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.
Publication May 6, 2026 Chinese artist Gao Zhen and his family stuck in repressive legal limbo over his Mao sculptures The verdict is imminent, and Zhao Yaliang can no longer bear the wait. As calm as she is determined, the 48-year-old is finally about to learn the fate of her husband, artist Gao Zhen, who has already been detained for a year and a half.
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.
Publication Mar 31, 2026 US-based dissident artist put on trial in China over satirical Mao sculptures, says rights group The Chinese dissident artist Gao Zhen, known for making satirical sculptures of China’s former leader Mao Zedong, has been tried over accusations of “defaming national heroes and martyrs”, his wife and a rights group have said.
Publication Mar 29, 2026 The Secret Trial of a Chinese Artist Accused of Mocking Mao Zedong A prominent New York-based Chinese artist known for his provocative and irreverent sculptures of Mao Zedong stood trial on Monday, accused of slandering the country’s heroes in a case underlining how little criticism is allowed under China’s leader, Xi Jinping.
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.
Human Rights Dispatch Feb 10, 2026 Open Letter to Muhammad Yunus, Remembering Owen Chow. Today marks the fifth year Hong Kong pro-democracy leader Owen Chow is spending his birthday behind bars.
Video Series Feb 10, 2026 Owen Chow’s Birthday Behind Bars Today marks the fifth year Hong Kong pro-democracy leader Owen Chow is spending his birthday behind bars.
Human Rights Dispatch Feb 5, 2026 Remembering the 1997 Ghulja Massacre Twenty-nine years on, we remember the Uyghurs in Ghulja who marched for basic rights but were met with lethal force, mass arrests, and torture.
Human Rights Dispatch Jan 15, 2026 Remembering Ilham Tohti, HRF op-ed on Venezuela HRF President @ThorHalvorssen weighed in for the @WSJ on the future of Venezuela following the arrest of Nicolás Maduro.
Human Rights Dispatch Jan 12, 2026 Nicaragua Escalates Political Repression, Remembering Peng Shuai. HRF condemns the Ortega-Murillo regime’s latest escalation of political repression in Nicaragua, as authorities detain citizens for commenting on, reacting to, or expressing symbolic support for the capture of Venezuelan dictator Nicolás Maduro.
Video Series Dec 24, 2025 Dear A-Ba || An Open Letter to Pastor Jin This Christmas, Grace Jin Drexel reads a public letter to her father, Pastor Mingri “Ezra” Jin, founder of one of China’s largest underground house churches.
Blog Post Dec 22, 2025 The Lasting Impacts of Transnational Repression Transnational repression is a growing threat to global human rights. In 2025, authoritarian regimes continued to surveil and silence dissidents abroad, relying on physical, legal, and digital tactics to reach beyond their borders and clamp down on the fundamental freedoms of these courageous individuals.
