UN Watch Turns Tables on Dictatorships, Brings Human Rights Heroes to World Stage
For once, the dictators were on the defensive. UN Watch led a coalition of 30 human rights organizations to hold the 17th annual Geneva Summit for Human Rights and Democracy, gathering the most courageous dissidents and family members of political prisoners from Iran, China, Russia, Cuba, Eritrea, Afghanistan, Venezuela, Sudan, Vietnam and elsewhere.
The opening event was held at the United Nations, co-hosted by Canada. The main summit then took place in Geneva’s international conference center, attended by 1,000 dissidents, diplomats, journalists, activists, and students. People came from around the world to participate in person, and thousands more followed online.
If you missed the Summit, you can catch up on all the action here.
“Ladies and gentlemen, the moral force in this room is astonishing. This is a gathering of those who stand as living proof that even the most brutal regimes cannot crush the human spirit. Tyranny thrives on silence. But today, in this room, there is no silence—only truth, courage, and defiance. Let this gathering be a message to the world’s oppressors: see you. We will not look away. And we will not stop until justice prevails.”
#GenevaSummit2025 Highlights
“Courage is not the absence of fear—it is the determination to push forward despite it. And that is exactly what Venezuela has done. After 25 years of threats, Venezuelans have voted on July 28th, raised their voices, and continue to fight today.”
Venezuelan President-Elect Edmundo González and opposition leader María Corina Machado were awarded the 2025 Courage Award inspired dissidents in their story of remaining steadfast in their struggle for freedom.
“We demand a future where Afghan women are not merely survivors but leaders, where girls can walk into classrooms without fear, where no one is forced into silence because of their gender.”
Dr. Massouda Jalal and her daughter, Husna Jalal, were awarded the 2025 International Women’s Rights Award, providing chilling testimonies about the horrors women endure under the Taliban.
“The Iranian people have endured more than four decades of suffering, yet their spirit remains unbroken. They are fighting not just for themselves but for the values of freedom, justice, and human dignity.”
Crown Prince of Iran Reza Pahlavi advocated a free, secular, and democratic government in Iran.
“I want to remind all those Western politicians who want to shake Vladimir Putin’s hand that this is a hand that is soaked in blood.”
Vladimir Kara-Murza, Russian opposition leader and survivor of two poisoning attempts and harsh imprisonment, calls for world pressure on Putin. Just released from prison, he was reunited on stage with his wife Evgenia Kara-Murza who fought for his freedom.
“My father turns 78 this year. With his current National Security Law trial that is ongoing at this very moment, he stands to face a maximum sentence of life in prison, though just another 5 years will probably have the same effect given his age and health.”
Sebastien Lai testified on behalf of his father, Jimmy Lai, the imprisoned pro-democracy newspaper publisher from Hong Kong.
“At times such as these, qui s’excuse s’accuse — whoever remains silent indicts himself and herself. Silence is complicity with evil. Silence is coming down on the side of the tormentors and not on the side of the tormented.”
Prof. Irwin Cotler, international human rights lawyer and former Canadian Minister of Justice, received the Defender of Freedom Award, presented by recently released political prisoner Vladimir Kara-Murza.
Hillel Neuer appeared on Fox News Business with Maria Bartiromo to highlight the brave activists and dissidents that spoke at Geneva Summit. “We brought victims from tyrannies around the world: from China, Russia, Cuba, Venezuela, Eritrea, and more.”
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