Human Rights Foundation (HRF)

Today, we begin a powerful journey, where each act of generosity helps us continue to promote and protect human rights where they are most at risk. 🤝 Join us on this #GivingTuesday to defend the world against tyranny. Your support matters. This year, make a gift in November, and you will be automatically entered to win TWO Patron Passes to the 2025 Oslo Freedom Forum (OFF) Freedom Forum in Norway! 😱 Each dollar donated counts as one entry. 👀 👉 Donate for a chance to win: https://buff.ly/4eXGEWD #humanrights #2024hrfgivingtuesday #GivingEveryTuesday #SupportNonprofits

The Cuban regime has denied imprisoned activists Félix and Sayli Navarro, a father and daughter, the right to visit each other for more than 50 days. Detained as prisoners of conscience since the July 2021 protests, they remain in separate detention centers. The regime has repeatedly violated their basic prison rights, withholding phone calls for 15 days and visits for more than 50 days. HRF condemns the Cuban regime's inhumane treatment of political prisoners and the broader population. It must release all individuals imprisoned on politically motivated charges and make way for a democratic transition in the country.

Le Huu Minh Tuan, a Vietnamese editor and prisoner of conscience, is experiencing severe health complications, including significant weight loss, intense pain, and numbness in his limbs. His relatives and rights groups are demanding his release so that he can receive urgent medical attention. Tuan is a member of the Vietnam Independent Journalists’ Association, serving an 11-year sentence for "opposing the state." He's been imprisoned since 2021. In detention, he has reportedly been denied adequate medical care despite his severe condition and limited communication with his family. Vietnam remains the world's third-largest jailer of journalists. HRF urgently calls for Tuan's immediate and unconditional release to receive necessary medical care and demands that the Vietnamese regime ensure the basic human rights of all prisoners of conscience. https://buff.ly/3ApKV6c

Chinese officials detained Tsongon Tsering, a Tibetan environmental activist, after he shared a video on social media accusing a construction company of illegally extracting sand and gravel from a river and causing environmental degradation. A few days after Tsering's social media post, officials summoned him and other villagers for questioning. Although all were initially released, Tsering was called back and has remained in custody ever since. Chinese officials also shut down Tsering's WeChat account and blocked all search searches related to his name. While Tsering's original video initially gained widespread attention, reposts shared by other users were swiftly removed. HRF condemns the arrest of Tsongon Tsering and calls for his immediate and unconditional release. His detention is yet another alarming example of how the Chinese Communist Party silences criticism of its exploitative policies and environmental degradation of Tibet. https://buff.ly/3O0xlJr

Nov. 2 marked the International Day to End Impunity for Crimes Against Journalists, where we honored the journalists bringing truth to light in countries ruled by authoritarian regimes. Protecting journalists is essential for safeguarding freedom and democracy worldwide. #JournalismIsNotACrime

More than 100 North Koreans vanished after being apprehended by secret police while trying to defect or contact relatives in South Korea, according to a new study by @TJWGSeoul. Among the 113 individuals, 90 were arrested within North Korea and the rest overseas. While more women are arrested in foreign countries like China and Russia, more men are subjected to internal disappearances in North Korea, with children under the age of 10 accounting for 11%. The Ministry of State Security (MSS) is identified as the primary perpetrator, responsible for the disappearances of 92 victims (81.4%). The UN estimates that up to 200,000 individuals are currently detained in MSS-run gulags. HRF expresses grave concern over the increasing dangers faced by North Korean defectors and calls for immediate protective measures and accountability for the regimes enabling their enforced disappearances. https://buff.ly/48DI46s

Burmese-Indian activist Shine Htet Aung was detained on Wednesday at a Hlaing Township police station in Yangon and charged with “inciting propaganda through social media to undermine national stability.” The junta gave no details of his arrest. Shine Htet Aung criticized the Burmese film “Jar Kit Sar Pu Thee” as racist and mocking Hindu culture on his Facebook. After his post went viral, pro-junta Telegram channels demanded his arrest, and his Facebook account has since been deactivated. He disappeared after being abducted by plainclothes individuals while volunteering in Yangon. HRF condemns the arrest of Shine Htet Aung and calls for his immediate and unconditional release. HRF remains deeply concerned about the deteriorating civic space under the military junta regime. https://buff.ly/4fhNExS

The United Nations last week accused the Sudanese Rapid Support Forces (RSF) of “atrocious crimes” involving sexual violence and gang rapes. Rights groups have also reported a surge of suicides among women in Sudan who fear or have experienced rape by the RSF. Just this week, three women in the Eastern region of Gezira took their lives after being raped by RSF soldiers. Activists are trying to relocate women fearful of the RSF, but communications are limited, making operations and case reporting difficult. The Sudanese conflict has displaced more than 11 million people and killed tens of thousands since April 2023. As violence escalates, the UN warns Sudan could face the world’s largest humanitarian crisis without a ceasefire, risking millions of lives to starvation. HRF urgently calls on the Sudanese regime and international community to take immediate action to protect civilians, end sexual violence, and ensure humanitarian aid reaches those in need.

Georgian officials have initiated 47 cases concerning alleged election fraud, resulting in the arrest of two individuals accused of tampering with ballots during the parliamentary elections on Oct. 26. The detainees were identified as instigators of a brawl at a polling station in Marneuli, a southern Georgian city, and the ballots from this station were declared invalid. On Thursday, the Prosecutor General's office summoned President Salome Zourabichvili to testify as part of the investigation — a move the president described the summons as an attempt at "political retribution." The pro-Russian party "Georgian Dream," in power since 2012, claimed victory with 54 percent of the vote. In August, the Georgian government adopted a Russian-style "foreign agents" law, which has sparked a crisis in the country’s relations with the EU and the USA. HRF urges the Georgian government to conduct a thorough investigation into the violations committed during the parliamentary elections. https://buff.ly/40t0jJz

Last weekend, state security forces kidnapped Miguel Granados, a member of María Corina Machado's Vente Venezuela, while he was at a restaurant. There's no information as to where he's being held. https://buff.ly/40ukeHX Granados is now one of more than 1,800 people who have been arrested following Nicolas Maduro’s July 28 electoral fraud; two-thirds of Venezuelans voted to put an end to the Chavista regime. HRF strongly condemns the ongoing wave of repression by the Venezuelan dictatorship and urges democratic governments to continue to pressure the regime and help the brave Venezuelans diligently working on securing a peaceful transition to democracy in the country.