Kai Maresca, a student at Ecole Moser in Geneva, presented the empty chair for Mikhail Kriger at the 18th Annual Geneva Summit for Human Rights and Democracy on February 18th, 2026.
Full Remarks:
My name is Kai Maresca, and I am a student at Ecole Moser in Geneva.
The empty chair on this stage is dedicated to Mikhail Kriger, a Russian opposition activist and political prisoner, who has been jailed for defending human rights in Russia, and for protesting the regime’s war on Ukraine.
For decades, Kriger has advocated democratic freedoms in Russia and the release of political prisoners. He co-founded the Union of Solidarity with Political Prisoners, and is active in various other Russian human rights groups.
Kriger has repeatedly faced persecution and detention for his activism and participation in peaceful protests. Despite the risks, he continued to speak out against injustice and repression. In February 2022, after Vladimir Putin launched Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Kriger publicly denounced the war.
On November 3, 2022, Kriger was seized in Moscow by masked security officers, thrown to the ground, and detained. His home was searched, and he was placed in pre-trial detention for two months.
His crime was posting online against Putin’s regime, to protest Russia’s war on Ukraine. The state indicted him under false charges of inciting hatred and justifying terrorism. On May 17, 2023, a military court sentenced Kriger to seven years in a penal colony.
Even behind bars, Kriger has continued to resist Putin’s regime through acts of quiet resistance. In September 2025, he began a hunger strike in protest of his conditions, garnering international attention and celebrity support against his unjust imprisonment.
Most recently, in November 2025, Mikhail was transferred to an even more brutal special penal colony for 6 months. He was punished for simply greeting someone through a fence while on a walk.
Today, we say to Mikhail Kriger: while you are confined to a prison cell, we gather here at the Geneva Summit to honor your courageous fight against tyranny, and to demand your freedom. We gather to say: You are not alone.
