Human Rights Dispatch Oct 7, 2026 Nasrin Sotoudeh Awarded Maseko Prize, HRF Petitions UN Over Disappeared Rwandan Journalist HRF and the Thulani Maseko Foundation are proud to award the 2026 Thulani Maseko Justice Prize to Iranian human rights lawyer Nasrin Sotoudeh.
Human Rights Dispatch Oct 6, 2026 South Sudan Dictator Salva Kiir Dismantles Peace Accord, China Continues Persecution of Independent Churches In September, South Sudan’s dictator, Salva Kiir, orchestrated a controversial power grab that enabled him to dismantle the power-sharing governing structure established under the 2018 peace agreement and rule with full constitutional powers until the polls on Dec. 22.
Press Release Oct 6, 2026 HRF petitions United Nations on behalf of disappeared Rwandan journalist Cassien Ntamuhanga NEW YORK (Oct. 6, 2026) — This week, the Human Rights Foundation (HRF) submitted a communication to the United Nations Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances on behalf of Cassien Ntamuhanga, a Rwandan journalist and dissident who has not been seen since he was seized in Mozambique more than five years ago.
Human Rights Dispatch Sep 30, 2026 HRF Condemns Rwanda’s Song Censorship, Uganda Jails Praise Aloikin, UN Documents Nicaragua Crimes, and more. HRF condemns the abduction and subsequent imprisonment of award-winning Ugandan human rights activist and HRF #FreedomFellow Praise Aloikin over a social media video.
Human Rights Dispatch Sep 25, 2026 25 Years Since Eritrea Dissolved Civic Space, HRF Demands Release of Chinese Pastors, Free Gao Zhen, and more Xi Jinping is meeting President Trump this week. While Xi is in town, HRF is calling for the release of Pastor Gao Quanfu and his wife Pang Yu — elderly Chinese Christians jailed in a crackdown on unregistered house churches.
Human Rights Dispatch Sep 22, 2026 NGOs Urge Action on Xi Jinping, Tanzania Faces Legitimacy Crisis, Alex Saab Pleads Guilty, and more. Ahead of Vietnamese President To Lam’s upcoming visit to New York in September, HRF co-signs a joint letter with @PENamerica @pressfreedom @RSF_inter and other organizations to @SecRubio , urging the US Department of State to call for the release of Vietnamese writers and journalists Le Huu Minh Tuan, Pham Chi Dung, Nguyen Tuong Thuy, and Pham Doan Trang.
Blog Post Sep 21, 2026 How Tanzania’s Flawed 2025 Election Produced a Crisis of Legitimacy Nine months after Tanzania’s general elections, the regime is still using prosecution to try and neutralize those it claims to have defeated at the polls. On July 25, opposition party Chama Cha Demokrasia na Maendeleo (CHADEMA) said 51 of its officials had been arrested and charged with terrorism in connection with demonstrations planned for earlier in the month.
Human Rights Dispatch Sep 17, 2026 Zambia Cancels Passports of 6 Government Critics HRF condemns the Zambian regime’s arbitrary cancellation of the passports of six government critics along with the stripping of nationality from two others. HRF calls for these grave abuses of administrative powers—imposed without due process—to be lifted immediately and for Hakainde Hichilema’s regime to end its ongoing, politically-motivated crackdown on dissent.
Human Rights Dispatch Sep 16, 2026 NGOs Urge Xi Jinping to End Repression, Mali Sentences Critics, and more. HRF condemns prison sentences imposed last month by Malian courts on four prominent public opinion leaders for public criticisms of the military regime of Gen. Assimi Goïta. HRF calls for their convictions to be overturned and for their immediate release.
Human Rights Dispatch Sep 2, 2026 Zambia Imprisons Opposition Candidates, China Sentences Gao Zhen Gao Zhen, 70, of the internationally acclaimed “Gao Brothers,” remains behind bars in China. On Aug. 25, he was sentenced to three years in prison — the full term prosecutors sought — over sculptures made 2006–2009, under a law that did not exist until 2018.
Human Rights Dispatch Aug 21, 2026 Burkina Forces Military Training on Media, Zambia Opposition Figure Killed, and more. HRF condemns the Burkina Faso junta’s imposition of compulsory military and “patriotism” training on journalists as part of its war on insurgents. This political indoctrination and militarization of the press marks another step in the Ibrahim Traoré regime’s drive for totalitarian power.
Human Rights Dispatch Aug 19, 2026 Senegal’s LGBT Crackdown, Venezuela Releases Prisoners, Kashmiri Journalist Freed HRF calls for the immediate release of all remaining political prisoners in Venezuela and condemns the regime of Delcy Rodriguez for keeping dissidents unlawfully detained under inhumane conditions.
Human Rights Dispatch Aug 17, 2026 Angola Police Crackdown, China Detains Teacher, Taliban Bars Girls HRF strongly condemns the Taliban regime for barring an estimated 2.4 million Afghan girls from school since the Taliban’s 2021 takeover.
Human Rights Dispatch Aug 13, 2026 Zambia Polls Clouded by Violence and Repression Zambia holds general polls this week after an election campaign marred by deadly clashes between rival political groups, police restrictions and repression, and state-sponsored violent intimidation against opposition candidates.
Human Rights Dispatch Aug 10, 2026 Ugandan Leader Besigye Hospitalized, Venezuelan Detainee Dies, Jimmy Lai Imprisonment Marked On August 10, 2020, Hong Kong officials arrested Jimmy Lai, founder of the leading independent newspaper Apple Daily and a prominent advocate for press freedom.
Human Rights Dispatch Aug 5, 2026 Angola Protest Impunity, India Releases Minors, Petition Filed for Mahrang Baloch Together with @freedomhouse and @Hindus4HR, HRF filed a petition on behalf of Baloch human rights defender Dr. Mahrang Baloch, who is serving two life sentences on politically-motivated charges in Pakistan.
Human Rights Dispatch Jul 24, 2026 Benin Dissolves Electoral Body, HRF Issues CCP Policy Briefs Today, HRF released two new policy briefs outlining practical recommendations for the United States and the European Union to strengthen their responses to China’s transnational repression.
Press Release Jul 23, 2026 HRF Brings UN Attention to Rights Abuses in Sudan and Syria NEW YORK (July 23, 2026) — Last week, the Human Rights Foundation (HRF) submitted a formal contribution to the United Nations Human Rights Council’s Universal Periodic Review (UPR) of Sudan, as well as a joint submission for Syria with the Syria Justice and Accountability Centre (SJAC).
Report Jul 23, 2026 Universal Periodic Review Submission for Sudan The Human Rights Foundation (HRF) is a nonpartisan nonprofit organization that promotes and protects human rights globally, with a focus on closed societies.
Human Rights Dispatch Jul 22, 2026 Aston Villa Sponsoring Rwanda, Nicaragua Abolishes Elections, China Jails Uyghur Family, and more HRF condemns the Indian regime’s use of excessive force to suppress peaceful protests in New Delhi.
