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HRF letter demanding Gao Zhen’s release

Read our letter regarding the arrest and detention of prominent contemporary artist Gao Zhen.

Listen to Dissidents & Dictators Season 2

A podcast dedicated to bringing listeners stories and analysis from those on the frontlines of the fight for democracy.

Explore the Oslo Freedom Forum

The Oslo Freedom Forum (OFF) is an international human rights conference series hosted and produced by the Human Rights Foundation (HRF).

Help Us Power Ukraine

The Russian army’s daily attacks leave thousands of people without heat and electricity in the dead of winter. Donate today to help deliver critically needed generators to the people of Ukraine.

HRF letter demanding Gao Zhen’s release

Read our letter regarding the arrest and detention of prominent contemporary artist Gao Zhen.

Listen to Dissidents & Dictators Season 2

A podcast dedicated to bringing listeners stories and analysis from those on the frontlines of the fight for democracy.

Explore the Oslo Freedom Forum

The Oslo Freedom Forum (OFF) is an international human rights conference series hosted and produced by the Human Rights Foundation (HRF).

Our Latest Work

Dec 13, 2024

HRF Freedom Fellowship Spotlight: Samady Ou

Born and raised in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, Samady Ou was profoundly influenced by the experience of growing up under a dictatorship.

Dec 12, 2024

HRF’s Weekly Financial Freedom Report #53

This week, governments and financial institutions around the world advanced policies that amplify the divide between state interests and the daily economic realities of citizens.

Dec 9, 2024

Assad regime overthrown after 53 years of repression and brutality; pivotal opportunity to establish rule of law and individual rights

On Sunday, the Assad regime in Syria shattered after militants captured Damascus, causing Bashar Al-Assad and his family to reportedly flee to Moscow, Russia.

Dec 5, 2024

HRF’s Weekly Financial Freedom Report #52

In Thailand, the government initiated the second phase of its digital cash handout, targeting four million Thai seniors with 10,000 baht ($290) distributed via their state-controlled “Tang Rath” app.

Dec 2, 2024

HRF celebrates the release of Iranian dissident rapper Toomaj Salehi

Iranian dissident rapper Toomaj Salehi was released on Sunday after spending 753 days in arbitrary detention.

Nov 28, 2024

HRF’s Weekly Financial Freedom Report #51

In Turkey, through years of double-digit inflation, the state has eroded the value of the country’s largest banknote, the 200-lira bill, whose purchasing power has plummeted from $140 in 2010 to just $5.80 today.

Nov 27, 2024

Like, Tweet, & Torment: Maduro Weaponizes Popular Applications to Aid Election Theft

Following Venezuela’s July 28 presidential election in which President Nicolás Maduro claimed victory over opposition candidate Edmundo González despite overwhelming data to the contrary — González received around 67% of the vote —thousands of Venezuelans have protested the results across the country.

Nov 27, 2024

HRF Submits Joint UNWGAD Petition for Thai Pro-Democracy Activist Sopon ‘Get’ Surariddhidhamrong

In early November, the Human Rights Foundation (HRF) and Thai Lawyers for Human Rights (TLHR) submitted a joint petition to the United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention (UNWGAD) on behalf of Thai pro-democracy activist Sopon “Get” Surariddhidhamrong, who is serving a total prison term of eight years and six months for criticizing the Thai monarchy.

More than half of the world lives under tyranny

Tyranny is the root of poverty, war, and torture

We’re uniting the world to stand against tyranny.

More than half of the world lives under tyranny

Tyranny is the root of poverty, war, and torture

We’re uniting the world to stand against tyranny.

Our Programs

Art is a powerful tool for dissent in closed societies, provoking constructive dialogue and creating space for debate beyond mainstream bodies of political discourse. Authoritarian governments around the world recognize the power of art as a conduit of change and systematically persecute, repress, or censor artists to silence political dissent.

All governments, especially those of dictators, frequently debase, manipulate, demonetize, and surveil currencies, confiscate property, and freeze the bank accounts of people they don’t like. Dissidents, human rights defenders, journalists, and nonprofit organizations in authoritarian countries face enormous obstacles just to receive donations and pay bills.

So for many years, North Korean defectors have organized efforts to smuggle outside info into North Korea on USB drives to counter Kim Jong-un’s constant propaganda.

The fashion industry is one of the world’s largest economies and employs millions of people globally. Authoritarian countries often house the most labor-intensive stages of production, leaving workers extremely susceptible to human rights violations without any path of recourse.

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