Human Rights Foundation Inc

TO PROTECT AND PROMOTE HUMAN RIGHTS GLOBALLY WITH A FOCUS ON CLOSED SOCIETIES.

GLOBAL ADVOCACY:HRF'S IMPACT LITIGATION PROGRAM PROVIDES PRO BONO INTERNATIONAL LEGAL REPRESENTATION TO PRISONERS OF CONSCIENCE WHOSE CASES ARE EMBLEMATIC OF THE BRUTALITY OF DICTATORSHIP. IN 2021, HRF FILED SEVERAL PETITIONS BEFORE THE UN WITH A 100% SUCCESS RATE. HRF REGULARLY SUBMITS URGENT APPEALS TO THE UN WORKING GROUP ON ARBITRARY DETENTION; EVIDENTIARY CASE FILES TO THE US DEPARTMENTS OF STATE AND TREASURY, UNDER THE GLOBAL MAGNITSKY ACT; AND LETTERS ON BEHALF OF HUMAN RIGHTS ADVOCATES TO UN SPECIAL RAPPORTEURS. IN ADDITION TO LEGAL ADVOCACY, HRF CONDUCTS RESEARCH AND PUBLISHES REPORTS ANALYZING THE STATE OF POLITICAL FREEDOM AND AUTHORITARIANISM GLOBALLY, THE CORRELATION BETWEEN AUTHORITARIANISM AND GLOBAL CRISES, AND POLITICAL REGIME TYPES.HRF ALSO LAUNCHES MULTI-PRONGED ADVOCACY CAMPAIGNS TO MOBILIZE AN INTERNATIONAL AUDIENCE TO SUPPORT HUMAN RIGHTS ISSUES. IN 2021, HRF DEDICATED PARTICULAR TIME AND RESOURCES TO DELIVERING HUMANITARIAN AID TO AFGHANISTAN AFTER THE US WITHDRAWAL, SUPPORTING THE PRO-DEMOCRACY MOVEMENT AND INDEPENDENT MEDIA IN BELARUS, AND SHEDDING LIGHT ON THE CHINESE COMMUNIST PARTY'S INCREASINGLY REPRESSIVE TACTICS IN PLACES LIKE HONG KONG AND THE UYGHUR REGION. THROUGH CREATIVE CAMPAIGNS AND DIRECT OUTREACH UNDER ITS CELEBRITIES AND DICTATORS PROGRAM, HRF ALSO CALLED ON CELEBRITIES, ATHLETES, AND OTHER PUBLIC FIGURES TO USE THEIR INFLUENCE TO STAND UP FOR HUMAN RIGHTS IN AUTHORITARIAN REGIMES. FOR INSTANCE, SHORTLY BEFORE JUSTIN BIEBER'S SCHEDULED PERFORMANCE FOR SAUDI CROWN PRINCE MOHAMMED BIN SALMAN (MBS), HRF DROVE A CARAVAN OF TRUCKS THROUGH LOS ANGELES, AND CHARTERED A PLANE OVERHEAD, BEARING MESSAGES ASKING BIEBER TO CANCEL HIS PERFORMANCE AND DENOUNCE MBS'S HUMAN RIGHTS ABUSES. FINALLY, HRF CONNECTED ACTIVISTS AND JOURNALISTS WITH TECHNOLOGISTS TO PROVIDE THEM WITH CRITICAL DIGITAL SECURITY ANDPRIVACY TOOLS. HRF'S BITCOIN DEVELOPMENT FUND ALLOCATED SEVERAL GRANTS TO SOFTWARE DEVELOPERS WHO ARE MAKING THE BITCOIN NETWORK A BETTER TOOL FOR HUMAN RIGHTS ACTIVISTS.

