Blog Post Mar 28, 2023 Women at the Forefront of Democracy: Combatting Oppressive Laws in Saudi Arabia As authoritarianism persists throughout the Middle East and North Africa, it’s crucial to recognize the women’s rights activists who have stood up against these dictators despite severe repercussions. In Saudi Arabia, one of the region’s most repressive regimes, advocating for human rights comes with a high risk.
Blog Post Mar 27, 2023 Putin’s Invasion of Ukraine – What’s a Court in the Hague Got to Do With It? On March 17, the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued an arrest warrant against Russian President Vladimir Putin and Children’s Rights Commissioner Maria Alekseyevna Lvova-Belova for unlawfully deporting and transferring Ukrainian children to Russia.
Blog Post Mar 24, 2023 Women at the Forefront of Democracy: Strength in Eastern Europe A mere 48 hours after the start of Vladimir Putin’s “special military operation” in Ukraine, the Feminist Anti-War Resistance (FAR) emerged in Russia. FAR has since supported citizens detained at anti-war demonstrations and published a newspaper detailing the realities of the war for people outside of activist circles.
Announcement Mar 24, 2023 Meet Freedom Fellow Vanessa Tsehaye Meet Eritrean human rights activist Vanessa Tsehaye. In 2001, Vanessa’s photojournalist uncle, Seyoum Tsehaye, and his colleagues were imprisoned for demanding democracy in Eritrea. At 16, she launched One Day Seyoum to advocate for her uncle and other prisoners of conscience.
Blog Post Mar 22, 2023 World Water Day: Water Insecurity in the MENA Region Fresh, clean drinking water — directly or indirectly — impacts every aspect of our lives. It’s undeniably fundamental to our health and wellness and is critical to sustaining all life on Earth, which is why World Water Day serves as a reminder of its importance.
Blog Post Mar 21, 2023 Women at the Forefront of Democracy: Promoting Freedom in Latin America Women in Cuba, Venezuela, and Nicaragua have become the face of resistance against the dictatorial regimes ruling their countries in recent years. Despite constant harassment, threats, and violence, these women have shown remarkable resilience in their pursuit of democracy, justice, and the liberation of prisoners of conscience.
Blog Post Mar 17, 2023 Women at the Forefront of Democracy: Tackling the Military Regime in Thailand In May 2014, a Thai military coup effectively put an end to democracy. Coup leader General Prayuth Chan-o-cha announced in a television broadcast at the time that “in order to run the country smoothly, [the military has] suspended the constitution of 2007, except for the chapter on the monarchy.” The country has continued toward authoritarianism.
Blog Post Feb 24, 2023 February 24, One Year Later: Putin’s Playbook On Feb. 24, the Russian army, on the orders of Vladimir Putin, began a full-scale invasion of Ukraine, a sovereign nation of just over 43 million people.
Blog Post Feb 24, 2023 February 24, One Year Later: Repression in Russia On Feb. 24, the Russian army, on the orders of Vladimir Putin, began a full-scale invasion of Ukraine, a sovereign nation of just over 43 million people.
Blog Post Feb 24, 2023 February 24, One Year Later: Hope on the Humanitarian Front On Feb. 24, the Russian army, on the orders of Vladimir Putin, began a full-scale invasion of Ukraine, a sovereign nation of just over 43 million people. The attack —preceded by the annexation of Crimea, an armed conflict in the Donbas region, and never-ending propaganda on Russian TV —has upended world order and undermined the international security system that has been forming since the end of World War II.
Press Release Feb 22, 2023 HRF Announces New Grants for North Korean Human Rights The Human Rights Foundation (HRF) is pleased to announce five grants to help strengthen the work of civil society organizations in South Korea focused on improving North Korean human rights, education, and resettlement.
Blog Post Feb 15, 2023 Crises Compounded in a Forgotten Dictatorship The combination of a 12-year conflict caused by a dictator who glorifies and celebrates his atrocities, a global pandemic, and now a natural disaster would surely have the world concerned and anxious to help. But, this has not been the case.
Op-Ed Feb 9, 2023 ‘Women, life, freedom’: Chants of protest in Iran Forty-four years after the 1979 Iranian Revolution, Tehran is once again feeling the wrath of its citizenry. Then, it was the Shah and his “modern ideals” the people sought to, and successfully did, overthrow. Now, a different regime — the Islamic Republic — is in power and in the people’s crosshairs.
Announcement Feb 8, 2023 Meet HRF Freedom Fellow Pema Doma Human Rights Foundation Freedom Fellow Pema Doma is a Tibetan human rights and climate campaigner who was a key organizer in #NoBeijing2022, a global campaign against China’s hosting of the Winter Olympic Games.
Press Release Feb 1, 2023 HRF Succeeds in Joint UN Petition: Cuba Condemned for Detention of Artists Luis Manuel Otero Alcántara & Hamlet Lavastida The United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention (UNWGAD) issued an opinion concluding that the June 2021 and July 2021 arrests of Cuban artists Luis Manuel Otero Alcántara and Hamlet Lavastida, respectively, were arbitrary and violated international law.
Blog Post Feb 1, 2023 Two Years After the Coup, Burma’s Struggle for Democracy Continues Two years ago today, Burma’s junta, led by military chief Min Aung Hlaing (MAH), seized power in a coup and overthrew the newly elected government.
Blog Post Jan 25, 2023 Champion of Solidarity: African Democracy Defenders Standing With Ukraine Last month, thousands took to the streets of China in response to the Chinese Communist Party’s severe pandemic lockdowns. The demonstrations were not only a rallying cry for the end of the country’s rigid COVID restrictions; they were also a showcase of the people’s determination for freedom and human rights.
Blog Post Jan 23, 2023 Bolivia’s Jailing Opposition Leaders on Absurd ‘Terrorism’ Charges A Dec. 28 police operation involving over 40 heavily armed officers — most of them in plain clothes and wearing masks — violently arrested Luis Fernando Camacho, one of Bolivia’s most important opposition leaders and governor of the region with the country’s largest city, and swiftly moved him to La Paz in a military helicopter.
Press Release Jan 23, 2023 HRF Condemns the Assassination of Thulani Maseko in Eswatini The Human Rights Foundation (HRF) mourns the death of renowned Swazi human rights lawyer Thulani Maseko and calls for a credible, independent investigation into his assassination on Jan. 21, 2023.
Blog Post Jan 11, 2023 Meet HRF Freedom Fellow Volya Vysotskaia Meet HRF Freedom Fellow Volya Vysotskaia, a Belarusian human rights activist who exposes repression and torture by state officials.
