Human Rights Dispatch Sep 23, 2026 China Marks 12 Years Jailing Ilham Tohti, HRF Demands Release of Dr. Gulshan Abbas, Groups Call to Free Sophia Huang Xueqin Today marks 12 years since the Chinese regime sentenced Ilham Tohti, a respected Uyghur economist and academic, to life in prison for “separatism.” Ilham peacefully advocated for Uyghur rights through data, research, education, and open dialogue.
Human Rights Dispatch Sep 22, 2026 NGOs Urge Action on Xi Jinping, Tanzania Faces Legitimacy Crisis, Alex Saab Pleads Guilty, and more. Ahead of Vietnamese President To Lam’s upcoming visit to New York in September, HRF co-signs a joint letter with @PENamerica @pressfreedom @RSF_inter and other organizations to @SecRubio , urging the US Department of State to call for the release of Vietnamese writers and journalists Le Huu Minh Tuan, Pham Chi Dung, Nguyen Tuong Thuy, and Pham Doan Trang.
Blog Post Sep 21, 2026 How Tanzania’s Flawed 2025 Election Produced a Crisis of Legitimacy Nine months after Tanzania’s general elections, the regime is still using prosecution to try and neutralize those it claims to have defeated at the polls. On July 25, opposition party Chama Cha Demokrasia na Maendeleo (CHADEMA) said 51 of its officials had been arrested and charged with terrorism in connection with demonstrations planned for earlier in the month.
Human Rights Dispatch Sep 17, 2026 Zambia Cancels Passports of 6 Government Critics HRF condemns the Zambian regime’s arbitrary cancellation of the passports of six government critics along with the stripping of nationality from two others. HRF calls for these grave abuses of administrative powers—imposed without due process—to be lifted immediately and for Hakainde Hichilema’s regime to end its ongoing, politically-motivated crackdown on dissent.
Report Sep 17, 2026 Manipulation of Sustainable Development: Framing of the UN SDGs by Authoritarian Regimes The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are global sustainability benchmarks adopted by the United Nations in 2015 to guide an inclusive and sustainable transformation by 2030.
Human Rights Dispatch Sep 16, 2026 NGOs Urge Xi Jinping to End Repression, Mali Sentences Critics, and more. HRF condemns prison sentences imposed last month by Malian courts on four prominent public opinion leaders for public criticisms of the military regime of Gen. Assimi Goïta. HRF calls for their convictions to be overturned and for their immediate release.
Press Release Sep 16, 2026 Joint Open Letter to Xi Jinping We, the undersigned organizations dedicated to protecting and promoting human rights, democracy, and religious freedom, write on the occasion of your forthcoming visit to Washington, DC.
Human Rights Dispatch Sep 15, 2026 China Expands Exit Bans, India Detains Umar Khalid, and more. HRF condemns China’s sentencing of Chow Hang-tung, Lee Cheuk-yan, and Albert Ho to lengthy prison terms and calls on the international community to denounce Beijing’s weaponization of Hong Kong’s National Security Law.
Human Rights Dispatch Sep 14, 2026 Venezuela Digital Blackout, Cuba Rearrests Dissidents, and WP Engine Blocks HRF Tracker HRF condemns the Cuban regime’s systematic persecution of critics and dissidents and its ongoing revictimization of former political prisoners. Andy García and all other prisoners of conscience held on politically motivated charges must be released immediately.
Human Rights Dispatch Sep 11, 2026 HRF Calls to Free Uyghur Doctor Gulshan Abbas On the eighth anniversary of the Chinese regime’s unjust imprisonment of Dr. Gulshan Abbas, HRF and @LantosFoundation call for her immediate release. A retired Uyghur medical doctor with no history of activism, she was disappeared on September 11, 2018 — days after her US-based sister, activist @RushanAbbas , spoke out about the regime’s abuses.
Announcement Sep 10, 2026 HRF-Sponsored Report Exposes Venezuela’s Chinese AI Surveillance Deal NEW YORK (Sept. 10, 2026) — With support from the Human Rights Foundation (HRF), the Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI) has released a landmark research report detailing how Venezuela is poised to quickly acquire Chinese AI-enabled surveillance tools and integrate them into its systems of state control.
Report Sep 10, 2026 Warning signals: Venezuela and the risk of Chinese AI-enabled digital authoritarianism This report shows that Venezuela is in a position to quickly acquire Chinese artificial intelligence (AI)-enabled surveillance tools. Venezuela has signed an agreement to acquire them, and government officials have stated their intention to integrate them into Venezuela’s current surveillance regime.
Human Rights Dispatch Sep 10, 2026 China Targets Lawyer Ruth Wang Over Church Cases HRF condemns the Chinese government’s pressure on Ruth Wang, a lawyer who represented detained leaders of Zion Church in China. HRF calls on Beijing to end its persecution of lawyers defending prisoners of conscience. Wang should be free to practice law without fear of retaliation.
Press Release Sep 9, 2026 HRF Condemns WP Engine for Blocking the Tyranny Tracker in Russia at the Kremlin’s Behest NEW YORK (Sept. 9, 2026) — The Human Rights Foundation (HRF) condemns the decision by Austin-based WP Engine to block access from Russia to tyrannytracker.org, the website of HRF’s Tyranny Tracker, at the demand of Roskomnadzor, the Russian Federation’s censorship agency.
Report Sep 9, 2026 HRF’s letter to WP Engine Dear WP Engine: We write on behalf of the Human Rights Foundation (“HRF”) in response to WP Engine’s notice of September 3, 2026, concerning the request to geo-block access to tyrannytracker.org (“Tyranny Tracker” or the “Site”) from Russia.
Human Rights Dispatch Sep 9, 2026 WP Engine Geo-Blocks Tyranny Tracker in Russia On Sept. 3, Roskomnadzor notified WP Engine that HRF’s Tyranny Tracker “violates the national laws of Russia” and demanded that access to the site be restricted in Russia.
Human Rights Dispatch Sep 4, 2026 Nicaragua Bans Opposition and Extends Dictatorship HRF condemns the Ortega-Murillo regime’s latest constitutional reform in Nicaragua, which suspends the scheduled 2026 elections and extends their dictatorial mandate through 2028. This move codifies the regime’s ongoing assault on democratic legitimacy and cements total authoritarian control.
Human Rights Dispatch Sep 3, 2026 Hong Kong Stack Charges Against Joshua Wong HRF expresses grave concern over the continuous and unjust detention of Hong Kong pro-democracy leader Joshua Wong, who now faces possible life imprisonment under a second National Security Law charge. HRF calls for his immediate and unconditional release.
Human Rights Dispatch Sep 2, 2026 Zambia Imprisons Opposition Candidates, China Sentences Gao Zhen Gao Zhen, 70, of the internationally acclaimed “Gao Brothers,” remains behind bars in China. On Aug. 25, he was sentenced to three years in prison — the full term prosecutors sought — over sculptures made 2006–2009, under a law that did not exist until 2018.
Publication Sep 2, 2026 Hong Kong democracy activist Joshua Wong faces longer prison sentence after second national security guilty plea Hong Kong — Joshua Wong, the former teenage activist who became a key leader of Hong Kong’s democracy movement, faces the prospect of many more years in prison after he pleaded guilty on Wednesday to the latest national security case brought by prosecutors.
