Matteo Mecacci, Italian Member of the European Parliament, elected official of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe’s (OSCE) Parliamentary Assembly, and former Chairperson of the Italian Parliamentary Intergroup for Tibet, addresses the 2nd Annual Geneva Summit for Human Rights and Democracy – see below for full prepared remarks.
Full remarks
Italian MP, OSCE Rapporteur
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,
Bookseller Lam Wing-kee, abducted by Chinese authorities for selling politically sensitive books in Hong Kong, addresses the 10th Annual Geneva Summit for Human Rights and Democracy – see quotes below, followed by full prepared remarks. On Chinese persecution of Hong Kong booksellers: “From October to December 2015, shareholders and staff members
Rosa Maria Paya, one of Cuba’s leading human rights and democracy activists and the daughter of the late Oswaldo Paya, addresses the 8th Annual Geneva Summit for Human Rights and Democracy – see quotes below, followed by full prepared remarks. On dictatorship in Cuba: “Let me tell you that as a
Ahn Myeong Chul, North Korean former prison guard turned defector and human rights activist, addresses the 6th Annual Geneva Summit for Human Rights and Democracy – see below for full prepared remarks. Full Remarks Ahn Myeong Chul: Good afternoon, my name is Ahn Myeong Chul. I would like to thank
Forcibly displaced Ukrainian civil society leader and Chair of the NGO Opora, Olga Aivazovska, speaks at the 14th Annual Geneva Summit for Human Rights and Democracy – see quotes below, followed by full prepared remarks. On the Russian invasion of Ukraine: “There is nothing special about me, my only superpower is that I’m Ukrainian.”
Luis Enrique Ferrer Garcia, a Cuban dissident who received a 28-year prison sentence in the Black Spring crackdown of 2003 and was later exiled along with his family, addresses the 3rd Annual Geneva Summit for Human Rights and Democracy.
Gulalai Ismail, prominent Pakistani women’s rights activist and former political prisoner who escaped the country receives the 2021 International Women’s Rights Award and addresses the 13th Annual Geneva Summit for Human Rights and Democracy – see quotes below, followed by full prepared remarks. On growing up in Pakistan: “I grew
Zhanna Nemtsova, Russian activist and daughter of murdered opposition leader Boris Nemtsov, addresses the 9th Annual Geneva Summit for Human Rights and Democracy – see quotes below, followed by full prepared remarks. On a resurgent Russian authoritarianism: “The title of the panel, as you know, is “The Return of Authoritarianism”, and
Irwin Cotler, Founder and Chair of the Raoul Wallenberg Centre for Human Rights, Emeritus Professor of Law at McGill University, former Member of Parliament, former Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada, and international human rights lawyer, addresses the 6th Annual Geneva Summit for Human Rights and Democracy – see quotes
Alice Teodorescu Måwe, Swedish member of the European Parliament, delivers her remarks as she presents the 2026 Geneva Summit Courage Award to Masih Alinejad on behalf of the heroes of Iran. Full Prepared Remarks: Excellencies, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen, Thank you for this invitation. It is a great honour
Rebecca Kabuo, Congolese human rights activist who has been arrested more than a dozen times during peaceful protests and, in 2015, was dubbed the youngest prisoner of conscience in the world, addresses the 12th Geneva Summit for Human Rights and Democracy — see quotes below, followed by full prepared remarks.
Kang Chol-hwan, North Korean defector and former inmate of the notorious Yodok concentration camp, addresses the 5th Annual Geneva Summit for Human Rights and Democracy – see below for full prepared remarks. Full remarks Kang Chol-Hwan: It’s my honor to speak in front of you at the Geneva Summit. This
Congolese activist Julienne Lusenge who fights rape as a weapon of war is awarded the 2018 Women’s Rights Award before addressing the 10th Annual Geneva Summit for Human Rights and Democracy – see quotes below, followed by full prepared remarks. On protracted war in the Democratic Republic of Cong (DRC): “Before
Esther Mujawayo, therapist, activist, and Rwandan genocide survivor, addresses the 1st Annual Geneva Summit for Human Rights and Democracy – see below for full prepared remarks. Full remarks Esther Mujawayo: Thank you, Professor Cotler. I must say while Mr. Hamid was speaking, I was very uncomfortable because […] 15 years after
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
Polina Nemirovskaia, a seasoned human rights campaigner in Russia and active player in the political campaigns of Boris Nemtsov before his tragic addition to the list of high-profile political critics of President Vladimir Putin assassinated for their dissent, addresses the 8th Annual Geneva Summit for Human Rights and Democracy – see
Felix Maradiaga, Nicaraguan opposition leader and human rights activist, addresses the 11th Annual Geneva Summit for Human Rights and Democracy – see quotes below, followed by full remarks in English and Spanish. On human rights abuses in Nicaragua: “It was the case of the child Conrado Alvaro, who was shot in
Full Transcript Moderator: Good morning. My name is Luke de Pulford. Friends, we have 45 minutes together and we need to use every moment of that time because as I speak to you from this podium the People’s Republic of China is perpetrating atrocities on a scale not seen since
Jacqueline Kasha, a Ugandan activist and founder of ‘Freedom and Roam Uganda’ (FARUG), a lesbian, bisexual, transgender, and intersexual rights organization in a country where homosexuality is criminalized, addresses the 3rd Annual Geneva Summit for Human Rights and Democracy – see below for full prepared remarks. Full remarks Karin S. Woldseth: Meseveni set
Oft-imprisoned Zimbabwean investigative journalist Hopewell Chin’ono addressess the 14th Annual Geneva Summit for Human Rights and Democracy – see quotes below, followed by full prepared remarks. On attacks on free speech in Zimbabwe: “Being here is a remarkable feat considering that I’m coming from Zimbabwe. You never know whether you’ll be
North Korean escapee and survivor of extreme poverty, oppression, and abandonment, Songmi Han, addresses the 15th Annual Geneva Summit for Human Rights and Democracy – see below for her remarks. Full Remarks My mom gave me two lives. First, when she gave birth to me in 1993. Second, when she rescued me from North
Tamara Suju, Venezuelan lawyer and human rights activist, addresses the 7th Annual Geneva Summit for Human Rights and Democracy – see below for full prepared remarks. Full Remarks Good morning. I’ve been asked to talk about my experience and what I’ve done so that I would end up in the Czech Republic, which
Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, Belarusian opposition presidential candidate and human rights activist who was forced to flee Belarus after rigged elections, addresses the 13th Annual Geneva Summit for Human Rights and Democracy – see quotes below, followed by full prepared remarks. On imprisonment of husband Sergei: “When our daughter asks where he
Stéphane Bussard, former Le Temps US correspondent in New York, and David Suurland, a Ph.D. and co-founder of the Foundation for Freedom of Information who has written extensively on political Islam, address the 2nd Annual Geneva Summit for Human Rights and Democracy – see below for full prepared remarks. Full remarks David
Laritza Diversent, Cuban lawyer, journalist, and human rights defender who serves as Executive Director of the nonprofit Cubalex, addresses the 12th Annual Geneva Summit for Human Rights and Democracy — see quotes below, followed by full prepared remarks. On lack of democracy in Cuba: “The judiciary does not exist.” “The