Media
For media enquiries, please contact: Arielle Herzog, Coordinator, media@genevasummit.org, Tel: +41 (0)79 788 42 97
Tibetans Participate In Human Rights Summit in Geneva
10 March 2010
The Second Geneva Summit on Human Rights, Tolerance and Democracy is being organised jointly by over 25 human rights groups from across the globe... read more
Le témoignage poignant du fiancé de Neda
09 March 2010
De passage à Genève, Caspian Makan parle de celle qui est devenue l’égérie du mouvement vert, assassinée par les miliciens de la République islamique. Il raconte aussi sa fuite par les montagnes, sa nécessité d’exprimer sa douleur... read more
GENEVA DECLARATION ON INTERNET FREEDOM
09 March 2010
We, human rights defenders and representatives of civil society from all regions of the world, having assembled here at the Second Geneva Summit for Human Rights, Tolerance and Democracy... read more
Google, ITU Address Policies Of Global Internet Freedom (Intellectual Property Watch)
09 March 2010
Google, ITU Address Policies Of Global Internet Freedom By Kaitlin Mara @ 10:03 pm A representative of Google and of the United Nations International Telecommunication Union today spoke of internet freedom in repressive regimes and censorship in Western democracies. The same tools that allow democratic participation and the opportunity to bear witness to atrocity can be used for spam or surveillance, such as the tracking of Iranian dissidents through cell phones, said Robert Boorstin, director of public policy at Google. Boorstin and Alexander Ntoko, head of corporate strategy at the ITU, spoke today at the 8-9 March Geneva Summit for Human Rights, Tolerance and Democracy. The Geneva Summit today announced a “Declaration on Internet Freedom” which... read more
Activistas denuncian represión y torturas en Irán y Cuba
09 March 2010
Ginebra 9 de marzo.- La Segunda Cumbre sobre los Derechos Humanos, la Tolerancia y la Democracia se celebró hoy en esta ciudad con la denuncia de activistas sobre actos de represión y tortura en Irán y Cuba. Caspian Makan, novio de Neda Agha-Solta, la joven asesinada en las protestas post-electorales en Irán y ahora ícono de la libertad para la oposición iraní, se pronunció a favor de la democracia en la República Islámica. Neda, de 26 años, murió asesinada de un balazo en el corazón el 20 de junio pasado en Teherán y a partir de ese momento se ha convertido en un símbolo de lucha para los opositores del presidente Mahmud Ahmadineyad, quienes denuncian fraudulenta su reelección. Durante su alocución, Makan pidió al pueblo de Irán que resista, que tenga valentía para luchar contra el gobierno de Ahmadineyad y alegó que millones de personas exigen sus derechos en Irán han visto "crímenes horribles perpetrados por el régimen". Makan, quien fue encarcelado a mediados del año pasado, a poco de celebrarse las últimas elecciones iraníes, señaló que su prometida, Neda, estaba convencida de que las torturas en Irán se debían dar a conocer. Recordó que pocos días antes de su muerte, Neda le dijo que sentía "la responsabilidad de luchar por la libertad". El joven también denunció casos de represión y tortura del gobierno de Teherán contra los opositores, sin embargo, destacó que gracias a Internet y a la prensa internacional, ahora se puede "alzar la voz" y dar a conocer lo que realmente pasa en la República Islámica. Por su parte, el activista John Suárez, del Directorio Democrático Cubano, denunció la represión... read more
El novio de la joven iraní muerta ante las cámaras pide valentía para luchar contra régimen - Por Agencia EFE
09 March 2010
