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
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
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
Hillel Neuer, Executive Director of UN Watch, moderated a discussion with Masih Alinejad and Leopoldo López at the 18th Annual Geneva Summit for Human Rights and Democracy on February 18th, 2026. Masih Alinejad is an Iranian journalist, women’s rights activist, and repeated target of attempted assassinations. Leopoldo López is a
Chinese dissenter, human rights activist, and former political prisoner Rei Xia addresses the 16th Annual Geneva Summit for Human Rights and Democracy – see below for her remarks. Full Remarks: Thank you all. Ladies and gentlemen, imagine one day you wake up and realize that you’ve turned into a caterpillar,
Pavez Sharma, an Indian filmmaker, author, and journalist, addresses the 1st Annual Geneva Summit for Human Rights and Democracy – see below for full prepared remarks. Full remarks Some of the largest and most bitter battles in this new century are going to be fought on the front lines of religion.
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.
Venezuelan youth leader who went into hiding to escape arrest by the Maduro regime, Hasler Iglesias, addresses the 15th Annual Geneva Summit for Human Rights and Democracy – see below for his remarks. Full Remarks We humans develop a strong sense of belonging to our motherlands. And for me, that’s Venezuela. But my story
Yang Jianli, leading Chinese dissident and pro-democracy activist, addresses the 11th Annual Geneva Summit for Human Rights and Democracy – see quotes below, followed by full prepared remarks. On being at Tiananmen Square in 1989: “A friend and I arrived in the square late on the night of June 3 just
Full Transcript Moderator: Welcome to our panel on Champions for Change. I’m joined by three incredibly courageous individuals here: Evan Mawarire, pastor and democracy activist from Zimbabwe, Yang Jianli, a dissident from China; and Vladimir Kara-Murza, an opposition politician from Russia. So I’m going to dive straight in here, and,
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,
Astrid Thors, a former OSCE High Commissioner for National Minorities and Finnish MP, addresses the 9th Annual Geneva Summit for Human Rights and Democracy – see quotes below, followed by full prepared remarks. Presenting the 2017 Moral Courage Award to former Maldives President Mohamed Nasheed: “Mister President, your work shows how
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
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
Zimbabwean pro-democracy dissident and protest leader Pastor Evan Mawarire addresses the 10th Annual Geneva Summit for Human Rights and Democracy – see quotes below, followed by full prepared remarks. On starting #ThisFlag movement for change in Zimbabwe: “The mantra of #ThisFlag was, if we cannot cause the politician to change, then
Kenneth Bae, survivor of North Korean gulag and longest-held American prisoner in North Korea, addresses the 10th Annual Geneva Summit for Human Rights and Democracy – see quotes below, followed by full prepared remarks. On being arrested and tortured by North Korea: “On November 3rd, 2012, I was arrested by North
Bobi Wine, presidential candidate in Uganda’s January 2026 elections, addressed the 18th Annual Geneva Summit for Human Rights and Democracy on February 18, 2026.
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
José Gabriel Ramón Castillo, Cuban human rights activist, who was expelled from the University of the Orient in 1993 after founding the first human rights organization in the Eastern region of the island, and was arrested and tortured in the 1990s, addresses the 2nd Annual Geneva Summit for Human Rights
Orhan Kemal Cengiz, a Turkish human rights lawyer and journalist, addresses the 8th Annual Geneva Summit for Human Rights and Democracy – see quotes below, followed by full prepared remarks. On press freedom in Turkey: “Then they started to sue journalists who said that Erdogan is a dicator, or Erdogan
Pyotr Verzilov, Russian performance artist, political activist, and founder of the news website MediaZona, adresses the 5th Annual Geneva Summit for Human Rights and Democracy – see below for full prepared remarks. Full remarks Extract from a September 2012 interview with President Vladimir Putin Reporter: I would like to talk
A panel including international human rights lawyer and advocate for the Chibok Girls, Emmanuel Ogebe; one of the hundreds of girls kidnapped by Boko Haram who is speaking under the pseudonym Saa; and journalist specializing in the Middle East and human rights, Tom Gross, at the 7th Annual Geneva Summit for Human
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 18th Annual Geneva Summit for Human Rights and Democracy on February 18th, 2026.
Irwin Cotler, Founder and Chair of the Raoul Wallenberg Centre for Human Rights, addresses the 9th Annual Geneva Summit for Human Rights and Democracy – see quotes below, followed by full prepared remarks. On political prisoners: “We have a responsibility to not only speak up but to act.” “It’s our responsibility
Biram Dah Abeid, leader of the anti-slavery campaign in Mauritania, addresses the 9th Annual Geneva Summit for Human Rights and Democracy – see quotes below, followed by full prepared remarks. On slavery in Mauritania: “I, a regular visitor to the hellish and life threatening jails of my country, where on
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