Speeches

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Human Rights

Welcome

Nazanin Afshin-Jam, international human rights activist and President and co-founder of Stop Child Executions, addresses the 1st Annual Geneva Summit for Human Rights and Democracy – see below for full prepared remarks.   Full remarks   Nazanin Afshin-Jam: Good morning and welcome to the Geneva summit for Human Rights and Democracy. My

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Cuba

Authoritarianism and Political Dissidents

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 1st Annual Geneva Summit for Human Rights and

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Zimbabwe

Resisting Authoritarianism: Human Rights, Democracy and the Dissident Movement

Marlon Zakeyo, a Zimbabwean lawyer and activist, addresses the 1st Annual Geneva Summit for Human Rights and Democracy – see below for full prepared remarks.   Full remarks   Bonjour, good morning, mangwanani, to all of the participants here. To my fellow Zimbabweans wherever they are and to all friends of Zimbabwe throughout

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Egypt

Resisting Authoritarianism: Human Rights, Democracy and the Dissident Movement

Saad Eddin Ibrahim, a prominent Egyptian social scientist, human rights defender and democracy advocate, addresses the 1st Annual Geneva Summit for Human Rights and Democracy – see below for full prepared remarks.   Full remarks   As I was reading the program and the bios, I felt very humbled. So even though I

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Burma

Resisting Authoritarianism: Human Rights, Democracy and the Dissident Movement

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

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Venezuela

Resisting Authoritarianism: Human Rights, Democracy and the Dissident Movement

Gonzalo Himiob Santome, a Venezuelan lawyer, rights activist, and writer, addresses the 1st Annual Geneva Summit for Human Rights and Democracy – see below for full prepared remarks.   Full remarks   Good morning to you all. It is really a privilege for me to be here at the summit. Not only because

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Human Rights

Torture and Cruel and Inhuman Treatment

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.

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Iran

Torture and Cruel and Inhuman Treatment

Ahmad Batebi, an Iranian activist and prisoner of conscience who later fled to the United States, addresses the 1st Annual Geneva Summit for Human Rights and Democracy – see below for full prepared remarks.   Full remarks   So I will speak about things that have not already been said, and I will

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Libya

Tortured by the Libyan Regime

Kristiyana Valcheva, a Bulgarian nurse who was wrongfully accused by the Libyan regime of participating in the poisoning of 400 Libyan children, imprisoned, and tortured, addresses the 1st Annual Geneva Summit for Human Rights and Democracy – see below for full prepared remarks.   Full remarks      

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Libya

Tortured by the Libyan Regime

Ashraf El Hajouj, a Palestinian-Bulgarian medic who was the principal defendant in Libya’s so-called “HIV Trial,” addresses the 1st Annual Geneva Summit for Human Rights and Democracy – see below for full prepared remarks.   Full remarks        

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Human Rights

Bloggers for Freedom

A panel including former Secretary General of the International Federation of Liberal Youth (IFLRY), Bart Woord; Belarusian and Estonian civic activist, media manager, and web producer, Pavel Marozau; international human rights activist and President and co-founder of Stop Child Executions, Nazanin Afshin-Jam; and dissident blogger from Bahrein creating virtual spaces

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Human Rights

Freedom of Expression and Defamation of Religion

A panel including scholar and practitioner of international religious liberty law, Angela Wu; Senior Research Fellow in International Regulatory Affairs for The Heritage Foundation, Brett Schaefer; expert on US constitutional law and freedom of speech, Floyd Abrams; director, teacher, columnist, and the co-founder of the journal ProChoix who has previously

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Concluding Remarks

Francois Zimeray, international lawyer who has served as Ambassador of France to the UN Human Rights Council, addresses the 1st Annual Geneva Summit for Human Rights and Democracy – see below for full prepared remarks.   Full remarks   Nazanin Afshin-Jam: I’d like to present to you ambassador Francois Zimeray. He’s the

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Concluding Remarks

Alfred Moses, Chairman of UN Watch, former U.S. Ambassador to Romania, Special Presidential Envoy for the Cyprus Conflict, and Special Counsel to President Jimmy Carter, delivers the concluding remarks for the 1st Annual Geneva Summit for Human Rights and Democracy – see quotes below, followed by full prepared remarks. Full remarks Nazanin

