Human Rights Foundation (HRF)

Five years ago, on July 11, 2021, thousands of Cubans took to the streets in historic nationwide protests, peacefully demanding freedom, dignity, and an end to dictatorship. The regime responded with mass arrests, sham trials, and systematic repression.

HRF stands with the Cuban people and calls for the immediate and unconditional release of all political prisoners. Cuba’s escalating repression will not silence those demanding freedom, democracy, and respect for fundamental rights.

Political prisoners face torture, ill treatment, and incommunicado detention. Among them is Maykel “Osorbo” Castillo, co-author of the 2021 protest anthem “Patria y Vida,” who is serving nine years in prison. Nor has the regime spared children: it has jailed nine adolescents in this year so far alone.

Five years ago, on July 11, 2021, thousands of Cubans took to the streets in historic nationwide protests, peacefully demanding freedom, dignity, and an end to dictatorship. The regime responded with mass arrests, sham trials, and systematic repression.

Kenyan authorities violently suppressed earlier pro-democracy protests that took place on June 25, where the Kenyan Human Rights Commission documented 361 arbitrary arrests, seven enforced disappearances, and the detention of 18 human rights defenders and two journalists. In Tanzania, the memory of security forces’ killings of hundreds — if not thousands — of people protesting the results of sham October 2025 elections lingers. mountkenyatimes.co.ke/knchr-raises-a…

In Kenya, police sealed off Nairobi’s Central Business District with roadblocks and barricades and declared the protests unlawful, despite organizers notifying security agencies in advance as required by law. At least 10 people were arbitrarily arrested in Nairobi, and in Mombasa, police obstructed a peaceful procession. nation.africa/kenya/news/liv…

HRF condemns the Kenyan and Tanzanian regimes’ violent suppression of pro-democracy Saba Saba Day protests planned for July 7. HRF calls for the immediate release of all arbitrarily detained.

For many in Burma, casting a ballot wasn't just a civic duty — it was something they never imagined they would live to experience. At the 2026 Oslo Freedom Forum, journalist and co-founder of The @kitetalesmm @thinink reflected on returning home during Burma's democratic opening, voting for the first time, and the fragile hope that emerged in the interval between decades of military rule and the 2021 coup. Her story reminds us that democracy is rarely built overnight. It is won through generations of perseverance — and can be lost just as quickly. Watch her full talk → ow.ly/78jg50Zmcct

Pollution from China's state-backed mining operations have reportedly impacted the livelihoods of communities in both Thailand and Burma. Reports indicate that water turbidity at the Thai-Burma border has risen to nearly ten times its normal level.

Demonstrators also rallied outside China's Embassy in Bangkok to demand that Thai and Chinese officials address environmental damage and river pollution. They also called on Thailand to ensure accountability for the crackdown on protesters in Chiang Mai.

HRF condemns the Thai regime’s use of excessive force against protesters outside China's Consulate-General in Chiang Mai, which injured at least two demonstrators. HRF calls on Thailand to respect the right to peaceful assembly, investigate the incident, and hold those responsible accountable.

The illegal constitutional changes seek to institutionalize the unaccountable presidency that Embaló sought to impose by defying constitutional limits on his powers, waging institutional warfare against the former opposition-dominated parliament, committing extrajudicial and illegal abuses of power, and orchestrating a campaign of repression against dissenters. gisreportsonline.com/r/president-em…

The referendum is scheduled ahead of December elections in a climate of fear and repression, with opposition leader Domingo Simões Pereira under house arrest and facing a politically-motivated case. Civil society groups have denounced the referendum as illegal “theatre” and part of the junta’s ongoing subversion of popular will expressed in elections in November 2025. The junta, led by allies of former ruler Umaro Sissoco Embaló, seized power just before the announcement of results that were believed to be unfavorable to Embaló. rfi.fr/pt/%C3%A1frica…

HRF condemns plans for a sham referendum in Guinea-Bissau on August 30 to manufacture false legitimacy for the military junta’s new constitution, which would codify a dramatic expansion of presidential powers and cement a future dictatorship. The junta that seized power to suppress the outcome of a popular vote for president is now seeking to coerce citizens into ratifying a constitution it wrote.

Democratic nations must put pressure on Venezuela’s regime to allow unrestricted humanitarian access, protect the work of emergency responders and journalists, and ensure that opposition leaders, including @MariaCorinaYA, are able to safely return to the country. Humanitarian relief cannot be subordinated to political interests.

The same authoritarian system that devastated Venezuela’s institutions has obstructed independent humanitarian action, delayed responses, and cost countless lives. A free society responds to emergencies with transparency and cooperation that closed systems cannot match. The transfer of power to Delcy Rodriguez changed the face of the regime, but not its nature, and Venezuelans still cannot contribute to relief efforts without political restrictions.

HRF condemns Delcy Rodríguez’s regime for its disastrous handling of the devastating June 24 earthquakes in Venezuela. The Venezuelan people must receive life-saving aid without delay or political obstruction, and authorities must ensure that humanitarian actors can operate freely.