The Kabul Tribune (KT) — Two women’s rights activists, Marzieh Hamidi of Afghanistan and Masih Alinejad of Iran, received the Brave Women Award at the 18th Geneva Summit for Human Rights and Democracy in recognition of their advocacy for women’s rights.
The summit was held Wednesday, Feb. 18, 2026, honoring human rights defenders from various countries.
Marzieh Hamidi, an Afghan taekwondo athlete and women’s rights advocate, was born in 2002 in Iran to an Afghan migrant family. She spent her childhood and adolescence between Iran and Afghanistan and was forced to leave Afghanistan after the Taliban takeover in August 2021.
She currently lives in France, where she trains with the national taekwondo team.
Masih Alinejad, an Iranian journalist and prominent critic of the Iranian government, also received the courage award at the same event for her campaigns in support of women’s rights.
