Dissidents from Russia, Cuba, Iran, Hong Kong, Saudi Arabia, Tibet, Eritrea, and More to Spotlight Abuses at the 17th Geneva Summit

GENEVA, January 8, 2025 — Leading dissidents and courageous activists worldwide will gather in Geneva, Switzerland, on February 18, 2025, for the Annual Geneva Summit for Human Rights and Democracy at the Centre International de Conférences Genève.

The Summit, hosted by a coalition of over 25 human rights organizations, will showcase the voices of the world’s bravest human rights defenders, many of whom have suffered torture. The event will also provide a vital platform to family members of political prisoners who are struggling to free their loved ones.

Featured speakers include:

• Reza Pahlavi, Crown Prince of Iran.

• Garry Kasparov, human rights activist, promoter of democracy, and former World Chess Champion.

• Vladimir Kara-Murza, Russian dissident and politician who survived two poisoning attempts.

• Evgenia Kara-Murza, activist and wife of formerly jailed Russian opposition leader Vladimir Kara-Murza.

• Sebastien Lai, democracy activist and son of the pro-democracy media entrepreneur Jimmy Lai.

• Rahima Mahmut, Uyghur human rights activist, translator, and singer.

• Massouda Jalal, Former Afghan Minister of Women’s Affairs and the first woman to run for President of Afghanistan.

• Husna Jalal, Exiled Afghan women’s rights activist and the daughter of Massouda Jalal.

• Assita Kanko, Belgian Member of the European Parliament, writer, and women’s rights activist.

• Betlehem Isaak, Swedish-Eritrean writer and daughter of Dawit Isaak, the longest arbitrarily detained journalist in the world.

• Times Wang, Human rights lawyer and the son of Chinese political prisoner Wang Bingzhang.

• Namkyi, exiled Tibetan activist and former political prisoner.

• Tirad Badawi, son of Raif Badawi, an iconic figure of freedom of expression in Saudi Arabia.

• Nguyen Van Trang, Vietnamese democracy activist and victim of transnational repression.

Speakers are available for interviews before the event and more speakers are set to be announced soon. For a full list of speakers, please see our media kit. For media inquiries or interview requests, contact media@genevasummit.org.

The annual Geneva Summit for Human Rights and Democracy assembles hundreds of brave dissidents, human rights activists, diplomats, journalists, and student leaders, shedding light on pressing global human rights issues. It offers a platform for activists, former prisoners, and heroes to share their struggles for democracy. The Summit draws hundreds of attendees and garners extensive media coverage worldwide from major media outlets, 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.

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