Dissidents from across the globe gathered in Geneva, Switzerland, to tell the stories of their survival and escape from authoritarian regimes. In just a few days, the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) will kick off its 58th session in that same city.
In his opening remarks at the Geneva Summit for Human Rights and Democracy, UN Watch Executive Director Hillel Neuer set the record straight on the UNHRC.
“You know, when most people hear the words ‘UN Human Rights Council,’ they imagine in their minds men wearing long white beards, dressed in white robes strolling along Mt. Olympus, basing their decisions on facts, logic, and morality, when nothing could be further from the truth,” Neuer said.
“Sitting around the table at the UN Human Rights Council across the street are not Aristotle, Socrates, or Plato, rather many of the world’s worst violators of human rights. They use their membership as a false badge of international legitimacy to gain impunity for their records of abuse.”
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While several dissidents had the chance to tell their stories, there were many who did not. The friends and family of dissidents and activists spoke, and local students told stories of those who were not present. The summit used empty chairs to represent the absent dissidents.
The UN agency has 47 member states that serve for three years at a time. Dissidents from four current UNHRC member states — Sudan, Cuba, Vietnam and China — told harrowing stories of taking on who Neuer calls “the world’s worst abusers.”
Times Wang, a human rights attorney based in the U.S., spoke about his father’s imprisonment in China. Dr. Wang Bingzhang, who was kidnapped by Chinese authorities in 2002, is the longest imprisoned Chinese political dissident. He remains in solitary confinement to this day.
Additionally, Sebastien Lai, the son of Apple Daily founder Jimmy Lai, spoke about his father’s detainment by Chinese authorities, which began in 2020. Apple Daily was Hong Kong’s largest newspaper until 2021, when it was forcibly shut down. If convicted, Jimmy Lai could be sentenced to life in prison. He is currently in solitary confinement and has had multiple appeals rejected.
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The summit also featured dissidents from former member states, including Saudi Arabia, Venezuela, Eritrea, Afghanistan and Russia.
“Good people in democratic nations when they join their efforts, when they stand together, when they work together, are stronger than dictatorship can ever hope to be,” Vladimir Kara-Murza told the summit.
Kara-Murza, a Russian pro-democracy activist, was jailed in April 2022 for speaking out against the war in Ukraine. He was released in August 2024. Prior to his recent imprisonment, Kara-Murza survived two poisoning attempts at the hands of Russia.
Human rights activist and outspoken critic of Russian President Vladimir Putin, Garry Kas expressed little faith in the UN. He asserts that “the rot runs so deep” that the international community is “approaching the question” of replacing the institution, “rather than merely reforming it.”
In his keynote address, Iranian Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi demanded the world act to take down the Islamic Republic regime.
“What is caused by the Islamic Republic, can be solved by its removal,” Pahlavi said.
Pahlavi also spoke about Iranian women’s fight for freedom, noting it went beyond the hijab requirement. He says their fight is “not about a piece of cloth. It is about reclaiming their equality and their country.”
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UNHRC did not immediately respond to Fox News’ request for comment.
While the 58th session of the UNHRC is still days away, there are several topics of discussion listed on its website. China, Sudan, Cuba, Vietnam and the other members will have the chance to weigh in on “early warning and genocide prevention,” “the question of the death penalty,” and “the elimination of all forms of racial discrimination,” among other topics.
President Donald Trump recently pulled the U.S. out of UNHRC, something he also did in his first term. In his 2025 executive order on withdrawing from UNHRC, Trump expresses similar sentiments to Neuer, saying that “UNHRC has protected human rights abusers by allowing them to use the organization to shield themselves from scrutiny.”
