The “International Initiative Seminar 2026,” organized by the World Anti-Extremism Network (WAEN), was held at the University of Toronto on Oct. 4. Human rights advocates and representatives of civil society organizations from eight countries, including Canada, China, Afghanistan, and Iran, attended the event.
They exchanged views on human rights, freedom, democracy, and civil society activism. Several speakers discussed transnational repression, foreign interference, and the role of victims of persecution in advocacy efforts.
Self-media influencer Gongzi Shen: Transnational repression has spread to Canadian streets
Political commentator Gongzi Shen (Terence Shen) began his speech by playing a video. The footage showed a man wearing a jacket bearing the Chinese flag attacking Falun Gong practitioners who were peacefully protesting outside the Chinese Consulate in Toronto on Sept. 22. The man tore down banners, pushed elderly women, and issued death threats, including saying, “I’ll shoot you” and “I’ll throw you to your death.” Toronto police are currently investigating the incident.
“This is what transnational repression looks like when it spreads to our streets,” Gongzi Shen said. He argued that Canadians should not face threats of violence simply because a foreign government disapproves of what they say. Citing the assessment of the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS), he said China is the most active country conducting foreign interference in Canada.
He cited a report published this year by the Jamestown Foundation, which identified more than 2,000 organizations linked to the United Front system across four democracies, including more than 570 in Canada. He said these networks operate in different ways: Some build relationships with politicians and community leaders; others mobilize people when Chinese Communist Party officials visit; and some use Chinese-language media and social media to promote the CCP’s political narratives, monitor critics, or exert social and commercial pressure on people who refuse to cooperate. They do not necessarily operate as traditional espionage networks. Sometimes, they may simply take the form of a banquet, a chamber of commerce, or a WeChat group.
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He called for greater transparency: “If someone is acting on behalf of a foreign government, or coordinating with a foreign government to influence Canadian politics, Canadians have the right to know.” He also noted that many Chinese Canadians do not support the CCP but are afraid to speak out because they fear consequences for their relatives, businesses, or standing within their communities. “No community organization, consulate, or foreign government can legally claim to speak for all of us.”
Sheng Xue: Unity is the key to victory
Canadian award-winning writer and pro-democracy activist Sheng Xue spoke about the threats, smear campaigns, and humiliation she has faced over the past 37 years for participating in the overseas pro-democracy movement.
“When you stand up against tyranny, you become an enemy of the state, and they will use every means to destroy you,” she said.
She said that three generations of her family have suffered persecution by the Chinese Communist Party. She personally experienced and survived the 1989 Tiananmen massacre and arrived in Canada two months later. She had thought that she had finally escaped and could enjoy freedom without fear, but reality dealt her a heavy blow. Shortly after becoming involved in the overseas pro-democracy movement, she received a threatening letter that said, “Traitors have no place to be buried.” She said she chose to speak out because she could not turn a blind eye to the suffering of others.
She said communist regimes, the Taliban, and terrorist groups use the same weapons, with the aim of silencing advocates. She called on communities persecuted by these regimes to form alliances through platforms such as the World Anti-Extremism Network (WAEN), because “we have the same enemy,” adding that dictators understand the importance of forming alliances. “If we are going to win, we win together.”
Afghan human rights activist: The world must not forget Afghan women
Afghan women’s human rights activist Farida Darvish said that last week she attended the United Nations General Assembly in New York with 27 other representatives of Afghan civil society. Twenty-five of them were women, and they had one message: The world must not forget Afghan women.
She pointed out that the Taliban has stripped women of various civil and political rights. Girls above sixth grade are barred from attending school, women are prohibited from going to parks and gyms, and they cannot travel long distances without a male guardian. She said that 2.4 million Afghan girls are currently out of school, a figure that is expected to rise to 2.7 million next year and 3 million in two years.
“We live in the age of artificial intelligence and launch rockets into space, yet we are still asking for girls to be allowed to go to school. This paradox is deeply wrong,” she said. She warned that the Taliban operates a large number of religious schools across the country, where it is educating the next generation of radicalized youth. With most of Afghanistan’s population under 30, “this is a ticking time bomb.” She criticized some governments for continuing to engage with the Taliban, saying this objectively helps sustain the regime’s political survival.
Darvish said resilience is not a choice for Afghan women but a mechanism for survival. She said that only one country currently recognizes the Taliban regime, which she attributed in large part to advocacy by Afghan women.
She summarized three lessons from the past five years: Going it alone will not take you far; advocates should not only speak but also listen and learn from activists in other countries with similar experiences; and those living abroad should remain focused on the most important goals, including holding the Taliban accountable, ensuring girls have access to education, helping people obtain information, and keeping the world’s attention on Afghanistan. She called for the recognition of gender apartheid under international law and for expanding the space for women activists to make their voices heard.
Iranian-Canadian advocate: Turning survivors’ testimonies into agency
Iranian-Canadian advocate Tara Dachek is an advocacy and operations coordinator at the non-governmental organization Houses. She said that after journalists leave and conferences end, survivors still have to return home carrying their pain. As a refugee herself, she reported serious threats to police in Canada. Although the officers treated her kindly, she remained afraid.
“I know I am safe, but my body doesn’t know the difference.”
She said that repeatedly recounting painful experiences comes at a cost in itself, and that survivors should be allowed to take control of their own stories. “Testimony should not come at the cost of belonging,” she said. “Being seen does not mean being included, and being included does not mean having influence.”
In her closing remarks, Dachek said Houses is working to “create a pathway from testimony to agency, and from agency to change.”
WAEN CEO: Cultivating a new generation of leaders for the freedom movement
Khalid Ramizy, CEO of the World Anti-Extremism Network (WAEN), told Vision Times that diaspora communities in Canada have done extensive work for freedom in their home countries, but need new tools, knowledge, networks, and leadership skills to make their advocacy more professional and effective.
He said the seminar had been about a year in the making and would be held annually in the future, bringing together different communities to share experiences, learn new ideas, build connections, and work together.
“We want to cultivate a new generation of leaders in the freedom movement. Their struggle is not only for their home countries, but for the whole world.”
Speaking about foreign interference and transnational repression, Ramizy said WAEN works with multiple policy organizations to provide opportunities for all sides to express their views, while helping the public understand their rights, the challenges they face, and the issues confronting them. He said the organizations seek solutions together based on the values of freedom and democracy.
He said the world needs the ideas of the younger generation, and that WAEN will work with various groups to defend freedom and counter extremism and authoritarian ideologies.
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