Masih Alinejad, Iranian journalist and women’s rights activist, accepted the 2026 Courage Award on behalf of the heroes of Iran at the 18th Annual Geneva Summit for Human Rights and Democracy on February 18th, 2026. Click here to view the presentation of the award by Alice Teodorescu Måwe.
Full Remarks:
Before starting, you heard two slogans here from Iranians. One chanted, “Long, live Shah”, the other one chanted, “Woman, Life, Freedom”. These two chants in Iran are forbidden, and both of them will get you killed by the terrorist regime.
That’s what I am fighting for: that my people to be allowed to chant whatever they want, because this is the 21st century, and Iranians deserve to have freedom, dignity, and democracy.
Thank you for coming here and thank you so much for this recognition. But let me be very, very honest. Before coming on stage, my brother in arms, Leopoldo López, gave me a hug and said, “put your written notes away, talk from your heart.”
But I want to be honest — with myself, and with every single one of you here: I did not want to come here and receive this award. Because the entire nation is being traumatized. Because Iranians have faced massacre — more than 40,000 people killed in just 24 hours. And I am, like millions of Iranians, traumatized. I thought, “I don’t deserve to receive an award. I feel the guilt on my shoulders.”
I said: “We need action, not an award. We need to see the rest of the world bring shame to the government and stop legitimizing them — not a ceremony.”
But then I told myself: “This award comes from UN Watch, from the Geneva Summit.” For years and years, we have been alone in our fight because Western leaders abandoned the Iranian people. But UN Watch was there — inviting dissidents, activists, leaders, the true representatives of Iranians — onto this stage.
And I said to myself: “If this award means that we are together, and that we are going to stay united to expel the officials of the Islamic Republic from this country, I accept this award.” Because I believe that what you did — you changed the narrative of the West. That’s why many Iranians call you “Uncle Hillel.”
Yes, that’s the only reason I came here. But I accept this award not for myself, and I am not here to talk about myself.
I want to introduce you to my real heroes: the people of Iran — especially those who have been killed, and those who carry the bullets in their own bodies.
Two of them are sitting among you, and now I want them to stand up.
One of them was shot in her eye — deliberately blinded by the regime in Iran. She lost her eyesight, but not her hope.
The other one — the amazing daughter — left her daughter at home and joined the uprising. She carries a bullet. She lost one of her arms, barely able to move it.
But they are not victims. Look at their eyes. Look at their faces. They are the warriors. They are the freedom fighters.
And now I address you — European leaders, European citizens. I am asking every single one of you: would you stand with them, or with their killers? Will you — yes, thank you — stand with these heroes, or will you stand with those who are shooting them?
Now I want to ask them to come onto the stage. Because I want everyone to stand for them. I want everyone to stand for the victims. I want everyone to stand with the 40,000 people who have been killed.
Stand with freedom fighters — not with their perpetrators. Stand with the families of the 40,000 killed. Stand with the political prisoners who are about to be executed. Stand with the Iranian people to end our terrorist regime.
That will be the real award.
Just last month, on January 16, I was invited by the United States of America to brief the United Nations Security Council. I took the opportunity to challenge the Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres.
Yes. Exactly.
I want to ask you something. A lot of people think that I carry anger. People believe that I survived three assassination plots and that I have too much emotion — so maybe I am radical.
So I want to name three “steps” that the United Nations took right after the massacre, and I ask you: tell me if this United Nations stands with the people of Iran, or with the dictators.
First: the Secretary-General invited the foreign minister of the Islamic Republic — whose hands are full of blood — to give a talk at the United Nations. Without actually condemning the massacre, he sent a congratulatory letter to the murderous regime.
You tell me: does he stand with the people, or with dictators? Think about it.
Second: the United Nations appointed a woman who was in charge of oppressing Iranian women, giving her a role at the Human Rights Council.
I know. Unfortunately, the United Nations has become a sad joke.
A government regime that belittles women — a regime that even tells men sitting here that if you listen to the voice of women singing, you get provoked and you rape them — this is the mentality of this regime. And now they are in charge of monitoring women’s rights globally.
This is an insult — not only to Iranians, but to you, to everyone who lives in democratic countries — that these killers are in charge of making sure your human rights are protected.
How do you feel?
Third: the Islamic Republic was elected as Vice Chair of the Commission for Social Development — the body that promotes democracy, tolerance, nonviolence, and gender equality.
Recently, right after the massacre, the Islamic Republic jailed and killed anyone who criticized Ali Khamenei. They rape women in prison. I told you — if you chant certain slogans, you will be killed.
But now they are in charge of making sure democracy, nonviolence, and equality are practiced by you in democratic countries.
This is a slap in the face of democracy.
So when you leave this place, think about it: does the United Nations stand with the victims, or with dictators?
And now I want to challenge Europeans: please don’t change your mind — and keep inviting us.
