International lawyer, diplomat and Executive Director of UN Watch, Hillel Neuer delivers opening remarks at the 16th Annual Geneva Summit for Human Rights and Democracy
International lawyer, diplomat and Executive Director of UN Watch, Hillel Neuer delivers opening remarks at the 16th Annual Geneva Summit for Human Rights and Democracy

Executive Director, UN Watch

Yang Jianli, leading Chinese dissident and pro-democracy activist, addresses the 2nd Annual Geneva Summit for Human Rights and Democracy – see quotes below, followed by full prepared remarks. Full remarks John Suarez: Mayor of Geneva, Isabel Rochat, excellencies, ladies and gentlemen, I’d also like to point out that today is

Dicki Chhoyang, Minister for Development and International Relations for the Central Tibetan Administration, the Tibetan government in exile, addresses the 7th Annual Geneva Summit for Human Rights and Democracy – see below for full prepared remarks. Full Remarks Dicki Chhoyang: Good afternoon. When I was thinking about what I would say this afternoon,

Full Transcript Moderator: Well, thank you very much Hillel for that introduction! I take a moment right at the outset to commend Hillel, Leon Saltiel and all of these staff at UN watch for the great work they do, and this conference is a testament to that. As Hillel mentioned,

Julieta Lopez, aunt of Latin America’s best-known prisoner of conscience, Venezuelan opposition leader Leopoldo Lopez, accepts the 2016 Geneva Summit Courage Award on his behalf and addresses the 8th Annual Geneva Summit for Human Rights and Democracy – see quotes below, followed by full prepared remarks. On her feelings of

Abidine Merzough, Mauritanian activist and European Coordinator of the Initiative for the Resurgence of the Abolitionist Movement, addresses the 5th Annual Geneva Summit for Human Rights and Democracy – see below for full prepared remarks. Full remarks Abidine Merzough: Ladies and gentlemen, I am happy to be able to inform

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

North Korean defector, human rights activist, and advocate for disability rights, Hyosim Maeng, addresses the 16th Annual Geneva Summit for Human Rights and Democracy – see below for her remarks. Full Remarks: My mission is to raise awareness about the lives of disabled people in North Korea. Over the years,

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

Carolina Barrero, exiled Cuban art historian, writer, and human rights activist, addresses the 16th annual Geneva Summit for Human Rights and Democracy – see below for her remarks. Full remarks: I spent most of the year 2021 held under house arrest. The flat that became my prison was bugged with

Danilo “El Sexto” Maldonado, a Cuban artist and human rights activist, addresses the 9th Annual Geneva Summit for Human Rights and Democracy – see quotes below, followed by full prepared remarks. On persecution in Cuba: “I have been a victim of many arbitrary detentions, searches, confiscations of my art material

Kaveh Shahrooz, lawyer, writer and human rights activist who led a recent successful effort to convince Canada’s parliament to recognize the 1988 massacre of political prisoners in Iran as a crime against humanity, addresses the 12th Annual Geneva Summit for Human Rights and Democracy — see quotes below, followed by

Richard Ratcliffe, the husband of imprisoned British-Iranian charity worker Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe who was arrested in Iran almost three years ago while on holiday with her infant daughter, addresses the 11th Annual Geneva Summit for Human Rights and Democracy – see quotes below, followed by full prepared remarks. On the arrest 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

Juan Carlos Gutiérrez, human rights lawyer who represents prominent Venezuelan opposition leaders and political prisoners including Leopoldo López and Juan Guaido, addresses the 11th Annual Geneva Summit for Human Rights and Democracy – see quotes below, followed by full prepared remarks. On arrest and imprisonment of Dr. Eduardo Cardet: “Dr. Cardet

Full Transcript Moderator: I want to ask you, you served as Afghanistan’s youngest female mayor. But what made you run for mayor in the first place? Zarifa Ghafari: Thank you so much. Actually, first of all, I think if you believe in yourself, if you believe you’re doing right, it doesn’t

Prominent Cuban journalist forced into exile, grandson of the bodyguard to Fidel Castro and Che Guevara, Abraham Jiménez Enoa, addresses the 15th Annual Geneva Summit for Human Rights and Democracy – see below his remarks in Spanish, followed by the English translation and the corresponding video. Full Remarks: Spanish A mediados del

Anastasia Zotova, Zhanna Nemtsova and Can Dündar address the 9th Annual Geneva Summit for Human Rights and Democracy. Full Transcript Moderator: Thank you to all our three speakers. Our time is almost up, but before we leave the podium, I would like to ask you one more question – some of you

Co-Founder of the Cuban dissident San Isidro Movement and recently released political prisoner, Hamlet Lavastida, speaks at the 14th Annual Geneva Summit for Human Rights and Democracy – see quotes below, followed by full prepared remarks. On speaking out: “I agreed that I’d stay silent, that I wouldn’t talk about the

Sister to imprisoned Belarusian opposition leader Maria Kalesnikava, Tatsiana Khomich, speaks at the 14th Annual Geneva Summit for Human Rights and Democracy – see quotes below, followed by full prepared remarks. On her incredible sister: “On September 7, 2020, Belarus tried to forcibly exile my sister, Maria Kalesnikava – and they

Nury Turkel, attorney and Uyghur rights advocate who co-founded the Uyghur Human Rights Project, addresses the 12th Annual Geneva Summit for Human Rights and Democracy — see quotes below, followed by full prepared remarks. On China’s mass detention of Uyghurs: “Since 2017, as many as three million Uyghurs have been detained

Ko Bo Kyi, former Burmese student activist, political prisoner, and founder of the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners, addresses the 2nd Annual Geneva Summit for Human Rights and Democracy – see below for full prepared remarks. Full remarks Ko Bo Kyi: Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen. Thank you very much for

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

Tibetan-Canadian human rights activist and community organizer, Chemi Lhamo, addresses the 16th Annual Geneva Summit for Human Rights and Democracy – see below for her remarks. Full Remarks: Home. Where is home for one that has never seen their own beautiful country, and in my case: Bhoe. Tibet. Tashi delek

Simon Deng, a refugee from Sudan and a survivor of child slavery, addresses the 2nd Annual Geneva Summit for Human Rights and Democracy – see below for full prepared remarks. Full remarks

Professor Mukesh Kapila, public health and international development expert, addresses the 5th Annual Geneva Summit for Human Rights and Democracy remotely via a video message– see below for full prepared remarks. Full remarks James Kirchik: Mukesh Kapila, who is a professor of Global Health and Humanitarian Affairs at the
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