Ginebra, 9 mar (EFE).- El que fue prometido de la joven Neda Agha-Solta, muerta ante las cámaras durante las protestas antigubernamentales en Teherán, pidió hoy "valentía a los iraníes para plantarse y luchar contra el Gobierno" de Mahmud Ahmadineyad, y cambiar un régimen que "no respeta los derechos humanos". "La gente quiere tener una democracia real en Irán, querrían cambiar el régimen por uno nuevo y bueno que respete los derechos humanos", declaró a Efe Caspian Makan, quien participa en Ginebra en una cumbre de disidentes y ex presos políticos sobre derechos humanos. "Los iraníes desean elegir su futuro por sí mismos, elegir a su gobierno, sus parlamentarios, y poder practicar la democracia", agregó el que fue novio de Neda. Neda Agha-Solta murió el pasado 20 de junio en Teherán a los 26 años de un disparo en el pecho, y se convirtió en símbolo de las protestas que estallaron contra en régimen del presidente Ahmadineyad tras las elecciones que supusieron su reelección. Makan destacó que gracias a la tecnología actual, como Internet y la prensa internacional, se puede "alzar la voz para transmitir al mundo lo que pasa en Irán", con lo que dijo que espera "tener éxito" en el futuro con sus ansías de cambio. El prometido de Neda acudió a Ginebra para participar en el Congreso para los Derechos Humanos, la Tolerancia y la Democracia, en el que también han intervenido disidentes venidos de varios puntos del planeta.... read more
Google Welcomes U.S. Easing Of Internet Export Rules For Iran, Others
09 March 2010
But Robert Boorstin, head of Google's communications division, spoke briefly today about some of Google's activities and plans during a human rights forum in Switzerland -- the Geneva Summit for Human Rights Tolerance, and Democracy. Boorstin told the forum that Google has sponsored conferences allowing activists to get together and talk about the latest methods authoritarian regimes are using to block access to the Internet -- as well as developments on how to circumvent information blockades. "We have engineers who are quite interested in this and work on it in their spare time -- in addition to working on various tools that the company is interested in," Boorstin said. "It's not something that I really, frankly, want to talk about publicly -- for obvious reasons... read more
Human Rights Summit Opens Today in Geneva; 800 Victims, Dissidents, Activists, Diplomats Participating From 67 Countries
08 March 2010
GENEVA, March 8, 2010 - Today and tomorrow, March 8-9, 2010, renowned dissidents, rights activists and experts will come together in Geneva, Switzerland, to urge action against rights abusers, boost democracy dissidents worldwide, and issue a call for internet freedom. Prominent figures addressing the second annual Geneva Summit for Human Rights, Tolerance and Democracy include Caspian Makan, the fiancé of slain Iranian icon Neda Agha Soltan, Massouda Jalal, first female presidential candidate of Afghanistan, and Robert Boorstin, Google's Director of Corporate and Policy Communications, who will address censorship and internet freedom.The two-day schedule features more than 20 action-oriented presentations and skills-building workshops, exploring a variety of topics, with the objective of advancing the struggle of dissidents against state repression, internet freedom, and reform of the 47-nation UN Human Rights Council... read more
Friend and Faux on Human Rights; Iran bids to join the U.N.’s rights body.
08 March 2010
Some of the world’s most courageous champions of human rights will convene today, Monday, March 8, in Geneva, seat of the United Nations’s Human Rights Council. But don’t expect the Council itself to welcome these distinguished visitors. The Geneva Summit-organized by groups such as U.N. Watch and Freedom House, and chaired by Poland’s Lech Walesa and the Czech Republic’s Vaclav Havel-will bring together political dissidents from China, Iran and Burma, rights activists for the Tibetan and Uighur peoples, a survivor of the North Korean gulag, plus a former Sudanese slave named Simon Deng... In Geneva today, the real truth tellers will be [at the Geneva Summit]... read more
Shadow Summit In Geneva Focusing On Neglected Rights Issues
08 March 2010
Dissidents, diplomats, and NGO representatives from around the world have gathered in Geneva for a two-day summit aimed at giving voice to victims of the world’s worst human rights abuses... read more
Rendez-vous des dissidents à Genève
08 March 2010
Les dissidents de plusieurs pays ont témoigné lundi à Genève des pires violations des droits de l'homme. Réunis pendant deux jours à l'appel de 25 ONG, ils ont lancé un appel à la liberté sur Internet, en marge de la réunion du Conseil des droits de l'homme... read more
CONFERENCE DE PRESSE - PRESS CONFERENCE
