Speaking truth to power

HUMAN RIGHTS DEFENDERS

UN TESTIMONY

Iran

Nazanin Afshin-Jam

International human rights activist, co-founder of Stop Child Executions

Pakistan

Qanta Ahmed

Author, physician, women’s rights activist

Ukraine

Olga Aivazovska

Chair of the Ukrainian civil society organization OPORA

Saudi Arabia

Ali al-Ahmed

Saudi dissident and human rights activist

Syria

Lama al-Atassi

Syrian political activist

Saudi Arabia

Areej al-Sadhan

Activist and sister of Red Crescent aid worker detained since 2018 in Saudi Arabia

Venezuela

Milos Alcalay

Former Venezuelan Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador to Brazil, Israel, Romania, and the United Nations

Syria

Ahed Al Hendi

Founder of Syrian Youth for Justice

Syria

Abdalaziz Alhamza

Co-founder and spokesperson of Raqqa is Being Slaughtered Silently (RBSS)

Somalia

Nimco Ali

Anti-FGM activist and co-founder of Daughters of Eve and the Five Foundation

Iran

Masih Alinejad

Founder of the My Stealthy Freedom campaign against the compulsory hijab in Iran

Venezuela

Maria Alejandra Aristeguieta

Ambassador-designate in Switzerland of Venezuela’s interim President Juan Guaido

Venezuela

Diego Arria

Venezuelan politician, diplomat, and UN Security Council President.

Syria

Mouayed Askif

Syrian journalist

Cuba

Sirley Avila Leon

Cuban democracy activist

Saudi Arabia

Najwa Badawi

Daughter of Saudi political prisoner Raif Badawi

Iran

Maziar Bahari

Iranian journalist and political prisoner

Russia

Maria Baronova

Russian human rights activist and journalist

Iran

Ahmed Batebi

Founder of Human Rights Activists in Iran (HRAI)

Turkey

Yavuz Baydar

Editor-in-Chief of Turkish news site Ahval

Turkey

Nurcan Baysal

Kurdish author and human rights defender

Pakistan

Peter Bhatti

Activist for religious minorities in Pakistan

UAE

Kristina Bogos

Researcher and target of harrassment from Gulf countries

Iran

Nazanin Boniadi

Iranian-born actress and activist

Russia

Bill Browder

Hedge fund manager who led successful campaign to adopt the Magnitsky Act.

Venezuela

Elisabeth Burgos

Former Director of La Maison de l’Amérique Latine and l’Institut Culturel Français

Cuba

Gabriel C. Salvia

Argentinian pro-democracy activist and journalist.

Venezuela

Humberto Calderon Berti

Former Minister of Energy and Mines, Foreign Affairs, President of PDVSA

Nicaragua

Victoria Cardenas

Wife of Nicaraguan dissident and former prisoner of conscience Juan Sebastian Chamorro.

Cuba

Angel Fransisco Carromero Barrios

Spanish driver of the car unjustly blamed for the death of Cuban dissident Oswaldo Payá.

Venezuela

Eligio Cedeño

Exiled Venezuelan banker arbitrarly detained by the Chavez regime.

China

Tanya Chan

Hong Kong legislator, pro-democracy activist and lawyer.

Vietnam

Dennis Chau

Son of Vietnamese political prisoner Van Kham Chau.

China

Dicki Chhoyang

Minister in the Tibetan government in exile.

Zimbabwe

Hopewell Chin’ono

Zimbabwean journalist and anti-corruption activist.

North Korea

Timothy Cho

North Korean human rights activist and two-time defector.

China

Alex Chow

Former Hong Kong student leader of the Umbrella Movement.

Venezuela

María Corina Machado

Venezuelan opposition leader.

Venezuela

Eusebio Costa

Venezuelan student activist.

Cuba

Manuel Cuesta Morua

Cuban dissident leader, scholar, and political activist.

Mauritania

Biram Dah Abeid

Top Mauritanian abolitionist and antislavery activist.

Iraq

Vian Dakhil

Yazidi Kurd MP in Iraq, activist.

Phillipines

Vicente de Lima II

Brother of persecuted and imprisoned Filipina senator Leila M. de Lima.

Ukraine

Iryna Dovgan

Ukrainian woman tortured by Russia-backed separatists.

Turkey

Can Dündar

Exiled Turkish journalist.

Morocco

Hakima El Haité

Moroccan politician and president of Liberal International.

Libya

Ashraf El-Hojouj

Palestinian medic and principal defendant in the Libya’s “HIV trial”.

Libya

Mohamed Eljahmi

Libyan-American activist and brother of deceased prisoner of conscience.

Turkey

Asli Erdogan

Turkish novelist, human rights activist, and former prisoner of conscience.

Eritrea

Meron Estefanos

Eritrean journalist, human rights and democracy activist.

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