Advocacy

Krystsina Tsimanouskaya, who was kicked off the Belarusian team after criticizing her coaches in the Tokyo Olympics, is auctioning a medal from the 2019 European Games to support athletes who claim they have been targeted by authorities. On Aug. 1, Belarusian team officials took the 24-year-old to Tokyo’s Haneda airport against her will, a day […]

After authorities arrested another opposing lawmaker ahead of elections later this year, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken accused Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega of pursuing additional undemocratic, dictatorial acts. Blinken claimed in a statement on Saturday that Ortega and his wife, Vice President Rosario Murillo, were trying to keep power “at all costs” by disqualifying […]

As the presidential election in November approaches, President Daniel Ortega’s regime has increased harassment and indictments against government critics. The legislature passed a bill in October mandating businesses and individuals who accept financing from outside the country to register as foreign agents. The law prohibits such foreign agents from meddling in internal or external political […]

In the six months following the February 1, 2021 coup, Myanmar’s military junta has committed various atrocities against the civilians that amount to crimes against humanity, according to Human Rights Watch. Millions of people have come to the streets all around the country to peacefully protest the military coup, calling for a restoration to a […]

Following Aliaksandr Lukashenka’s controversial re-election on August 9, Belarusian security forces unjustly imprisoned thousands of people and subjected hundreds to torture and other forms of ill-treatment in an attempt to thwart the demonstrations. The abuse, on the other hand, simply helped to inflame public resentment as thousands of people continued to march peacefully in support […]

The use of torture and forced confessions is widespread in Iraq’s criminal justice system, and authorities carry out countless judicial executions despite major due process abuses. Authorities employed a variety of defamation and incitement provisions in Iraqi legislation to silence dissidents, including journalists, activists, and protestors. Students who were kept out of school for months […]

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) government continues to invest in  strategy with the goal of portraying the country as liberal, tolerant, and rights-respecting. Yet, with the prolonged  imprisonment of major human rights defender Ahmed Mansour, academic Nasser bin Ghaith, and other activists and dissidents, the country’s extreme intolerance of criticism was on full display. Some […]

Saudi Arabia supposedly began the war in Yemen to prevent Iran from gaining a foothold on the Arabian Peninsula, which borders the strategically important Bab al Mandab straits. Nearly six years later, the war has given Iran just that, as well as causing the world’s largest humanitarian disaster. When the Houthi rebels agreed to enable […]

This year was marked by violent persecution of human rights campaigners and suspected dissidents, as well as systematic ethnic minorities suppression. Despite the criticism from the UN, restrictions on freedom of expression remained in place unchanged. Foreign journalists were subjected to detention and expulsion, as well as visa renewal delays and denials. Outside of China, […]

The Covid-19 pandemic offered an excuse for Russian authorities to limit human rights in a variety of ways, as well as to impose additional restrictions, particularly in the area of privacy rights and Freedom of political participation. In 2020, constitutional changes were a major development. Several oppressive laws have been strengthened through constitutional amendments. Authorities […]

In 2015, the UAE government hacked Mr. Ahmed Mansour’s phone, using a spyware developed by an Israeli-based firm called NSO Group making his smartphone a tool to monitor him. His phone was hacked to spy on him and his colleagues. Ahmed Mansour, 51 years-old, an Emirati engineer, poet, blogger and father of four. He is […]

May 14, 2021 Dear Mr. Secretary-General,  We strongly support the United Nations and the resolutions on human rights protection, as nongovernmental organizations continue working to alleviate humanitarian sufferings in different regions around the world.   Throughout the year, there were reports of extrajudicial executions, excessive use of force, and unlawful killings by security forces in […]