05 March 2010
Geneva Summit Press Conference Monday March 8th at 15h30 Geneva International Conference Center - Room 5 CONFERENCE DE PRESSE Lundi 8 Mars 2010 à 15h30 Centre International de Conference (CICG) - salle 5... read more
Cuba Bars Dissident From Attending Geneva Rights Summmit; 30 NGOs Appeal for UN Intervention
04 March 2010
GENEVA, Mar. 4, 2010 – Cuba created a stir at the UN Human Rights Council today when its envoy began banging his country name-plate on the table to interrupt a speech about a political prisoner, who is being blocked from going to a Geneva conference for dissidents this Monday. In an interactive council debate with UN High Commissioner of Human Rights Navi Pillay, UN Watch executive director Hillel Neuer asked her to respond to today's appeal by 30 human rights groups from Morocco, Vietnam, Canada, Germany, Venezuela, the U.S and other countries, calling on the UN rights chief to intervene on behalf of Néstor Rodríguez Lobaina, a former prisoner of consicence who was freed after five years in jail and a worldwide Amnesty International campaign. Mr. Lobaina is currently being barred by the Cuban government from leaving the country to join other dissidents and address Monday’s Geneva Summit for Human Rights, Tolerance and Democracy... read more
Fiancé of Neda, Iran's Slain ‘Angel of Freedom,’ Heading to Geneva Rights Summit
02 March 2010
GENEVA, March 2, 2010 -- -- One day after Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki told the UN in Geneva that President Ahmadinejad's June election was "an exemplary exhibition of democracy and freedom," Caspian Makan, the fiancé of slain Iranian icon Neda Agha Soltan, announced today that he will join other world-famous dissidents as a speaker at next Monday's Geneva Summit for Human Rights, Tolerance and Democracy, co-organized by UN Watch, Freedom House, Ibuka and more than 20 other human rights NGOs. Images of Neda's bloody killing in June at the hand of the Basij paramilitary force turned an international spotlight on the brutality of the Iranian government crackdown against peaceful protesters. The Tehran regime banned prayers for Neda in the country's.... read more
Google to address rights summit on Web freedom
25 February 2010
Google is sending one of its senior executives to address a March gathering of political dissidents for internet freedom, according to an announcement today by 25 activist groups organizing the 2nd Geneva Summit for Human Rights, Tolerance and Democracy... read more
Interview of Caspian Makan, Neda's fiancé on Swiss TV
18 February 2010
On Monday March 15th, Interview by Darius Rochebin on Swiss TV (TSR) of Caspian Makan, fiancé of Neda Agha Soltan, killed on camera by a sniper's bullet on the streets of Tehran during a demonstration... read more
Dissidents et anciens prisonniers politiques organisent le Sommet de Genève
17 February 2010
Le 8 et 9 Mars 2010, en parallèle et en soutien de la session annuelle du Conseil des Droits de l’Homme de l’ONU, des dissidents de renommée internationale, des activistes des droits de l’homme et des experts se réuniront à Genève, en Suisse, pour appeler à agir contre les violations des droits de l’homme, pour soutenir les dissidents dans le monde et pour lancer un appel pour la liberté de l’Internet... read more
Dissidents, Ex-Political Prisoners Organizing Geneva Rights Summit
12 February 2010
On March 8-9, 2010, to enhance the annual session of the UN Human Rights Council, renowned dissidents, rights activists and experts will come together in Geneva, Switzerland, to urge action against rights abusers, boost democracy dissidents worldwide, and issue a call for internet freedom. The second annual Geneva Summit for Human Rights, Tolerance and Democracy, to be held at the Geneva International Conference Center, is organized by a global civil society coalition of 25 human rights groups, including UN Watch, Ibuka, Freedom House, and Burmese, Tibetan and Zimbabwean organizations (see list below), with support from the Canton of Geneva... read more
Nelson Mandela’s Captive Audience: My Hero, Page by Page
07 February 2010
New York Times op-ed by Geneva Summit co-organizer Ko Bo Kyi... read more