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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-…
HRF condemns North Korea’s threats to execute soldiers for watching foreign media, and calls on the regime to end its brutal punishment of people who seek access to outside information.
The video, reportedly produced in 2023, remains in use for ideological training. North Korea criminalizes watching and distributing foreign media, with punishments including forced labor and, in some cases, execution. These threats underscore the regime’s efforts to suppress outside information and maintain control.
Through Flash Drives for Freedom, HRF works with North Korean defectors to send USB drives and SD cards containing films, e-books, and other uncensored information into North Korea, helping people access perspectives beyond state propaganda.
flashdrivesforfreedom.org/
The letter also highlights Vietnam’s 2018 Cybersecurity Law, which requires foreign platforms to localize data and comply with government takedown and data disclosure requests within 24–48 hours, or face fines and other restrictions. Major platforms such as Meta and YouTube have reportedly complied with nearly all government requests under the law.
Ahead of Vietnamese President To Lam’s visit to Brussels, HRF co-signed a joint letter with @hrw, @ICJ_org, @fidh_en, and other organizations to @eucopresident and @vonderleyen, urging the European Council and European Commission to raise concerns about human rights violations in Vietnam, including transnational repression and the use of draconian laws to suppress freedom of expression. hrw.org/news/2026/10/16/join…
HRF echoes the call for justice for Karakalpakstan and freedom for Dauletmurat Tazhimuratov, who is imprisoned in Uzbekistan for opposing constitutional amendments that would have stripped Karakalpakstan of its status as a sovereign republic.
A medal for Rubio. Military drills for Russia. Silence for Karakalpakstan @SecRubio @StateDept Washington’s partnership with Uzbekistan must deliver more than business deals. It must demand freedom for political prisoners & accountability for repression thediplomat.com/2026/10/rubi…
HRF is proud to join the October 30 Coalition in calling for the immediate and unconditional release of all political prisoners worldwide. Ahead of the #InternationalDayofPoliticalPrisoners, we stand with @NEDemocracy, @LantosFndn, @4freerussia_org, @McCainInstitute, @TheRWCHR, @WLCongress, @freedomhouse and fellow advocates to demand freedom for all unjustly imprisoned.
Join us at the Lincoln Memorial on Oct. 30 to honor political prisoners and stand in solidarity with those fighting for their freedom.
Read our joint statement → hrf.org/latest/joint-stateme…
Join us at the event → ned.org/events/roll-call-for…
“Cuba is poor because it is not free.”
In a new op-ed for the Miami Herald Opinion (@HeraldOpEd) HRF Chief Advocacy Officer Roberto González (@gmxrob) exposes how Cuba’s communist regime uses the US embargo to deflect blame for its economic failures. From prioritizing hotel investments over agriculture to concealing billions in military assets, the regime’s own policies have deepened the crisis.
Read the op-ed → ow.ly/7CPi50ZZPZ2
Human Rights Foundation (HRF) retweeted
Cuba is, again, drumming up opposition to U.S. embargo. It’s all based on lies | Opinion miamiherald.com/opinion/op-e…
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
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…
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.
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.
xitter.cf/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
