Aram Aqil, Kurdish minority rights activist and a former ISIS hostage, addressed the 18th Annual Geneva Summit for Human Rights and Democracy on February 18, 2026.
18th Annual Geneva Summit for Human Rights and Democracy, U.N. Opening, Tuesday, February 17, 2026
Key Quotes:
“The Kurds’ right to live in dignity does not come only from the sacrifices we made fighting global Jihad and ISIS, we deserve dignity because we are rooted in our land in the Middle East. Dignity is not something earned through war — it is something every people inherently deserves. We built self-defense not for power, but for survival.”
“The Kurdish people are democratic, liberal, and openly anti-jihadist. We want to live in peace—free from religious coercion, free from violence, free from fear – and that is what we deserve, not just because we fought against ISIS. But because we Kurds have rights like anyone else.”
“And until Kurds, Druze, Jews, Alawites, Yazidis, Assyrians, and other minorities can live in safety, dignity, and equality – the entire region will remain unstable. We do not ask for pity. We ask for courage and consistency. And for allies who support minorities even when it is not convenient.”
