’s Rights Award at the 17th annual Geneva Summit for Human Rights and Democracy to Afghanistan’s former Minister of Women’s Affairs and first woman to run for president Massouda Jalal, and her activist daughter, Husna Jalal, on behalf of all
Former Minister of Women’s Affairs and the first woman to run for president Massouda Jalal, and her activist daughter, Husna Jalal, will be awarded the International Women’s Rights Award on behalf of all Afghan women’s rights activists at the 17th annual Geneva Summit for Human Rights and Democracy to Afghanistan’s
Reza Pahlavi, Crown Prince of Iran, delivered the 2025 Keynote Address at the 17th Annual Geneva Summit for Human Rights and Democracy on February 18th, 2025. Full Remarks: Ladies and gentlemen, friends, and tireless advocates for human rights, Before I begin, I would like to thank the thousands of my
Nazanin Afshin-Jam, Iranian-Canadian human rights and democracy advocate, addressed the 17th Annual Geneva Summit for Human Rights and Democracy on February 18th, 2025 to introduce a panel session on the Islamic Republic’s brutality against protestors. Full Remarks: I want to express my deep gratitude to Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi for
Mahan Mehrabi, sister of Iranian political prisoner Mahmoud Mehrabi, addressed the 17th Annual Geneva Summit for Human Rights and Democracy on February 18th, 2025. Full Remarks (Translated from Persian): Greetings to all, greetings to the Prince of Iran. Greetings to my people. I would like to thank the Prince of
Maryam Diyor, mother of Abolfazl Amir-Ataei, who was killed at age 16 by the regime for protesting, addressed the 17th Annual Geneva Summit for Human Rights and Democracy on February 18th, 2025. Full Remarks (Translated from Persian): Salutations to the Crown Prince, Reza Pahlavi. On September 16th, 2022, the Islamic
Saman Pouryaghma, blinded in one eye after being shot while protesting, addressed the 17th Annual Geneva Summit for Human Rights and Democracy on February 18th, 2025. Full Prepared Remarks: Hello everyone, I am honored to have this opportunity to speak with you today. My name is Saman Pouryaghma. I am
Namkyi, exiled Tibetan activist and former political prisoner, addressed the 17th Annual Geneva Summit for Human Rights and Democracy on February 18th, 2025. Full Prepared Remarks (Translated from Tibetan): May his Holiness, the Dalai Lama, live long. Let his Holiness the Dalai Lama return to Tibet. Freedom for Tibet. I
Vladimir Kara-Murza, Russian opposition leader, author, historian, filmmaker, and survivor of two poisoning attempts and harsh imprisonment, presented the 2025 Defender of Freedom Award to Irwin Cotler at the 17th Annual Geneva Summit for Human Rights and Democracy on February 18th, 2025. Full Prepared Remarks: Executive Director Neuer, Your Excellencies,
Irwin Cotler, international human rights lawyer for political prisoners, legal scholar, and former Canadian Minister of Justice and Attorney-General, received the 2025 Defender of Freedom Award at the 17th Annual Geneva Summit for Human Rights and Democracy on February 18th, 2025. Full Remarks: May I begin by saying how moved
Niemat Ahmadi, survivor of the Darfur Genocide, Sudanese women’s rights defender, and founder and president of Darfur Women Action Group, addressed the 17th Annual Geneva Summit for Human Rights and Democracy on February 18th, 2025. Full Remarks: Good Afternoon, everyone, I am standing before you today, feeling incredibly dismayed that,
Petra Dillon, a student at Ecolint in Geneva, presented the empty chair for Rahile Dawut at the 17th Annual Geneva Summit for Human Rights and Democracy on February 18th, 2025. Full Remarks: The empty chair on this stage is dedicated to Rahile Dawut, a world-renowned scholar of Uyghur folklore and
Betlehem Isaak, Swedish-Eritrean writer, and daughter of journalist Dawit Isaak who has been detained in Eritrean prison without trial for 24 years, addressed the 17th Annual Geneva Summit for Human Rights and Democracy on February 18th, 2025. Full Remarks: Eritrea has been called “Africa’s North Korea,” “The Hermit Kingdom,” “An
Javier El-Hage, Chief Legal and Policy Officer of Human Rights Foundation, addressed the 17th Annual Geneva Summit for Human Rights and Democracy on February 18th, 2025. Full Remarks: Ladies and gentlemen, It is a privilege to stand before so many survivors and human rights heroes today. I am not one
Osiris Puerto Terry, a victim of brutality by the Cuban regime who was shot twice at the 11J protests, addressed the 17th Annual Geneva Summit for Human Rights and Democracy on February 18th, 2025. Full Remarks (Translated from Spanish): I am not a politician. I am not an activist. I
Baroness Sal Brinton, Member of House of Lords and Human Rights Chair of Liberal International, delivers her remarks as she presents the 2025 Geneva Summit Courage Award to President-elect Edmundo González and opposition leader María Corina Machado. Full Remarks: Ladies and Gentlemen, Liberal International is a proud, long-time partner of
Edmundo González, President-elect of Venezuela, and María Corina Machado, Venezuelan opposition leader received the 2025 Courage Award at the 17th Annual Geneva Summit for Human Rights and Democracy on February 18th, 2025. Click here to view the presentation of the award by Baroness Sal Brinton. Full Remarks: Good afternoon all
Brandon Silver, international human rights lawyer, 2024 Magnitsky Award laureate, and the Director of Policy & Projects at the Raoul Wallenberg Centre for Human Rights, addressed the 17th Annual Geneva Summit for Human Rights and Democracy on February 18th, 2025. Full Remarks: Congratulations President-elect Edmundo González and leader María Corina
Vietnamese democracy activist and victim of transnational repression
Human rights lawyer and the son of Chinese political prisoner Wang Bingzhang
Victim of brutality by the Cuban regime, shot twice at the 11J protests
Democracy activist and son of imprisoned pro-democracy media entrepreneur Jimmy Lai
President-elect of Venezuela
Swedish-Eritrean writer and daughter of Dawit Isaak
Sister of Iranian political prisoners Mahmoud and Maryam Mehrabi
Human rights activist, promoter of democracy, and former World Chess Champion
Iranian protestor shot by the regime and blinded in his left eye
Exiled Tibetan activist and former political prisoner
Mother of Abolfazl Amir-Ataei who was murdered at the age of 16 by the Islamic regime while participating in the 2022 Woman, Life, Freedom protests
Crown Prince of Iran
Sudanese women’s rights defender and survivor of the Darfur Genocide
Uyghur human rights activist, translator, and singer
Former Afghan Minister of Women’s Affairs and the first woman to run for President of Afghanistan
Exiled Afghan women’s rights activist and the daughter of Massouda Jalal
Iranian-born Canadian human rights advocate and co-founder of Stop Child Executions
International Chair of Raoul Wallenberg Centre for Human Rights, former Minister of Justice & Attorney General of Canada
Activist, wife of Russian opposition leader Vladimir Kara-Murza
Russian dissident and politician who survived two poisoning attempts
Media Mentions of the 2025 Geneva Summit for Human Rights and Democracy For information about our 2025 speakers, videos, photos, transcripts, quotes, and more, click here. Reuters article on Sebastien Lai: “Jimmy Lai’s son urges US, UK to get father out of Hong Kong jail”. Also published in The Straits
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