COMMUNITY OUTREACH:HRF PROVIDES DIRECT SUPPORT TO INDIVIDUALS AND ORGANIZATIONS THAT PROMOTE AND DEFEND HUMAN RIGHTS IN CLOSED SOCIETIES THROUGH ITS FREEDOM FELLOWSHIP AND MICROGRANTS PROGRAMS. HRF FURTHER SUPPORTS PRO-DEMOCRACY MOVEMENTS BY FACILITATING INTERNSHIPS FOR UNIVERSITY STUDENTS AT CIVIL SOCIETY ORGANIZATIONS AROUND THE WORLD THROUGH ITS OSLO SCHOLARS PROGRAM. HRF'S OSLO FREEDOM FORUM IS A UNIQUE INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE SERIES THAT FOCUSES ON UNITING HUMAN RIGHTS ADVOCATES, BUSINESS LEADERS, TECH ENTREPRENEURS, JOURNALISTS, AND POLICYMAKERS TO SHARE THEIR STORIES AND DISCUSS WAYS TO ADVANCE INDIVIDUAL LIBERTIES AND UNLEASH HUMAN POTENTIAL. WHILE THE ANNUAL FLAGSHIP FORUM USUALLY TAKES PLACE IN OSLO, NORWAY, HRF HOSTED THE 2021 OSLO FREEDOM FORUM ON OCTOBER 4-5 IN MIAMI, FLORIDA, DUE TO COVID-19 INTERNATIONAL TRAVEL RESTRICTIONS. THE TWO-DAY EVENT WAS ATTENDED BY MORE THAN 750 PEOPLE, AND FEATURED A WIDE ARRAY OF PROGRAMMING, INCLUDING THEATER TALKS, MUSIC PERFORMANCES, PANEL DISCUSSIONS, ACTIVIST WORKSHOPS, INTERACTIVE EXHIBITS AND ART INSTALLATIONS, AND SPACES FOR NETWORKING AND CREATIVE PROBLEM-SOLVING.FOLLOWING THE CONFERENCE, HRF HOSTED A WORKING RETREAT FOR ACTIVISTS FROM LATIN AMERICA, AS PART OF ITS OSLO FREEDOM FORUM GLOBAL EXPANSION PROGRAM. THE EVENT BROUGHT TOGETHER 37 ADVOCATES FROM LATIN AMERICA TO IDENTIFY THE MOST PRESSING ISSUES IN THE REGION, ENGAGE IN HIGHLEVEL STRATEGY SESSIONS, FORM MEANINGFUL PARTNERSHIPS, AND PARTAKE IN HANDS-ON WORKSHOPS.

AUDIENCE EDUCATION:THROUGH CREATIVE CAMPAIGNS AND STRATEGIC MEDIA COVERAGE, HRF REACHES DIVERSE AUDIENCES AROUND THE WORLD TO EDUCATE THEM ABOUT THE IMPORTANCE OF FREEDOM AND DEMOCRACY AND THE PERILS OF AUTHORITARIANISM. HRF'S ART IN PROTEST PROGRAM, FOR EXAMPLE, AMPLIFIES THE WORK OF DISSIDENT ARTISTS WHO USE ART TO PROMOTE HUMAN RIGHTS AND FREE EXPRESSION IN AUTHORITARIAN REGIMES. IN 2021, HRF LAUNCHED THE ART IN PROTEST RESIDENCY, A SIX-MONTH PROGRAM WHERE PARTICIPANTS DEVELOP PROJECTS THAT USE ART AND TECHNOLOGY TO CREATE SOCIAL AND CIVIC IMPACT. IN A SIMILAR VEIN, HRF'S WEAR YOUR VALUES PROGRAM DRAWS ATTENTION TO THE INTERSECTION OF HUMAN RIGHTS ISSUES AND THE GLOBAL FASHION INDUSTRY. AS PART OF WEAR YOUR VALUES, IN 2021, HRF LAUNCHED THE UNCOMFORTABLE TRUTH CAMPAIGN, WHICH USED VIRAL MARKETING TO SHED LIGHT ON THE LINKS BETWEEN THE APPAREL INDUSTRY AND THE UYGHUR GENOCIDE IN CHINA.HRF FREQUENTLY HOSTS DISCUSSIONS AT CONFERENCES AND IN-PERSON EVENTS, AS WELL AS ONLINE FORUMS, TO EDUCATE THE PUBLIC ABOUT THE THREATS POSED BY AUTHORITARIAN REGIMES. IN 2021, HRF HOSTED NUMEROUS CONVERSATIONS ON CLUBHOUSE AND TWITTER SPACES, WHICH WERE OFTEN RECORDED AND UPLOADED AS EPISODES IN HRF'S "DISSIDENTS & DICTATORS" SERIES (AVAILABLE ON APPLE PODCASTS, SPOTIFY, AND YOUTUBE). HRF REPRESENTATIVES SPOKE AT CONFERENCES SUCH AS SXSW, RIGHTSCON, AND THE BITCOIN CONFERENCE.

OTHER GENERAL PROGRAMS