Geneva Summit
On the eve of the United Nations Human Rights Council’s main annual session, the Geneva Summit for Human Rights and Democracy assembles each year hundreds of courageous dissidents and human rights victims, activists, diplomats, journalists and student leaders to shine a spotlight on urgent human rights situations that require global attention.
The Geneva Summit is sponsored by a coalition of 25 human rights NGOs from around the world. This annual conference builds on the success and momentum of the previous gatherings, which have been widely acclaimed in the international human rights community.
Human rights heroes, activists and former political prisoners from China, Cuba, Iran, North Korea, Pakistan, Russia, Venezuela and other countries testify about their personal struggles for human rights, democracy and freedom, and join hands to plan action strategies.
The Geneva Summit has been featured in media around the globe, including CNN, Agence France Presse, AP, The Australian,
Hillel Neuer Presents 2025 Defender of Freedom Award to Irwin Cotler — UN Opening, GS 2025
Betlehem Isaak on Eritrea — UN Opening, Geneva Summit 2025
Saman Pouryaghma — Blinded by the Islamic Regime in Iran | Geneva Summit 2025 (English & Persian)
Van Trang Nguyen — Borderless Repression: The Long Reach of Vietnam's Regime | GS 2025 (Vietnamese)
Sebastien Lai on Hong Kong — UN Opening, Geneva Summit 2025
Dr. Massouda Jalal on Afghanistan — UN Opening, Geneva Summit 2025
Keynote Address by Edmundo González — UN Opening, Geneva Summit 2025
Concluding Remarks by Garry Kasparov — UN Opening, Geneva Summit 2025
Times Wang on China — UN Opening, Geneva Summit 2025
Niemat Ahmadi on Sudan — UN Opening, Geneva Summit 2025
Rahima Mahmut on Uyghur Persecution — UN Opening, Geneva Summit 2025
Vladimir Kara-Murza on Russia — UN Opening, Geneva Summit 2025
Opening Remarks by Brandon Silver — UN Opening, Geneva Summit 2025
Welcoming Remarks by Canadian Ambassador Peter MacDougall — UN Opening, Geneva Summit 2025
Maryam Diyor — The Islamic Republic Murdered My Son for Protesting | Geneva Summit 2025 (Persian)
Maryam Diyor — The Islamic Republic Murdered My Son for Protesting | Geneva Summit 2025 (English)
María Corina Machado Accepts the 2025 Courage Award | Geneva Summit 2025
Osiris Puerto Terry — Story of a Survivor: Seeking Justice from Cuba's Regime | GS 2025 (Spanish)
Osiris Puerto Terry — Story of a Survivor: Seeking Justice from Cuba's Regime | GS 2025 (English)
Namkyi — A Tibetan's Brave Escape from the Chinese Regime | Geneva Summit 2025 (Tibetan)
Namkyi — A Tibetan's Brave Escape from the Chinese Regime | Geneva Summit 2025 (English)
Empty Chair: Maria Kalesnikava, Political Prisoner In Belarus | Geneva Summit 2025
Empty Chair: Ahmadreza Djalali, Sentenced to Death in Iran on False Charges | Geneva Summit 2025
Empty Chair: Rahile Dawut, Uyghur Scholar Disappeared by China | Geneva Summit 2025
Mahan Mehrabi — The Islamic Republic's Crackdown on Dissent | Geneva Summit 2025 (English)
Mahan Mehrabi — The Islamic Republic's Crackdown on Dissent | Geneva Summit 2025 (Persian)
Nazanin Afshin-Jam — The Islamic Republic's Brutality Against Protestors | Geneva Summit 2025
Javier El-Hage — Fighting for Democracy and Human Rights in Latin America | Geneva Summit 2025
Niemat Ahmadi — Sudan's Ongoing Nightmare: Preventing Further Atrocities | Geneva Summit 2025