Global dissidents condemn China, Iran, Russia at UN Watchdog summit in Geneva

Dissidents from around the world gathered in Geneva, Switzerland, to share their stories of survival and escape from authoritarian regimes, just days before the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) convenes its 58th session in the same city.

In his opening remarks at the Geneva Summit for Human Rights and Democracy, UN Watch Executive Director Hillel Neuer criticized the UNHRC, challenging its legitimacy. “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.”

While many dissidents shared their personal struggles, others were represented by family members, friends, and local students who spoke on their behalf. The summit used empty chairs to symbolize absent dissidents—those imprisoned, silenced, or otherwise unable to attend. Among the 47 UNHRC member states, dissidents from Sudan, Cuba, Vietnam, and China detailed their experiences with oppression.

Times Wang, a human rights attorney based in the U.S., spoke about his father, Dr. Wang Bingzhang, who was kidnapped by Chinese authorities in 2002 and remains the longest-imprisoned Chinese political dissident in solitary confinement. Sebastien Lai, son of *Apple Daily* founder Jimmy Lai, highlighted his father’s imprisonment since 2020 by Chinese authorities. *Apple Daily*, once Hong Kong’s largest newspaper, was forcibly shut down in 2021. If convicted, Jimmy Lai faces a life sentence and remains in solitary confinement with multiple appeals denied.

The summit also featured dissidents from former UNHRC member states, including Saudi Arabia, Venezuela, Eritrea, Afghanistan, and Russia. Russian pro-democracy activist Vladimir Kara-Murza, who was jailed in April 2022 for opposing the war in Ukraine and later released in August 2024, urged democratic nations to unite against authoritarian regimes. “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,” he said. Having survived two poisoning attempts, Kara-Murza remains an outspoken critic of the Kremlin.

Garry Kas, a prominent human rights activist and critic of Russian President Vladimir Putin, expressed skepticism about the UN’s ability to hold violators accountable, arguing that “the rot runs so deep” that the international community is now “approaching the question” of replacing the institution “rather than merely reforming it.”

Iranian Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi, in his keynote address, called for the dismantling of the Islamic Republic. “What is caused by the Islamic Republic, can be solved by its removal,” he declared. He also highlighted Iranian women’s fight for freedom, stating that their struggle goes beyond the hijab requirement. “It is not about a piece of cloth. It is about reclaiming their equality and their country.”

The UNHRC did not immediately respond to *Fox News*’ request for comment. As its 58th session approaches, discussions listed on its website include