News Dec 8, 2017 Prize-winning Cameroonian writer detained after criticizing government DOUALA (Reuters) – A celebrated Cameroonian writer who wrote a piece critical of the government’s handling of a separatist crisis in its Anglophone region was detained at Douala airport on Thursday, his wife and lawyer said.
News Dec 5, 2017 Russia names Radio Free Europe and Voice of America ‘foreign agents’ (The Washington Post) – Russia on Tuesday named Voice of America, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty and seven affiliated news services as foreign agents, and the Russian parliament prepared to ban the organizations from attending its sessions.
News Nov 30, 2017 Togo opposition vows to continue protests even during talks (Africanews) – Hundreds of Togolese opposition members turned up for the new round of anti-government protests in the capital Lome on Monday. Wednesday’s march was largely peaceful according to reports from local media.
News Nov 30, 2017 Global press freedom plunges to worst level this century Media freedom around the world has fallen to the lowest level for at least a decade, according to a study that shows journalists are threatened by government censorship, organised crime and commercial pressures caused by the growth of the internet.
News Nov 29, 2017 Remembering women killed fighting for human rights in 2017 More than half of the women cited in AWID’s 2017 tribute to female activists were murdered for defending their rights. Among the women killed are those who fought to protect their land from the state and multinational companies, or called out injustices or corruption, or stood up for the rights of lesbian, gay and transexual people.
News Nov 28, 2017 China Sentences Taiwanese Human Rights Activist in Subversion Case TAIPEI, Taiwan — A Chinese court sentenced a human rights activist from Taiwan to five years in prison Tuesday for state subversion, the first time China has convicted a Taiwanese citizen of that crime.
News Nov 28, 2017 Singapore charges activist for holding public assemblies, including a Skype talk with Joshua Wong The Police had engaged Wham prior to the event and advised him that a police permit was required.
Press Release Nov 28, 2017 Vietnam: HRF Condemns Jailing of 22-Year-Old Blogger NEW YORK (November 28, 2017) — The Human Rights Foundation (HRF) strongly condemns the conviction and sentencing of Vietnamese blogger Nguyen Van Hoa on the charge of “conducting anti-state propaganda” for his participation in environmental protests.
News Nov 27, 2017 Beijing Hinders Free Speech in America I spent nearly seven years in a Chinese prison for being a leader of the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests. I was freed in 1998, and the Chinese government let me leave the country.
News Nov 21, 2017 China Finds Lawyer Guilty of Inciting Subversion (The New York Times) – A Chinese human rights lawyer who has supported the families of other lawyers and activists detained in a sweeping crackdown since 2015 was declared guilty on Tuesday of inciting subversion by a court in southern China and sentenced to two years in prison.
News Nov 17, 2017 Two killed as Kenyan police disperse supporters cheering opposition leader (Reuters) – Two people were killed on Friday as Kenyan police tried to disperse supporters cheering a convoy carrying opposition leader Raila Odinga from the airport to central Nairobi, a Reuters photographer said.
News Nov 15, 2017 China is perfecting a new method for suppressing dissent on the internet The art of suppressing dissent has been perfected over the years by authoritarian governments. For most of human history, the solution was simple: force.
News Nov 15, 2017 Egyptian singer Sherine Abdel Wahab to face trial over Nile comments Jokes about the Nile are as old as the river itself, but one Egyptian pop singer has been told she will stand trial after joking about disease in the famous waterway.
News Nov 9, 2017 Venezuela Constituent Assembly Cracks Down On Media (NPR) – The Assembly, created by Maduro in July and mainly composed of his supporters, bans any message transmitted through radio, television or social media that instigates hate …
News Nov 1, 2017 28 killed in rare protests in Eritrea, opposition group says ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia (AP) — At least 28 people have been killed in rare protests in the capital of Eritrea, one of the world’s most reclusive nations, an official with the largest Eritrean opposition group said Wednesday.
News Oct 31, 2017 Putin Critic Who Fought Pro-Russia Rebels Shot Dead in Ukraine KIEV, Ukraine — A prominent couple who were fierce critics of President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia and who narrowly escaped an assassination attempt in June was attacked again on Monday.
News Apr 3, 2017 Radio Martí on HRF’s open letter on film censorship Radio Martí’s Roxana Romero discusses HRF’s open letter written to the Havana Film Festival New York criticizing the Festival’s decision to remove Carlos Lechuga’s award-winning film, Santa and Andrés, from competition after pressure from the Castro regime.
Press Release Aug 29, 2016 HRF Welcomes UN Special Rapporteur’s Opinion Curbing Broad “Hate Speech” Prohibition On August 15, the Special Rapporteur condemned the government of Singapore for prosecuting 17-year-old blogger Amos Yee on charges of “wounding religious or racial feelings.” Mr. Yee published several videos that contained language disparaging devotees of Islam and Christianity, as well as their religious beliefs.
News Mar 28, 2016 HRF to Nigeria: Withdraw Social Media Bill Targeting Free Speech The vaguely drafted bill, officially called “An Act to Prohibit Frivolous Petitions; And Other Matters Connected Therewith,” seeks to prevent “false” and “abusive statements,” published through “text message, tweets, WhatsApp or through any other social media post,” against any person or “institutions of government.”
Press Release Sep 16, 2015 Inter-American Court: HRF Welcomes Judgment in Favor of RCTV The court’s decision holds that the Venezuelan state violated the freedom of expression of RCTV’s shareholders and employees, as well as that of the “Venezuelan people, who were deprived of access to RCTV’s editorial line.”
