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.
Op-Ed Apr 27, 2026 NBA’s Rwanda ties face scrutiny after sanctions-linked BAL withdrawal As the NBA enters its postseason crescendo, its carefully cultivated image as one of the most progressive leagues in sports is once again in the spotlight due to its partnership with Rwanda, which has long been accused of human rights abuses and war crimes.
Op-Ed Apr 23, 2026 What Bolivia Teaches Us About Defeating Authoritarians There are moments in a country’s history, especially in authoritarian countries, when institutions feel like scenery: visible, formal, but hollow.
Announcement Apr 20, 2026 HRF Brings UN Attention to Rights Abuses in Swaziland, Thailand and Hungary NEW YORK (April 20, 2026) — This month, the Human Rights Foundation (HRF) submitted formal contributions to the United Nations Human Rights Council’s Universal Periodic Review (UPR) of Swaziland and Thailand, as well as a joint submission for Hungary with the Artistic Freedom Initiative (AFI).
Human Rights Dispatch Mar 23, 2026 Thailand silences dissent, Koet Saray detention ruled arbitrary, Moscow shows limited support to Iran. The UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention has found that Cambodia’s detention of human rights defender Koet Saray is arbitrary and violates international human rights law.
Announcement Apr 2, 2026 Joint statement calling for the release of Rwandan opposition leader Victoire Ingabire The following statement has been issued by the Human Rights Foundation, Freedom Now, and the Lantos Foundation for Human Rights and Justice.
Op-Ed Apr 2, 2026 Loud on the Embargo, Silent on the Dungeons On the night of March 21, 2026, Cuba’s electrical grid collapsed for the third time in a month, the result of a fuel shortage triggered by a U.S.-imposed oil embargo, decades of underinvestment in a crumbling gridand, most consequentially, the post–Nicolás Maduro halt of Venezuelan crude, on which Cuba had depended for years to cover roughly a quarter of its oil needs.
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.
Press Release Mar 26, 2026 HRF Urges South Korea to Reaffirm Leadership on North Korean Human Rights at UN NEW YORK (March 25, 2026) — The Human Rights Foundation (HRF), in a joint letter with 23 organizations and six individual signatories, calls on South Korea’s President Lee Jae-myung to ensure that his government co-sponsors the annual draft resolution on the human rights situation in North Korea at the 61st United Nations Human Rights Council.
Press Release Mar 23, 2026 HRF welcomes UN opinion condemning Cambodia’s detention of Koet Saray NEW YORK (March 23, 2026) — The Human Rights Foundation (HRF) welcomes the opinion issued by the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention (WGAD) finding that Cambodia’s detention of activist Koet Saray violates international human rights law, following an HRF submission.
Op-Ed Mar 23, 2026 Russia Is Failing Its Allies When It Matters Most The war in Iran, and especially the quick decapitation of the country’s leadership structure, has been a swift, remarkable display of American power and Israeli determination. But there is one other fact it has proven: an alliance with Moscow counts for little when a regime faces its greatest threat.
Op-Ed Mar 19, 2026 HRF Op-ed Featured in The Washington Post on the Political Opening in Cuba An opening that leaves political prisoners behind will only fund further repression.
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.
Press Release Mar 17, 2026 HRF succeeds in UN petition, India condemned for arbitrary detention NEW YORK (Mar. 17, 2026) — The Human Rights Foundation (HRF) welcomes the favorable opinion of the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention (WGAD), which found India’s detention of activist Umar Khalid to be arbitrary and in violation of international human rights law.
Human Rights Dispatch Mar 13, 2026 HRF Letter to Doja Cat, Angola Cracks Down on NGOs, Senegal Escalates Criminalization of LGBTQ+ Individuals, and more. HRF condemns the parliament of Senegal’s unanimous approval of draconian legislation that doubles the maximum prison sentence for those convicted of same-sex relations, for a total of up to 10 years. This marks an alarming escalation in the criminalization of LGBTQ+ individuals and rights advocacy, while Senegalese officials have failed to enact reforms of other repressive laws used to stifle dissent.
Op-Ed Mar 13, 2026 Putin Bombs the Power Grid. The Children Keep Playing When the Ukrainian skeleton athlete Vladyslav Heraskevych risked disqualification for wearing a helmet displaying the faces of more than 20 Ukrainian athletes and coaches killed in the war during this year’s Olympics, it became clear: even sports equipment has become political.
Announcement Mar 13, 2026 HRF Calls on Doja Cat to Cancel Move Afrika’s Dictator-Sponsored Concert in Rwanda The Human Rights Foundation (HRF) has learned of your plans to perform in Kigali, Rwanda on March 17, 2026, as part of the Move Afrika tour.
Report Mar 13, 2026 Doja Cat Rwanda Concert Letter The Human Rights Foundation (HRF) has learned of your plans to perform in Kigali, Rwanda, on March 17, 2026, as part of the Move Afrika tour.
Op-Ed Mar 13, 2026 Why Iranians cannot simply “take over” their government President Trump recently urged the Iranian people to “take over [their] government” once the US-Israel-led campaign on Iran has ended.
