Press Release Jan 30, 2026 HRF urges UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention to rule India’s detention of Kashmiri journalist Irfan Mehraj arbitrary and unlawful Today, the Human Rights Foundation (HRF) and the Asian Forum for Human Rights and Development (FORUM-ASIA) submitted an individual complaint to the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention (WGAD) on behalf of Kashmiri journalist and human rights defender Irfan Mehraj, urging the group to declare his detention arbitrary and in violation of international law.
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.
Press Release Jan 14, 2026 HRF celebrates the release of Venezuelan prisoners of conscience and calls for the release of all those held arbitrarily The Human Rights Foundation (HRF) welcomes the release of a group of Venezuelan prisoners of conscience, including the 2025 Thulani Maseko Justice Prize laureate, Rocío San Miguel.
Press Release Jan 13, 2026 HRF urges UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention to rule Iran’s detention of online activist Hossein Shanbehzadeh arbitrary and unlawful Today, the Human Rights Foundation submitted an individual complaint to the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention (WGAD) on behalf of Iranian online activist and freelance editor Hossein Shanbehzadeh, urging the group to declare his detention arbitrary and in violation of international law.
Press Release Jan 13, 2026 HRF’s Bitcoin Development Fund Announces Support for 22 Projects Worldwide The Human Rights Foundation (HRF) is pleased to announce 1.3 billion satoshis in grants from its Bitcoin Development Fund (BDF).
Press Release Jan 5, 2026 HRF urges UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention to rule India’s detention of activist Umar Khalid arbitrary and unlawful The Human Rights Foundation (HRF) condemns the Indian Supreme Court’s decision on January 5th, 2026 to deny bail in the case of Indian activist Umar Khalid, who has been detained for over five years without trial or conviction.
Press Release Jan 1, 2026 HRF Mourns the Passing of Board Member Dan Grossman The Human Rights Foundation mourns the passing of Dan Grossman, a visionary entrepreneur, mentor, and longtime HRF board member whose decades of leadership and service profoundly advanced human freedom worldwide. His wisdom, generosity, and unwavering commitment to liberty leave a lasting legacy across the global human rights movement.
Press Release Dec 17, 2025 HRF and Reporters Without Borders (RSF) petition United Nations on behalf of Nicaraguan journalist Fabiola Tercero Castro Last month, the Human Rights Foundation (HRF) and Reporters Without Borders (RSF) sent a joint submission to the United Nations Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances (WGEID) on behalf of prominent Nicaraguan journalist and activist Fabiola Tercero Castro.
Press Release Dec 15, 2025 HRF Succeeds at the UN: Vietnam Called to Release Blogger Nguyen Chi Tuyến The Human Rights Foundation (HRF) has received a favorable opinion from the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention (WGAD), finding that prominent Vietnamese activist and blogger Nguyễn Chí Tuyến, widely known as Anh Chí, is arbitrarily detained by the Vietnamese regime, in clear violation of international human rights law.
Press Release Dec 12, 2025 Following HRF Petition, UN Experts Condemn Egypt for Arbitrary Detention The Human Rights Foundation (HRF) received a favorable opinion from the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention (WGAD), finding Egypt’s detention of human rights defender Ahmed Amasha arbitrary under international human rights law.
Press Release Dec 10, 2025 HRF Celebrates María Corina Machado’s Nobel Peace Prize The Human Rights Foundation (HRF) celebrates today’s award of the Nobel Peace Prize to María Corina Machado.
Press Release Dec 8, 2025 HRF-Sponsored Research Reveals Western Funding Ties to China’s State-Backed AI Labs A report released today by Strategy Risks, in partnership with the Human Rights Foundation, reveals that leading Western universities — including MIT, Stanford, and Oxford — have collaborated extensively with Chinese AI laboratories embedded in the country’s surveillance apparatus, with U.S. and UK government funding repeatedly acknowledged in the research.
Press Release Dec 4, 2025 HRF succeeds in UN petition: Swaziland called on to immediately release two former lawmakers The Human Rights Foundation (HRF) received a favorable opinion from the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention (WGAD), finding that Swaziland’s (unilaterally renamed eSwatini by King Mswati III in 2018) detention of former lawmakers Mduduzi Bacede Mabuza and Mthandeni Dube is arbitrary and violates international human rights law.
Press Release Dec 2, 2025 HRF Sponsors AI Hack for Freedom in Austin, Pairing Dissidents and Developers The Human Rights Foundation (HRF) is sponsoring “AI Hack for Freedom,” the first AI-focused hackathon designed and driven by human rights advocates from countries ruled by authoritarian regimes.
Press Release Dec 1, 2025 HRF-Sponsored Research on AI and China Featured in The Washington Post With support from the Human Rights Foundation, the Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI) today released a landmark research report detailing how the People’s Republic of China is leveraging cutting-edge artificial intelligence (AI) to transform its state control system.
Press Release Nov 25, 2025 HRF Defends Rwandan Opposition Leader Victoire Ingabire Before the UN The Human Rights Foundation (HRF), Freedom Now, and the Lantos Foundation for Human Rights & Justice submitted a joint complaint to the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention (WGAD) on behalf of detained Rwandan opposition leader Victoire Ingabire.
Press Release Nov 13, 2025 Doors to Freedom: Art Basel Miami Installation to Highlight Persecuted Artists The Human Rights Foundation (HRF), in partnership with Cuban Freedom March, is proud to announce the unveiling of “Doors to Freedom,” an art installation that tells the stories of artists exposing authoritarian regimes, on the sidelines of this year’s Art Basel in Miami.
Press Release Oct 29, 2025 Reinvigorating Global Engagement on Human Rights in North Korea: The 2025 NK Insider Forum Last week on October 22, the Human Rights Foundation (HRF) and the NGO Council for North Korean Human Rights hosted the 2025 NK Insider Forum, the day-long kickoff event of the inaugural three-day Seoul World Convention on North Korean Human Rights.