Especially — thank you so much — when I heard that a Swedish MP was going to introduce me, I almost had a heart attack. Yes. Because the Swedish feminist cabinet betrayed Iranian women.
But when I read about you, I thought: “Thank you. Finally, somebody decided to stop being politically correct and name them what they are: Islamist terrorists.”
In 2015, I came here — to the Geneva Summit — after launching a campaign against compulsory veiling, fighting against the entire regime. Iranian women were walking unveiled, challenging Ali Khamenei and his dictatorship.
I warned the High Representative of the European Parliament — female politicians from the Netherlands, Sweden, France, Germany, all over the world — to stop bowing to the Iranian regime.
But they went there respecting compulsory hijab laws, in the name of not causing Islamophobia. They said, “We wear hijab out of respect for your culture.”
Listen: my mother wears a hijab. She never, never, never forced me to wear a hijab. This is the culture of my nation — not the ISIS-like power forcing every female politician from Western countries to obey Sharia laws.
That was a betrayal.
Western female politicians waited too long to understand that compulsory hijab is not our culture. Until Masha Amini was killed, suddenly they said, “Wow, yes, this is not your culture.” They started cutting their hair to show solidarity with the women of Iran.
I am calling on all the High Representatives of the European Parliament: stop cutting your hair — cut ties with our killers.
In 2019, when the United States of America designated the Revolutionary Guards as a terrorist organization, I know a lot of people hated President Trump and turned their heads away — from President Trump, and from millions of Iranians.
The United States did the right thing by designating the Revolutionary Guards as a terrorist organization. Europe waited too long — seven years. Suddenly they decided to designate the Revolutionary Guards as a terrorist organization — and that delay cost more than 40,000 innocent lives killed by those same Revolutionary Guards.
For 47 years, the regime has ruined the environment, our culture, our nation — everything. But in the West, democratic countries are still waiting to reform this regime.
So my question is very simple: how long do you want to wait to see that under a reformist regime — under a so-called reformist regime — people still get slaughtered?
Recently, you have seen that finally, in Europe, the language of politicians has changed. I am so happy to see this moment — when European leaders understand that this is not just the Supreme Leader. He is the godfather of ISIS: Ali Khamenei.
But we should not stop there.
For years, when I challenged Europeans and asked why they negotiated with the Islamic Republic, they said, “Now is the time of the moderate president. We need to open the door of diplomacy toward the moderate President Hassan Rouhani.”
Under Hassan Rouhani, 1,500 people were killed. You call him moderate. We call him terrorist. International media called him reformist. That’s why they said we need to negotiate with them — to stop Ali Khamenei.
He is the puppet of Ali Khamenei.
Under Masoud Pezeshkian, 40,000 people have been massacred. More than 300 people have been injured. And 10,000 innocent protesters have been blinded.
You call him reforming. We call them killers.
And now I want to ask Europeans to listen to just some of the names — only some of the names — of the victims killed in this uprising. This is the difficult part for many Iranians: naming those who have been killed.
Mohammad Jabbari.
Mohammad Jabbari stood at a door with his bare hands, holding it closed while security forces stormed into a building, planning to arrest unarmed protesters. He saved others’ lives. In the end, the security forces pushed the door, knocked him to the ground, and killed him.
A firefighter. A man trying to save lives. While others ran from bullets, he ran toward unarmed people. His image went viral when he carried a wounded person on his shoulder. Security forces shot and killed him.
Faezeh Mostafan. Only 20 years old. After security forces killed her, her mother was afraid they would steal her body. She hugged her until morning so she could bury her.
The names go on and on and on.
And that’s why I want to ask you, ladies and gentlemen — it’s very simple: say their names. Stand with those who sacrificed their lives — not only to free Iran, but to free Europe from Islamism, to protect global security, to protect you from one of the most dangerous regimes: the Islamic Republic.
Stand with the people of Iran.
Stand for Raha. For Majid. For Mohammad. For Mehdi. For Pouya. For Pejman. For Iman. For Abolfazl. For Aida. For a doctor. For children.
The names — the names give me hope. Otherwise, we are all traumatized.
They took everything from us. Our homeland. Our family members. Our freedom. Our dignity. But not our hope.
Our hope and our anger are bigger than our fear. And we will end this regime.
Stand with us.
This is the Berlin Wall moment of Iranians. Help us bring down the wall of dictatorship — right now.
History is watching you.
Thank you so much.
18th Annual Geneva Summit for Human Rights and Democracy, U.N. Opening, Monday, February 17, 2026
Key Quotes:
“In my country in 24 hours they killed 40,000 people in Iran and I am here at the United Nations while the killers are walking here.”
“I want to ask Geneva to host a peace conference. Invite the opposition from Iran. Invite the leaders of Europe. Invite the leaders from European countries and the free world here to talk about an Iran without the Islamic Republic.”
