Human Rights Dispatch Jun 15, 2026 China Delays Sentencing of Artist Gao Zhen On June 10, Chinese dissident artist, Gao Zhen’s sentencing was postponed. He can now be sentenced any time between now and September 10. Gao Zhen has already spent almost two years in prison, for simply making art.
Human Rights Dispatch Jun 12, 2026 Zimbabwe Activist Released, Congo Crackdown Kills Protesters, El Salvador Jails Lawyer, Indigenous Leader Dies, Activists Targeted Globally, and more. HRF condemns the Ortega-Murillo regime for the death under state custody of Indigenous leader and political prisoner Brooklyn Rivera. Rivera was arbitrarily detained and disappeared in September 2023, held without charges or access to his family, and died after 971 days under regime control.
Human Rights Dispatch Jun 4, 2026 Release Anacleto Micha Ndong, China Erases Tiananmen History On the 37th anniversary of the 1989 Tiananmen Square Massacre, HRF continues to remember the pro-democracy activists who laid down their lives to express their demands for a free and democratic China.
Press Release May 30, 2026 Open to Debate and the Human Rights Foundation Debate the Ethics of Cooperating with China On June 1, veteran debate forum Open to Debate returns to the Oslo Freedom Forum in Norway for their second debate in partnership with the Human Rights Foundation.
Human Rights Dispatch May 21, 2026 Kenya Suppresses Nationwide Protests, Prison Death Shatters Family, Hague Welcomes Venezuelan Dictator, North Korea Builds Border Artillery, and more. HRF condemns the continued detention of Chinese dissident artist Gao Zhen and the exit ban imposed on his wife, Zhao Yaliang, which has prevented their family, including their 7-year-old son, from returning home to the United States.
Press Release May 19, 2026 HRF submits a petition to the United Nations on behalf of Pastor Jin, Pastor Gao, and Pastor Wang in China NEW YORK (May 20, 2026) — Today, the Human Rights Foundation (HRF) submitted an individual complaint to the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention (WGAD) on behalf of Pastors Jin “Ezra” Mingri (金明日), Gao Yingjia (高颖佳), and Wang Lin (王林), who are all currently detained in China for exercising their freedom of religion.
Human Rights Dispatch May 14, 2026 Mozambican Opposition Leader Assassinated, Central African Challenger Banned, Activists Demand China Action, and more. HRF welcomes the bipartisan @CECCgov letter respectfully urging @POTUS to raise the cases of political prisoners directly with China’s Xi Jinping and confront the Chinese Communist Party (CCP)’s transnational repression.
Human Rights Dispatch May 11, 2026 Authoritarians Target Lawyers Worldwide, Suspicious Death of Rwandan Dissident Aimable Karasira, El Salvador Freezes El Faro Assets, and more. The detained individuals listed in US Senate Resolution 677 and House Resolution 1259 aren’t just names on paper — they are real people with families, lives, and loved ones.
Press Release May 10, 2026 Wife of Chinese Dissident Artist Gao Zhen Wishes Husband Happy 70th Birthday Today, May 10, 2026, is Chinese dissident artist Gao Zhen’s 70th birthday, and he is spending it in a Chinese prison.
Press Release May 10, 2026 HRF Continues to Condemn the Detention of Gao Zhen on his 70th Birthday Today, May 10, 2026, is Gao Zhen’s 70th birthday, and he is spending it in a Chinese prison.
Blog Post May 6, 2026 Reflections On HRF’s “Beyond Borders: Youth Resilience Against the CCP” Conference The following reflection was authored by Norpell Wilberforce, a London-based Tibetan activist, who attended HRF’s Beyond Borders activist workshop. The piece has been edited for clarity and condensed.
Blog Post May 3, 2026 Keeping Uyghur Stories Alive: Q&A with Exiled Uyghur Journalist Tahir Imin Press freedom is under threat globally, as media outlets face mounting challenges that force their closure and a growing number of journalists are thrown behind bars.
Human Rights Dispatch Apr 17, 2026 Healing Activist Trauma Beyond Borders From the streets of Shanghai to exile in Europe, Rei Xia’s story is a reminder that courage comes at a cost — and resilience is what sustains it.
Human Rights Dispatch Apr 16, 2026 The New Weapons of Transnational Fear Chinese repression is increasingly global. Activists everywhere are facing new forms of intimidation enabled by technology, from surveillance to deepfakes and coordinated digital harassment.
Human Rights Dispatch Apr 1, 2026 Rwandan dissident Déogratias Mushayidi imprisoned 16 years, South Korea formally condemning North Korea’s human rights abuses, demanding Gao Zhen’s release, and more. HRF condemns the one day, closed-door trial of Chinese dissident artist, Gao Zhen, for creating works of art that use satire to criticize the Chinese Communist Party (CCP)’s human rights abuses.
Press Release Apr 1, 2026 HRF submits UN petition on behalf of Chinese dissident artist Gao Zhen NEW YORK (April 1, 2026) — Today, the Human Rights Foundation (HRF) submitted an individual complaint to the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention (WGAD) on behalf of Chinese dissident artist Gao Zhen, urging the WGAD to declare his detention arbitrary and in violation of international law.
Human Rights Dispatch Mar 9, 2026 Ghana Anti-LGBTQ Bill, China Secrecy Crackdown, Kobzev Imprisonment Case and more. Today, Russian lawyer Vadim Kobzev turns 42 in prison. Separated from his wife and three children for doing his job, he spends his birthday alone. HRF condemns his arbitrary detention and calls on the Russian regime to release him immediately and unconditionally.
Human Rights Dispatch Mar 2, 2026 Kenya detains prominent activist, Hong Kong jails activists father, Volker Türk pressured to address Beijing’s repression, and more. HRF joined @CHRDnet and 24 other civil society organizations calling on UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk to directly address Beijing’s deepening repression during his February 27 address to the UN Human Rights Council. Silence enables impunity.
Human Rights Dispatch Feb 13, 2026 Senegalese police assault public university, Tanzanian opposition leader trial delayed and conviction of Kwok Yin-sang. HRF condemns the prolonged delays in the Tanzanian regime’s show trial of arbitrarily detained opposition leader Tundu Lissu, and the restrictive detention conditions imposed on him nearly 10 months after he was arrested for calling for democratic reforms. HRF joins calls to unconditionally #FreeTunduLissu.
Human Rights Dispatch Feb 11, 2026 Escalating violence in South Sudan, detention of Venezuelan opposition leader, Jimmy Lai sentencing and more. HRF condemns the arbitrary and violent detention of Venezuelan opposition leader @JuanPGuanipa , which came just hours after his release from prison.
