The 17th Geneva Summit 2025 for Human Rights and Democracy is underway at the Centre International de Conferences Geneve (CICG) on February 18, 2025. United Nations Watch Executive Director Hillel Neuer gave a welcome message to kick off this worldwide forum devoted to tackling human rights abuses around the world.
According to a report by the Central Tibet Administration (CTA), Human rights violations in Russia, Saudi Arabia, China, Belarus, Hong Kong, the Uyghur area, Vietnam, and Iran were highlighted by a line-up of speakers at this year’s summit. One of the speakers, Tibetan activist and former political prisoner Namkyi, described her terrifying experiences of being persecuted by the Chinese government.
On October 21, 2015, Namkyi and her cousin, Tenzin Dolma, staged a protest at Martyrs’ Square in Ngaba County, holding large photos of His Holiness the Dalai Lama and calling for his return to Tibet and their country’s independence. “About 10 minutes into our protest, we heard a loud noise from behind, and a group of police officers rushed at us. They forcefully grabbed the photos from our hands, muffled our voices, pinned us to the ground, and eventually handcuffed us,” she recalled, as quoted by CTA.
CTA report revealed that the two were taken to the Barkham detention centre at midnight after initially being held at the Ngaba County detention centre. Namkyi suffered from terrible torture during her incarceration, which included exposure to intense heat–temperatures reached between 150 and 160 degrees–and lack of sleep. Male officers hit, kicked, and slapped her, among other bodily injuries. In addition, she was subjected to psychological pressure.
Namkyi described the harsh conditions at Sichuan Province Women’s Prison, where she was subjected to mandatory military training and forced to study Chinese laws and “patriotic education.” Tibetan prisoners faced racial discrimination, as they were forbidden from speaking to each other, CTA reported. The prison environment was marked by severe malnutrition, inadequate medical care, and exposure to extreme cold. Additionally, inmates were forced into labour, with Namkyi assigned to assembling copper wires under intense artificial light, which caused long-term damage to her eyes, CTA highlighted.
“Although my body was released from prison, my mind continued to be imprisoned,” Namkyi said, describing the constant surveillance, police interrogations, and restrictions on her movement. “I was frequently summoned to the police station, my phone was confiscated, and I had to report my whereabouts and interactions regularly. Under such hardships, a question kept recurring in my mind: Does the United Nations know about the suffering in Tibet? Is there anyone who will support us?” as quoted by CTA.
She concluded her speech with a powerful message to the international community: “This is not just my life story, but the story of thousands of Tibetans. Millions of Tibetans inside Tibet are living under such suffering even today. Therefore, please continue to support Tibet and the aspirations of the Tibetan people to see His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s return to Tibet”, quoted CTA.
The Geneva Summit for Human Rights and Democracy seeks to draw attention to pressing global human rights issues. Providing a forum for these brave people to testify, bring attention to structural injustices, and promote democratic reforms is the main goal, the CTA report highlighted.