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Human Rights

Welcome

Isabel Rochat, member of the Council of the Geneva canton between 2009 and 2013 and member of the Federal Commission Against Racism until 2012, delivers opening remarks at the 2nd Annual Geneva Summit for Human Rights and Democracy – see below for full prepared remarks.   Full remarks   Hillel Neuer: On

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Human Rights

Welcome

John Suarez, Executive Director at the Center for a Free Cuba, addresses the 2nd Annual Geneva Summit for Human Rights and Democracy – see below for full prepared remarks.   Full remarks   John Suarez: Mayor of Geneva, Isabel Rochat, excellencies, ladies and gentlemen, I’d also like to point out that today

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China

Rising Powers and International Rights Compliance: Case Study of China

Yang Jianli, leading Chinese dissident and pro-democracy activist, addresses the 2nd Annual Geneva Summit for Human Rights and Democracy – see quotes below, followed by full prepared remarks.   Full remarks   John Suarez: Mayor of Geneva, Isabel Rochat, excellencies, ladies and gentlemen, I’d also like to point out that today is

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China

Rising Powers and International Rights Compliance: Case Study of China

Rebiya Kadeer, is an advocate of greater autonomy for China’s Uyghur population and a human rights activist, addresses the 2nd Annual Geneva Summit for Human Rights and Democracy – see below for full prepared remarks.   Full remarks   Rebiya Kadeer: First of all, I would like to congratulate all the women for

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China

Rising Powers and International Rights Compliance: Case Study of China

Phuntsok Nyidron, one of Tibet’s longest held political prisoners, addresses the 2nd Annual Geneva Summit for Human Rights and Democracy – see below for full prepared remarks.   Full remarks   Phuntsok Nyidron: Good morning everybody.  My name is Phuntsok Nyidron. I was born in Phenpo, a small village near Lhasa, the capital

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Tribute to International Women’s Day: Women and the Right to Equality

Professor Irwin Cotler, Chair of the Raoul Wallenberg Centre for Human Rights and former Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada, addresses the 2nd Annual Geneva Summit for Human Rights and Democracy – see below for full prepared remarks.   Full remarks   Hillel Neuer: We are going to begin our

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Afghanistan

Tribute to International Women’s Day: Women and the Right to Equality

Massouda Jalal, former faculty member at Kabul University, psychiatrist and pediatrician, and the only woman to run against Hamid Karzai in Afghanistan’s 2004 presidential race, addresses the 2nd Annual Geneva Summit for Human Rights and Democracy – see below for full prepared remarks.   Full remarks   Dr. Massouda Jalal: Fellow speakers, distinguished

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Authoritarianism and Dissent: 21st Century Horizons

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

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Cuba

Authoritarianism and Dissent: 21st Century Horizons

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

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North Korea

Authoritarianism and Dissent: 21st Century Horizons

Dong-hyuk Shin, advocate for human rights in North Korea and former prisoner at the notorious “Camp 14” North Korean labor camp, addresses the 5th Annual Geneva Summit for Human Rights and Democracy – see below for full prepared remarks.   Full remarks   Dong-hyuk Shin: If they complain, they could be submitted to

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Burma

Authoritarianism and Dissent: 21st Century Horizons

Ko Bo Kyi, former Burmese student activist, political prisoner, and founder of the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners, addresses the 2nd Annual Geneva Summit for Human Rights and Democracy – see below for full prepared remarks.   Full remarks   Ko Bo Kyi: Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen. Thank you very much for

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Zimbabwe

Authoritarianism and Dissent: 21st Century Horizons

Dewa Mavhinga, former Southern Africa Director of  Human Rights Watch and former Regional Coordinator for the Crisis in Zimbabwe Coalition, addresses the 2nd Annual Geneva Summit for Human Rights and Democracy – see below for full prepared remarks.   Full remarks   Dewa Mavingha: Thank you and thank you to UN Watch and

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Venezuela

Authoritarianism and Dissent: 21st Century Horizons

Tamara Suju, a Venezuelan lawyer and human rights activist, addresses the 2nd Annual Geneva Summit for Human Rights and Democracy – see below for full prepared remarks.   Full remarks   Tamara Suju: Good afternoon. First of all, I’d just like to say thank you to the coalition for human rights and this

