Human Rights Foundation - Human Rights Foundation

Human Rights Foundation

Human Rights Foundation's Work

Oct 21, 2026

Joint Statement for the International Day of Political Prisoners on October 30

The Human Rights Foundation and the October 30 Coalition have released the following joint statement to rally support for political prisoners and champion their freedom.

Oct 19, 2026

China Casts a Wide Net for Travelers with New Exit and Entry Regulations

Travelers to China be warned: The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) just doubled down on regulations that could subject innocent travelers and citizens to exit bans or detention.

Oct 15, 2026

HRF’s “Dare to Dissent” Series Nominated for Three Anthem Awards

NEW YORK (Oct. 15, 2026) — The Human Rights Foundation (HRF) is pleased to announce that its “Dare to Dissent” series has been nominated for three Anthem Awards in the “Human & Civil Rights” category.

Oct 13, 2026

Navalny’s Lawyers mark 3 years since arrest

NEW YORK (Oct. 13, 2026) — Three years ago today, Russian police arrested Vadim Kobzev and Alexei Liptser, two of the lawyers for the late opposition leader Alexei Navalny. The Human Rights Foundation (HRF) marks this anniversary by calling for the immediate release of Kobzev and Liptser, who remain imprisoned in harsh conditions in Russian penal colonies solely for doing their jobs as lawyers.

Oct 13, 2026

Uzbekistan: Release Political Prisoner Dauletmurat Tazhimuratov and Investigate New Torture Allegations

Authorities in Uzbekistan must immediately release political prisoner Dauletmurat Tazhimuratov and investigate his allegations of torture, the Norwegian Helsinki Committee, International Partnership for Human Rights (IPHR), Association for Human Rights in Central Asia (AHRCA), Freedom Now, Civil Rights Defenders, and the Human Rights Foundation said in a statement today.

Oct 13, 2026

Joshua Wong: A Boy, A Ballot, A Cell

During Joshua Wong’s first stint in prison at age 20, he read 777 pages of letters sent to him. He worked in the canteen and complained about the rules: Prisoners’ cups had to go on the floor, not on desks. “No” had to become “Sorry, sir.” Joshua joked that years of video games and Japanese anime had not prepared him for drills.

Oct 10, 2026

HRF Launches Resilience Program to Address the Psychological Toll of Authoritarian Repression

NEW YORK (Oct. 10, 2026) — On World Mental Health Day, the Human Rights Foundation (HRF) is proud to announce the launch of its Resilience Program, a new science-based initiative to strengthen the mental health, leadership capacity, and long-term effectiveness of human rights defenders operating under authoritarian regimes.

Oct 7, 2026

Announcing the 2026 Thulani Maseko Justice Prize Laureate

NEW YORK (Oct. 7, 2026) — The Human Rights Foundation (HRF) and the Thulani Maseko Foundation (TMF) are pleased to announce the recipient of the 2026 Thulani Maseko Justice Prize: Iranian human rights lawyer Nasrin Sotoudeh.

Oct 6, 2026

HRF petitions United Nations on behalf of disappeared Rwandan journalist Cassien Ntamuhanga

NEW YORK (Oct. 6, 2026) — This week, the Human Rights Foundation (HRF) submitted a communication to the United Nations Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances on behalf of Cassien Ntamuhanga, a Rwandan journalist and dissident who has not been seen since he was seized in Mozambique more than five years ago.

Oct 2, 2026

Dispatches from Detention: Dauletmurat Tazhimuratov

HRF has received a desperate letter containing disturbing updates about Uzbekistan’s treatment of detained Karakalpak activist, Dauletmurat Tazhimuratov.

Sep 30, 2026

NPR’s Weekend Edition goes inside HRF’s AI hackathon in Washington, D.C.

HRF’s AI Hack for Freedom III was featured on National Public Radio’s Weekend Edition. Millions of listeners across the United States heard about our two-day hackathon that brought together human rights defenders from around the world with developers, technologists, and AI experts.

Sep 29, 2026

Lights Are Out in Cuba. The Repression Isn’t.

This month Miguel Díaz-Canel presided over a ceremony marking 65 years of Cuba’s prison system, which state media called a “fair and humane achievement.” Last week the national grid collapsed for the sixth time this year, and foreign minister Bruno Rodríguez flew to New York to tell the United Nations that Cuba’s suffering is Washington’s fault.

Meet Our People

Candace Bryan Abbey

Head of Global Government Engagement

Gloria Ampofo

Travel Logistics Coordinator

Srdja Popović

Expert in nonviolent resistance and founder of the Center for Applied Nonviolent Action and Strategies (CANVAS)

Holly Baxter

Advisor, Art in Protest

Our team comes from across the world to stand up to tyranny everywhere.

We partner with world-changing activists in creating innovative solutions to unite the world against tyranny.