Newsletter Oct 30, 2026 HRF’s AI for Individual Rights Newsletter #24 In Vietnam, the Communist Party is ramping up its use of artificial intelligence (AI) to censor online criticism and intensify surveillance. It is also expanding VNeID, a digital identity app used by more than 67 million citizens, into an “AI-powered surveillance super-app.”
Report Oct 30, 2026 Nicaragua: From Electoral Authoritarianism to Dynastic Kleptocracy Nicaragua is no longer just a dictatorship. It is a family business disguised as a government. Over the past two decades, Nicaraguan Co-Presidents Daniel Ortega and his wife Rosario Murillo built a system in which the state and ruling party, and the wealth associated with them, have all merged into a single structure.
Report Oct 29, 2026 No Safe Distance: How Authoritarian Regimes in Africa Pursue Critics Across Borders In the 21st century, technological innovation and the new mechanisms of globalization have been weaponized by autocrats to expand their capacity to target dissidents and critics around the world.
Newsletter Oct 29, 2026 HRF’s Weekly Financial Freedom Report #144 In Russia, we examine the first two months of the nationwide digital ruble rollout and the state’s efforts to restrict alternatives.
Blog Post Oct 29, 2026 Dispatches from Detention: Vadim Kobzev & Alexei Liptser On Oct. 13, 2023, Vadim Kobzev and Alexei Liptser were arrested on so-called “extremism” charges because they had worked as lawyers for the late Russian opposition leader, Alexei Navalny.
Announcement Oct 28, 2026 HRF’s AI work featured in NPR’s “All Things Considered” HRF’s AI Hack for Freedom III was featured on NPR’s flagship program “All Things Considered,” reaching millions of listeners across the United States.
Blog Post Oct 28, 2026 Dispatches from Detention: Ulviyya Ali On May 6, 2025, seven police officers stormed the Baku home of Azerbaijani journalist Ulviyya Ali at midnight, searched it, and arrested her. She remains in prison in harsh conditions, and faces up to 20 years on fabricated currency smuggling charges for her independent journalism in a country whose government ranks among the top 10 worst jailers of journalists worldwide.
Blog Post Oct 27, 2026 Dispatches from Detention: Umar Khalid Indian student-activist Umar Khalid was arrested on Sept. 13, 2020, after he became a prominent face of nationwide protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act, a law excluding Muslims from eligibility for a fast-tracked path to Indian citizenship.
Blog Post Oct 26, 2026 Dispatches from Detention: Victoire Ingabire A tireless Rwandan opposition figure, Victoire Ingabire has faced persecution at the hands of Paul Kagame’s regime for years. In 2010, she was arrested upon her return to Rwanda after leading an opposition coalition in exile.
Blog Post Oct 25, 2026 Dispatches from Detention: Dr. Mahrang Baloch Dr. Mahrang Baloch is serving two life sentences in Pakistan on politically motivated terrorism charges. She is the founder of the Baloch Yakjehti Committee, a network of activists dedicated to peaceful advocacy for Pakistan’s Baloch minority, and she regularly organizes demonstrations and events to highlight the enforced disappearance, torture, and killing of Baloch people.
Newsletter Oct 23, 2026 HRF’s AI for Individual Rights Newsletter #23 Uganda’s regime, led by dictator Yoweri Museveni for over four decades, has long suppressed political opposition — and its repression is now supercharged by foreign surveillance tech.
Newsletter Oct 22, 2026 HRF’s Weekly Financial Freedom Report #143 In Russia, the regime will ban peer-to-peer (P2P) digital asset trading between individuals starting July 1, 2027. After that date, Russians will still be “legally” allowed to buy and sell digital assets, including bitcoin, but only through state-regulated intermediaries.
Human Rights Dispatch Oct 21, 2026 October 30 Coalition: HRF Rally for Political Prisoners HRF is proud to join the October 30 Coalition in calling for the immediate and unconditional release of all political prisoners worldwide. Ahead of the #InternationalDayofPoliticalPrisoners, we stand with @NEDemocracy, @LantosFndn, @4freerussia_org, @McCainInstitute, @TheRWCHR, @WLCongress, @freedomhouse and fellow advocates to demand freedom for all unjustly imprisoned. Join us at the Lincoln Memorial on Oct. 30 to honor political prisoners and stand in solidarity with those fighting for their freedom. Read our joint statement.
Blog Post Oct 21, 2026 Joint Statement for the International Day of Political Prisoners on October 30 The Human Rights Foundation and the October 30 Coalition have released the following joint statement to rally support for political prisoners and champion their freedom.
Newsletter Oct 16, 2026 HRF’s AI for Individual Rights Newsletter #22 This week, we examine an investigation into the growing influence of the UAE’s national security adviser, Sheikh Tahnoon bin Zayed Al Nahyan, over the country’s AI future.
Newsletter Oct 15, 2026 HRF’s Weekly Financial Freedom Report #142 In Iraq, the regime devalued the dinar by about 14.5% overnight, pushing up the cost of imported food, medicine, and fuel while eroding the value of salaries and savings.
Announcement Oct 15, 2026 HRF’s “Dare to Dissent” Series Nominated for Three Anthem Awards NEW YORK (Oct. 15, 2026) — The Human Rights Foundation (HRF) is pleased to announce that its “Dare to Dissent” series has been nominated for three Anthem Awards in the “Human & Civil Rights” category.
Press Release Oct 13, 2026 Navalny’s Lawyers mark 3 years since arrest NEW YORK (Oct. 13, 2026) — Three years ago today, Russian police arrested Vadim Kobzev and Alexei Liptser, two of the lawyers for the late opposition leader Alexei Navalny. The Human Rights Foundation (HRF) marks this anniversary by calling for the immediate release of Kobzev and Liptser, who remain imprisoned in harsh conditions in Russian penal colonies solely for doing their jobs as lawyers.
Press Release Oct 13, 2026 Uzbekistan: Release Political Prisoner Dauletmurat Tazhimuratov and Investigate New Torture Allegations Authorities in Uzbekistan must immediately release political prisoner Dauletmurat Tazhimuratov and investigate his allegations of torture, the Norwegian Helsinki Committee, International Partnership for Human Rights (IPHR), Association for Human Rights in Central Asia (AHRCA), Freedom Now, Civil Rights Defenders, and the Human Rights Foundation said in a statement today.
Blog Post Oct 13, 2026 Joshua Wong: A Boy, A Ballot, A Cell During Joshua Wong’s first stint in prison at age 20, he read 777 pages of letters sent to him. He worked in the canteen and complained about the rules: Prisoners’ cups had to go on the floor, not on desks. “No” had to become “Sorry, sir.” Joshua joked that years of video games and Japanese anime had not prepared him for drills.
