Promoting and advancing human rights globally is central to work of Liberal International, so it was with enthusiasm that LI, together 19 other NGOs, co-hosted the pre-eminent human rights event in Geneva this week, the Geneva Summit for Human Rights and Democracy.

Chair of LI’s Human Rights Committee (HRC) and Vice-President on the Bureau, Markus Löning, delivered the opening speech of the Summit, organised in collaboration with LI partner UN Watch, which brings together victims and dissidents to shine a global spotlight on countries where human rights are regularly abused.

Vice-President Löning drew attention to the role civil society must play in combatting human rights violations:

Civil society is about bringing issues to the table and reminding governments of their duty…their duty to protect the human rights of each and every one of their citizens. We are here to remind them of their task

said Löning, who is also the former German Federal Commissioner for Human Rights.

Speaking of the future of liberal democracy, LI HRC Member Fouzia El Bayed MP shared her experience as a female liberal parliamentarian working to address a variety of women’s rights issues in Morocco.

The role of women is strong…Morocco is moving forward on a liberal and democratic path…we are reforming the legal system and we can use the constitution to deepen our democracy.

Iranian Journalist Masih Alinejad was presented with the Summit’s inaugural Women’s Rights Award by the Head of LI’s Human Rights Programme, Tamara Dancheva. For attempting to empower women in Iran, Ms. Alinejad became a target of the Iranian regime when she launched the Facebook page My Stealthy Freedom, which encourages Iranian women to post photographs of themselves without the mandatory hijab (head scarf).  Accepting the award Alinejad said:

I didn’t come here only to get the award but to get attention for this issue of hijab and oppression of women in Iran.

The 2015 Geneva Summit Courage Award was bestowed on the jailed Saudi liberal blogger, Raif Badawi, for demanding basic human rights in the face of cruel penalties. Accepting the award on his behalf via a video link was the wife of Badawi who said:

This prize bears a clear message to the Saudi regime: that the continued incarceration of Raif is a mark of shame.

Liberals from across the world have been long involved in efforts to release Badawi most recently passing a resolution in the European Parliament condemning his unjust detention.

There were also video messages from Dr. Irwin Cotler MP, of LI full member Liberal Party (Canada) and Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado.