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.
Exiled Venezuelan human rights activist and former political prisoner
Member of Canadian Parliament, Chair of Foreign Affairs Committee
Exiled Belarusian opposition figure and chair of the Belarus Women’s Foundation
British-Australian academic, formerly held as a diplomatic hostage in Iran
Bolivian indigenous leader from the Sura Nation, member of the Bolivian Legislative Assembly
Cuban playwright and democracy activist
Swedish MP campaigning for the EU to list the IRGC as a terrorist entity
Mayor of Frankfurt, former political prisoner in Iran
Vice Chair, U.N Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women
Zimbabwean opposition leader held for 595 days in pre-trial detention
Soe Aung, a Burmese dissident activist campaigning for freedom in Burma, addresses the 1st Annual Geneva Summit for Human Rights and Democracy – see below for full prepared remarks. Full remarks Moderator, Ellen Bork: We turn now to Soe Aung, Burmese, dissident, and activist who was involved in the 1988 people’s
Nicaraguan opposition leader and former political prisoner, targeted by the government on false criminal charges, Félix Maradiaga, is presented with the 2023 Courage Award at the 15th Annual Geneva Summit for Human Rights and Democracy. He is joined on stage by his wife and recognised Nicaraguan activist, journalist, and human rights defender, Berta
Russian democracy dissident Vladimir Kara-Murza receives the Geneva Summit Courage Award at the 10th Annual Geneva Summit for Human Rights and Democracy – see quotes below, followed by full prepared remarks. On the commitment of Russians to human rights: “Russia is not usually the first country that comes to mind when
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. Full Prepared Remarks: Today, I speak as someone whose life has been shaped by discrimination, neglect, and exclusion. My name is Aram Aqil.