Report May 12, 2026 Dictators and Diplomas: Why Foreign Autocracies Funding American Universities Threatens Democracy, Destroys Academic Freedom, and Entrenches Anti-Democratic Regimes For years, foreign dictatorships and their proxies have searched out any number of ways to influence policy and discourse in the United States. From hiring fleets of lobbyists to setting up dark money networks, from bankrolling sports leagues to launching disinformation campaigns on American social media platforms, from backing strategic investments to hiring consulting firms and white-shoe law firms, the list of targets is lengthy.
Human Rights Dispatch Mar 23, 2026 Thailand silences dissent, Koet Saray detention ruled arbitrary, Moscow shows limited support to Iran. The UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention has found that Cambodia’s detention of human rights defender Koet Saray is arbitrary and violates international human rights law.
Announcement Mar 13, 2025 HRF & The Signal release newspaper on corruption The Human Rights Foundation (HRF) is excited to announce the release of “Altered States,” a limited-run newspaper examining how dictators use power and illicit wealth to undermine democracy and strengthen authoritarianism. The newspaper explores the question: How much influence do foreign autocratic regimes have on democracies?
