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.
Publication Mar 20, 2026 Rights Groups Call For Release of Kashmiri Journalist Irfan Mehraj After Three Years in Detention The rights groups have also sought the release of human rights defender Khurram Parvez, who has been detained in the same case since 2020, and described both arrests as politically motivated.
Publication Mar 4, 2026 Victoire Ingabire mu rukiko rw’Ikirenga yasabye ko hari ingingo ivanwa mu mategeko mpanabyaha Itsinda ry’abunganira umunyapolitike ufunze utavugarumwe n’ubutegetsi mu Rwanda, ryasabye Urukiko rw’Ikirenga gukuraho ingingo ya 106 y’igitabo cy’amategeko mpanabyaha kuko basanga inyuranyije n’Itegeko Nshinga.
Announcement Feb 19, 2026 The international community must call for the immediate release of Umar Khalid On Jan. 5, 2026, the Indian Supreme Court denied bail to human rights defender and student activist Umar Khalid, who has been detained for over five years without trial, in violation of India’s obligations under international human rights law.
Publication Jan 26, 2026 After Serving 20 Months in Prison, Koet Saray’s Appeal Against 4-Year Sentence Fails After 20 months in prison on incitement charges, youth activist Koet Saray’s conviction was upheld this morning by the Phnom Penh Appeal Court, which has left his family and human rights group feeling “deep regret”.
Announcement Jan 24, 2026 Joint Statement on the Day of the Endangered Lawyer Today, January 24th, marks the International Day of the Endangered Lawyer. In recognition of endangered lawyers around the world, we, the undersigned, express our deep alarm at the growing repression of lawyers worldwide for the legitimate exercise of their professional duties.
Press Release Jan 17, 2026 HRF Petitions UN in Case of Navalny’s Lawyers Spotlighted by Yulia Navalnaya’s Washington Post Op-Ed The Human Rights Foundation (HRF) submitted the case of lawyers Vadim Kobzev and Alexei Liptser to the United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention (WGAD) today, on the first anniversary of their sentencing.
Publication Jan 16, 2026 Yulia Navalnaya: Dictators are coming for the lawyers Yulia Navalnaya is a Russian opposition leader and the widow of Alexei Navalny. She is also chair of the Human Rights Foundation and of the Anti-Corruption Foundation advisory board.
Press Release Jan 13, 2026 HRF urges UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention to rule Iran’s detention of online activist Hossein Shanbehzadeh arbitrary and unlawful Today, the Human Rights Foundation submitted an individual complaint to the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention (WGAD) on behalf of Iranian online activist and freelance editor Hossein Shanbehzadeh, urging the group to declare his detention arbitrary and in violation of international law.
Op-Ed Jan 9, 2026 Umar Khalid and the Erosion of Indian Justice Khalid’s case is a stark example of how the Modi government weaponizes anti-terror laws to indefinitely silence Muslim voices and crush dissent.
Press Release Jan 5, 2026 HRF urges UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention to rule India’s detention of activist Umar Khalid arbitrary and unlawful The Human Rights Foundation (HRF) condemns the Indian Supreme Court’s decision on January 5th, 2026 to deny bail in the case of Indian activist Umar Khalid, who has been detained for over five years without trial or conviction.
Publication Jan 5, 2026 No bail for Indian activists after five years in jail without trial Two prominent student activists in India have been denied bail after being held in prison for more than five years without trial.
Announcement Dec 31, 2025 You can make the final day of 2025 count for freedom As 2025 comes to a close, we at the Human Rights Foundation (HRF) are proud to acknowledge the collective progress we have made this year in the struggle against tyranny.
Press Release Dec 17, 2025 HRF and Reporters Without Borders (RSF) petition United Nations on behalf of Nicaraguan journalist Fabiola Tercero Castro Last month, the Human Rights Foundation (HRF) and Reporters Without Borders (RSF) sent a joint submission to the United Nations Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances (WGEID) on behalf of prominent Nicaraguan journalist and activist Fabiola Tercero Castro.
Press Release Dec 15, 2025 HRF Succeeds at the UN: Vietnam Called to Release Blogger Nguyen Chi Tuyến The Human Rights Foundation (HRF) has received a favorable opinion from the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention (WGAD), finding that prominent Vietnamese activist and blogger Nguyễn Chí Tuyến, widely known as Anh Chí, is arbitrarily detained by the Vietnamese regime, in clear violation of international human rights law.
Press Release Dec 12, 2025 Following HRF Petition, UN Experts Condemn Egypt for Arbitrary Detention The Human Rights Foundation (HRF) received a favorable opinion from the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention (WGAD), finding Egypt’s detention of human rights defender Ahmed Amasha arbitrary under international human rights law.
Announcement Dec 11, 2025 Looking back at 20 years of impact Twenty years ago, the Human Rights Foundation (HRF) was born out of the belief that dissidents standing up to authoritarianism deserve a voice.
Press Release Dec 4, 2025 HRF succeeds in UN petition: Swaziland called on to immediately release two former lawmakers The Human Rights Foundation (HRF) received a favorable opinion from the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention (WGAD), finding that Swaziland’s (unilaterally renamed eSwatini by King Mswati III in 2018) detention of former lawmakers Mduduzi Bacede Mabuza and Mthandeni Dube is arbitrary and violates international human rights law.
Publication Nov 9, 2025 Equatorial Guinea: Arbitrary Detention of Lawyer and Activist Anacleto Micha Ndong Nlang The International League Against Arbitrary Detention urges the Government of Equatorial Guinea to implement United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention Opinion No. 70/2025 concerning Anacleto Micha Ndong Nlang by immediately releasing him and granting him an enforceable right to compensation and other reparations in accordance with international law.
