Events Apr 28, 2020 Flash Drives for Freedom Nominated for Webby Award Today, the Webby Awards in New York announced that the Human Rights Foundation’s (HRF) Flash Drives for Freedom program has been nominated for this year’s award in the Best Cause-Related…
Op-Ed Feb 27, 2026 We’ve overestimated Russia for too long The recent anniversary of Russia’s expanded invasion, which is now stretching into its fifth year, is as good a time as any to take stock of the state of the war itself.
Report Feb 27, 2026 HRF’s Tyranny Tracker Launch Booklet When HRF was founded in 2005, it focused predominantly on calling attention to the abuses of authoritarian regimes in Latin America.
Media Feb 26, 2026 Tracking Tyranny in an Age of Democratic Backsliding The slide from democracy to authoritarianism is often subtle, gradual, and driven from within. The newly launched Tyranny Tracker is a sophisticated tool for classifying political regimes across the spectrum.
Announcement Feb 26, 2026 HRF announces the launch of the Tyranny Tracker, a new democracy index Today, the Human Rights Foundation (HRF) launched its flagship research project, the Tyranny Tracker, a qualitative index that classifies the world’s countries and territories as democratic, hybrid authoritarian, or fully authoritarian.
Newsletter Feb 26, 2026 HRF’s Weekly Financial Freedom Report #110 In Gabon, officials have imposed an indefinite nationwide social media suspension.
Newsletter Feb 24, 2026 HRF’s AI for Individual Rights Newsletter #7 This month: Russia is pouring $29 million into AI-powered censorship.
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.
Newsletter Feb 19, 2026 HRF’s Weekly Financial Freedom Report #109 In India, the government is piloting a new system that uses its central bank digital currency (CBDC) to distribute free food rations.
Newsletter Feb 12, 2026 HRF’s Weekly Financial Freedom Report #108 In Kenya, the central bank warned that making Valentine’s Day bouquets out of banknotes could carry prison sentences of up to seven years.
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.
Newsletter Feb 5, 2026 HRF’s Weekly Financial Freedom Report #107 In Russia, physical bank branches are closing down at a record pace. The closures are placing renewed pressure on Russians living in rural areas and those contending with frequent Internet disruptions as a result of the Kremlin’s invasion of Ukraine.
Op-Ed Jan 30, 2026 Don’t Forget the Many Ways Russia Tried To Justify Invading Ukraine As negotiations continue to drag on between Washington, Kyiv and Moscow, the Kremlin’s narrative about the war has centered on one potential solution: evicting Ukrainian forces from the Donbas.
Newsletter Jan 29, 2026 HRF’s Weekly Financial Freedom Report #106 This week, we investigate new developments surrounding China’s central bank digital currency (CBDC), as recent design changes show that the Chinese Communist Party is experimenting with new incentives to onboard people to this more tightly controlled kind of money.
Newsletter Jan 26, 2026 HRF’s AI for Individual Rights Newsletter #6 This month captures the spirit of the moment, where AI is being used to repress, but people are pushing back in remarkable ways towards personal empowerment.
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.
Newsletter Jan 22, 2026 HRF’s Weekly Financial Freedom Report #105 In Nigeria, a tax law requires providers of digital assets to monitor transactions, collect personal information, and link payments to biometric national ID systems.
Press Release Jan 21, 2026 Announcing the AI Hack for Freedom Hackathon Winners This past weekend, the Human Rights Foundation (HRF) sponsored the first AI Hack for Freedom, a hackathon where globally-renowned dissidents and top open-source developers worked together to build tools addressing the most urgent needs of activists under authoritarian regimes.
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.
Press Release Jan 16, 2026 HRF sponsors AI Hack for Freedom in Austin, TX, Jan. 17-18 The Human Rights Foundation (HRF) announces the launch of AI Hack for Freedom, an AI-powered hackathon dedicated to building tools for human rights defenders.
