Report Sep 29, 2026 The CCP’s Deepening Footprint in Latin America and the Stakes for Democracy in the Region Following a period of U.S. retreat that lasted until the end of 2025, and amid an ongoing realignment of the international democratic bloc, illiberal actors — particularly China, Russia, and their closest allies — continue to look for opportunities to gain influence and undermine institutions to their advantage, especially in middle-income countries, where American actions are viewed with disdain and alliances with alternative powers are seen as economic opportunities.
Publication Sep 25, 2026 Families urge Trump to push Xi for prisoner release As Chinese President Xi Jinping prepares to wrap up his visit to Washington, D.C., the families of Americans detailed in China are calling on Pres. Trump to push for their release.
Publication Sep 25, 2026 Trump faces pressure to push Xi on detained pastors So grateful to @jaketapper for giving me this opportunity to advocate for my elderly parents Gao Quanfu and Pang Yu, as well as other detained pastors from Light of Zion Church and Zion Church.
Human Rights Dispatch Sep 24, 2026 Families Urge Trump to Free 100 Chinese Prisoners, Ziba Murat Appeals for Mother As President Trump and Xi Jinping meet this week, the daughter of Dr. Gulshan Abbas, @ziba116, has a direct message for Xi: It’s time to bring her mother home.
Publication Sep 24, 2026 Trucks Protesting Xi Jinping Drive Around US Capitol as Streets Shut Down Messages demanding the release of prisoners in China were projected onto trucks driving around the US Capitol, as Chinese President Xi Jinping arrived in the country on Wednesday, September 23.
Human Rights Dispatch Sep 23, 2026 China Marks 12 Years Jailing Ilham Tohti, HRF Demands Release of Dr. Gulshan Abbas, Groups Call to Free Sophia Huang Xueqin Today marks 12 years since the Chinese regime sentenced Ilham Tohti, a respected Uyghur economist and academic, to life in prison for “separatism.” Ilham peacefully advocated for Uyghur rights through data, research, education, and open dialogue.
Publication Sep 23, 2026 Messages call on Xi to release Chinese prisoners as he visits Washington The Human Rights Foundation projects images and messages on the East Building of the National Gallery of Art in Washington calling on Chinese President Xi Jinping to release political prisoners, as he begins a state visit to the United States.
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.
Report Sep 17, 2026 Manipulation of Sustainable Development: Framing of the UN SDGs by Authoritarian Regimes The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are global sustainability benchmarks adopted by the United Nations in 2015 to guide an inclusive and sustainable transformation by 2030.
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.
Press Release Sep 16, 2026 Joint Open Letter to Xi Jinping We, the undersigned organizations dedicated to protecting and promoting human rights, democracy, and religious freedom, write on the occasion of your forthcoming visit to Washington, DC.
Human Rights Dispatch Sep 15, 2026 China Expands Exit Bans, India Detains Umar Khalid, and more. HRF condemns China’s sentencing of Chow Hang-tung, Lee Cheuk-yan, and Albert Ho to lengthy prison terms and calls on the international community to denounce Beijing’s weaponization of Hong Kong’s National Security Law.
Human Rights Dispatch Sep 11, 2026 HRF Calls to Free Uyghur Doctor Gulshan Abbas On the eighth anniversary of the Chinese regime’s unjust imprisonment of Dr. Gulshan Abbas, HRF and @LantosFoundation call for her immediate release. A retired Uyghur medical doctor with no history of activism, she was disappeared on September 11, 2018 — days after her US-based sister, activist @RushanAbbas , spoke out about the regime’s abuses.
Announcement Sep 10, 2026 HRF-Sponsored Report Exposes Venezuela’s Chinese AI Surveillance Deal NEW YORK (Sept. 10, 2026) — With support from the Human Rights Foundation (HRF), the Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI) has released a landmark research report detailing how Venezuela is poised to quickly acquire Chinese AI-enabled surveillance tools and integrate them into its systems of state control.
Report Sep 10, 2026 Warning signals: Venezuela and the risk of Chinese AI-enabled digital authoritarianism This report shows that Venezuela is in a position to quickly acquire Chinese artificial intelligence (AI)-enabled surveillance tools. Venezuela has signed an agreement to acquire them, and government officials have stated their intention to integrate them into Venezuela’s current surveillance regime.
Human Rights Dispatch Sep 10, 2026 China Targets Lawyer Ruth Wang Over Church Cases HRF condemns the Chinese government’s pressure on Ruth Wang, a lawyer who represented detained leaders of Zion Church in China. HRF calls on Beijing to end its persecution of lawyers defending prisoners of conscience. Wang should be free to practice law without fear of retaliation.
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.
Blog Post Aug 31, 2026 The Evolution of Youth-led Movements in East and Southeast Asia: What’s Next? In August 2025, HRF published “Youthquake: Youth-led Movements Shaking Up East and Southeast Asia,” which examined how youth movements in Hong Kong, Burma, Thailand, the Uyghur Region, Tibet, and diaspora communities mobilized from 2019 to 2023 to demand democracy, justice, and freedom.
Human Rights Dispatch Aug 25, 2026 China Sentences Artist Gao Zhen, Censors CADAL Event in Argentina The Chinese embassy in Buenos Aires pressured Argentina’s foreign ministry to cancel a @CADAL conference on 21st-century totalitarianism. The reason was a single speaker, a Uyghur human rights leader. HRF condemns this act of transnational censorship on Argentine soil.
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.
