Human Rights Foundation - Human Rights Foundation

Human Rights Foundation

Human Rights Foundation's Work

Oct 2, 2026

“I beg you to help me:” Uzbekistan’s Ongoing Detention and Torture of 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.

Sep 28, 2026

A 45 años de la muerte de Rómulo Betancourt, su archivo pasa a Human Rights Foundation

Human Rights Foundation (HRF) anuncia que Alfredo Coronil Hartmann, hijastro del expresidente de Venezuela Rómulo Betancourt —hijo de su esposa, Renée Hartmann— y heredero de sus bienes, transfirió en mayo de 2023, en la ciudad de Nueva York, a Thor Halvorssen, fundador de HRF, la custodia y administración del archivo completo, la memorabilia y la mitad de los derechos sobre la herencia intelectual de Rómulo Betancourt Bello, el Padre de la Democracia venezolana.

Sep 25, 2026

Announcing the Winners of AI Hack for Freedom III

WASHINGTON, D.C. (Sept. 25, 2026) — On Sept. 24 and 25, the Human Rights Foundation (HRF) co-hosted AI Hack for Freedom III, the third edition of a hackathon aimed at building digital tools that directly address the needs of human rights defenders under authoritarian regimes, with a prize pool of $50,000.

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.

Sep 14, 2026

HRF Co-sponsors AI Hack for Freedom III in Washington, D.C., Sept. 24–25

WASHINGTON D.C. (September 14, 2026) — The Human Rights Foundation will co-sponsor the AI Hack for Freedom III in Washington, D.C., on Sept. 24 and 25. This AI-powered hackathon, the third of its kind this year, is designed to put world-leading human rights activists as captains of teams of engineers to build powerful new tools to scale the work of the people and movements challenging authoritarianism worldwide.

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.

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.

Sep 8, 2026

New WSJ essay from HRF’s Alex Gladstein

In a new essay for The Wall Street Journal, HRF Chief Strategy Officer Alex Gladstein examines what happens when people cannot rely on their governments or financial systems to protect their savings, access their money, or transact freely.

Aug 31, 2026

The Evolution of Youth-led Movements in East and Southeast Asia: What’s Next?

In August 2025, HRF published “Youthquake: Youth-led Movements Shaking Up East and Southeast Asia,” which examined how youth movements in Hong Kong, Burma, Thailand, the Uyghur Region, Tibet, and diaspora communities mobilized from 2019 to 2023 to demand democracy, justice, and freedom.

Aug 25, 2026

Gao Zhen: The Long Making of Dissent

In detention, Gao Zhen made pictures from paper he tore by hand: portraits of his son, the family dog, memories of New York, and biblical figures.

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.