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Cuba

Authoritarianism and Dissent: 21st Century Horizons

Nestor Rodriguez Lobaina, a prominent Cuban pro-democracy activist who has been arbitrarily arrested more than 200 times, addresses the 2nd Annual Geneva Summit for Human Rights and Democracy by video message as he is once again under arrest – see below for full prepared remarks.   Full remarks   Néstor

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Sudan

Genocide and the Humanitarian Challenge: Case Study of Sudan

Amer Adam Hesabu, a refugee from Darfur who has served as Chair of the Darfur Community in the UK and Northern Ireland, addresses the 2nd Annual Geneva Summit for Human Rights and Democracy – see below for full prepared remarks.   Full remarks        

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Sudan

Genocide and the Humanitarian Challenge: Case Study of Sudan

A panel including a refugee from Darfur who has served as Chair of the Darfur Community in the UK and Northern Ireland, Amer Adam Hesabu;  a refugee from Sudan and a survivor of child slavery, Simon Deng; and President and owner of the Geneva School of Diplomacy & International Relations,

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Human Rights Advocacy: Skills-Building Workshops

Jared Genser, international human rights lawyer, and Paula Schriefer, former Vice President for Global Programs at Freedom House, lead a human rights skills-building workshop at the 2nd Annual Geneva Summit for Human Rights and Democracy – see below for full prepared remarks.   Full remarks    

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Censorship and Internet Freedom

Alexander Ntoko, Chief of the Operations and Planning Department at the International Telecommunications Union (ITU), addresses the 2nd Annual Geneva Summit for Human Rights and Democracy – see below for full prepared remarks.   Full remarks   Alexander Ntoko: Good morning everybody. I am usually not used to reading declarations but I

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Censorship and Internet Freedom

Robert Boorstin, Senior Vice President at Albright Stonebridge Group and a former Director of Public Policy at Google, addresses the 2nd Annual Geneva Summit for Human Rights and Democracy – see below for full prepared remarks.   Full remarks   Chair, Bart Woord: And I mean, the search engine, I remember when I

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Venezuela

Next Generation: Youth, Eights Defenders and the Blogosphere

Diego Scharifker, a Venezuelan pro-democracy activist and former leader of the country’s student movement, addresses the 2nd Annual Geneva Summit for Human Rights and Democracy – see below for full prepared remarks.   Full remarks   Diego Scharifker: Good morning. I am immensely honoured to be with all you distinguished regional and worldwide

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Vietnam

Next Generation: Youth, Eights Defenders and the Blogosphere

Duy Hoang, a Vietnamese-born American democracy activist who serves as a spokesperson for Viet Tan, an unsanctioned political movement in Vietnam, addresses the 2nd Annual Geneva Summit for Human Rights and Democracy – see below for full prepared remarks.   Full remarks   Duy Hoang: Good morning, it’s great to be here. I

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Azerbaijan

Next Generation: Youth, Eights Defenders and the Blogosphere

Ruslan Asadov, co-founder of Azerbaijan’s ‘OL! Youth Movement,’ which works to develop democratic leaders and disseminate modern and progressive values, addresses the 2nd Annual Geneva Summit for Human Rights and Democracy – see below for full prepared remarks.   Full remarks   Ruslan Asadov: Hi. Thank you for the passionate presentation. As

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Iran

Free and Fair Elections – Case Study: Iran

Stéphane Bussard, former Le Temps US correspondent in New York, and Caspian Makan, fiancé of the late Neda Agha Soltan, who was murdered in the streets of Iran in 2009 for speaking up and protesting against the Iranian regime, address the 2nd Annual Geneva Summit for Human Rights and Democracy – see

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Iran

Free and Fair Elections – Case Study: Iran

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

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Iran

Free and Fair Elections – Case Study: Iran

Shaheen Sariri, former representative of Human Rights Activists in Iran (HRAI), a non-political and non-governmental organization comprised of advocates who defend human rights in Iran, addresses the 2nd Annual Geneva Summit for Human Rights and Democracy – see below for full prepared remarks.   Full remarks