We promote and protect democracy & human rights around the world, with a focus on authoritarian regimes. 👉 Attend our human rights conference: @osloff
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HRF’s “Dare to Dissent” series has been nominated for three 2026 @anthemawards in the Human & Civil Rights category!
Help us amplify the stories of prisoners of conscience and the struggle for justice under authoritarian regimes.
Vote for HRF here: hrf.org/latest/hrfs-dare-to-…
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When can the law become a tool of religious persecution?
Join us next Monday, Oct. 26, for a panel discussion examining how laws enable the persecution of Ahmadi Muslims in Pakistan.
Hear from Amjad Mahmood Khan, partner at Brown Neri Smith & Khan LLP and continuing lecturer at UCLA School of Law; Dr. Katrina Lantos Swett, president of the @LantosFndn and Human Rights Foundation board member; and Dr. Guillermo Cantor, deputy executive director of the US Commission on International Religious Freedom.
📆Monday, Oct. 26 | 5:00–6:30 PM ET
đź“ŤFordham University School of Law, Room 2-01A, NYC
Join us in person for the discussion. The event is free and open to the public. Register to attend: ow.ly/8tuh50ZZvvO
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In a new op-ed published in @just_security, HRF Legal Associates Kaitie Holland and Sergei Korotkov call on @SecRubio to make the release of Uzbekistan’s political prisoners a condition of the business and diplomatic deals on the table during his C5+1 visit to Central Asia, which began Oct. 17.
Uzbekistan, a country that HRF’s Tyranny Tracker classifies as ruled by a fully authoritarian regime, still imprisons dozens of Karakalpaks who were jailed after July 2022 protests against plans to strip Karakalpakstan of its sovereign status. Among them is Dauletmurat Tazhimuratov, a lawyer and journalist now serving nearly 18 years.
UN experts and @RepMcGovern have raised Tazhimuratov’s case, but Uzbekistan has thus far ignored them. US leverage can deliver what years of international pressure have not. HRF calls on the United States to not turn a blind eye to Uzbekistan’s forgotten.
Secretary Rubio's upcoming visit to Central Asia to bolster trade ties gives the White House a rare opportunity to press for the release of Uzbekistan's political prisoners, write Kaitie Holland and Sergei Korotkov.
justsecurity.org/161025/secr…
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HRF condemns the Cuban regime’s escalating crackdown as @PrisonersDFNdrs reports a record 1,351 political prisoners on the island. In Cuba today, demanding basic necessities like water and power can land citizens in maximum security prisons.
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Citizens face extreme penalties for peaceful dissent amid a severe regime-made crisis. Yordenkis Fonseca — a minor with epilepsy — was jailed after a peaceful protest for water, and suffered seizures in detention. Meanwhile, 17-year-old Leandro Palmero Guevara faces a 12-year sentence, despite prosecutors’ failure to cite a single concrete crime. Minutes after @PrisonersDFNdrs published its report detailing these 1,351 cases and 2,200+ detentions since #11J, its website suffered a massive, coordinated cyberattack aimed at hiding the regime’s abuses.
nitter.siddz.com/PrisonersDFNdrs/status…
💻CIBERATAQUE CONTRA PRISONERS DEFENDERS MINUTOS DESPUÉS DE PUBLICAR EL NUEVO RÉCORD DE PRESOS POLÍTICOS EN CUBA
🇨🇺1.351 prisioneros polĂticos. 50 nuevos casos en septiembre. Apenas unos minutos despuĂ©s de hacer pĂşblicas estas cifras, Prisoners Defenders sufriĂł un ataque informático masivo y coordinado contra su página web y su base de datos de presos polĂticos en Cuba.
⚠️ Cientos de direcciones IP lanzaron peticiones automatizadas para saturar los servidores e impedir el acceso a la información de familiares, periodistas, diplomáticos, instituciones y ciudadanos.
El análisis tĂ©cnico apunta a una operaciĂłn deliberada, organizada y con recursos, diseñada para ocultar su procedencia. La autorĂa todavĂa no ha podido determinarse.
đź”´ El ataque provocĂł interrupciones temporales, pero fue neutralizado. No hubo filtraciĂłn, pĂ©rdida ni alteraciĂłn de datos. La informaciĂłn de los presos polĂticos y sus familias permanece Ăntegra y segura.
Cada intento de silenciarnos confirma por qué este trabajo es necesario y la motivación por seguir haciéndolo cada vez con más fuerza💪
🔗Noticia completa: prisonersdefenders.org/2026/…
#PrisonersDefenders #Cuba #PresosPolĂticos #Ciberataque #DerechosHumanos
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About a year has passed since the Chinese Communist Party's nationwide crackdown on Zion Church. HRF reiterates its calls for the Chinese government to immediately and unconditionally release the eight church leaders who remain detained for their faith.
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One year later, eight Zion Church leaders remain in detention: Gao Yingjia, Wang Lin, Yin Huibin, Wang Zhong, Wang Cong, Liu Zhenbin, Lin Shucheng, and Wu Qiuyu. Their families continue to endure separation and uncertainty as they call for their loved ones’ release.
nytimes.com/2026/09/22/world…
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HRF welcomes the UN Human Rights Council’s vote to renew the mandate of the Independent Fact-Finding Mission on Venezuela for two more years. The resolution sends a clear message that international oversight remains vital to combat pervasive impunity and state repression in Venezuela.
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Although hundreds of political prisoners have been released since January, @ForoPenal reports that at least 324 prisoners of conscience remain unlawfully incarcerated. Many of those freed face ongoing judicial restrictions, showing that conditional releases are often used as a tactical concession rather than a genuine move toward justice and freedom.
swissinfo.ch/spa/ong-celebra…
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HRF and the City of The Hague hosted the 2026 Thulani Maseko Justice Prize ceremony in The Hague, Netherlands, honoring Iranian human rights lawyer Nasrin Sotoudeh.
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@rociosanmiguel, the Venezuelan human rights lawyer who was awarded the prize in 2025, while imprisoned in Caracas, was also present at this year's ceremony. She was released in January.
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HRF is grateful to have partnered with the City of The Hague to host this year's ceremony. This Dutch city embodies the belief that international human rights law — and the lawyers who dare to promote it in authoritarian contexts — deserves global recognition. @GemeenteDenHaag
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