Africa
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Statement on the One-Year Anniversary of the Unlawful Arrest and “Pre-Trial Detention” of Egyptian Cartoonist Ashraf Omar
Tags Share On July 22nd, 2024, a Cairo activist, cartoonist, and translator named Ashraf Omar was taken from his home by plainclothes officers. Forty-eight hours elapsed before there was any official acknowledgment of his arrest or confirmation of his wellbeing or location. Mr. Omar was subjected to physical violence and verbal abuse, as well as a six-hour…
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This Week’s Spotlight on Human Rights
Tags Share “Even God Cannot Hear Us Here”: What I Witnessed Inside an ICE Women’s Prison Tufts University doctoral student Rümeysa Öztürk opens up for the first time about her shocking arrest and 45 days in a South Louisiana processing facility. She recalls the generous and compassionate women who helped her through this harrowing ordeal.…
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Chad: RFK Human Rights Condemns the Continued Detention of Opposition Leader Dr. Succès Masra
Tags Share RFK Human Rights condemns the arbitrary detention and judicial harassment of Chadian opposition political leader Dr. Succès Masra. We strongly urge the government of Chad to respect Dr. Masra’s rights to liberty, fair trial, and freedoms of expression and association, and to desist from attacks on opposition political parties and movements, in line…
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This Week’s Spotlight on Human Rights
Tags Share Florida’s ‘Alligator Alcatraz’ Detention Center Sparks Major Concern as Construction Begins: ‘An Obscene Human Rights Violation’ Florida has begun building a new migrant detention center deep in the Everglades, springing into action after the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) approved the development. But activists and locals have already raised major concerns, citing environmental and human…
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Cameroon: RFK Human Rights Condemns Sustained Attacks against REDHAC
Tags Share We strongly condemn the Cameroonian government’s ban on the activities of and sustained attacks against the Network of Human Rights Defenders in Central Africa (REDHAC, by its French acronym), led by RFK Human Rights Award Laureate Maximillienne Ngo Mbe. We call on the government to lift the ban, unseal REDHAC’s offices, and desist…
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#TunisiaExit – Unpacking Tunisia’s Restriction on Citizens’ Access to the African Court
Tags Share In early March, Tunisia officially revoked its citizens’ abilities to file cases against the government in Africa’s human rights court. On March 7, 2025, Tunisia notified the African Union (AU) of its decision to withdraw the Article 34(6) declaration that allows individuals and non-governmental organizations to file cases against it before the African Court…
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This Week’s Spotlight on Human Rights
Tags Share U.S. Press Freedom Falls to Historical Low Press freedom in the United States has hit a record low, according to the latest World Press Freedom Index published annually by Reporters Without Borders. Press freedom in the U.S. now falls in line with developing countries, such as Gambia, Uruguay and Sierra Leone. While physical threats against journalists…
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SJS and RFK Human Rights condemn the ban on reporting and attacks on journalists in Somalia
Tags Share MOGADISHU/WASHINGTON DC – The Somali Journalists Syndicate (SJS) and RFK Human Rights strongly denounce the trend of attacks on journalists amidst the worsening security environment in Somalia. Somali authorities must uphold their legal obligations to guarantee freedom of expression for journalists and all Somali citizens. In recent months, freedom of the press in…
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Arusha Initiative Hosts Second Town Hall
Sign up to get the latest on the Arusha Initiative and African human rights news. Subscribe to the Justice Roundup newsletter for our advocacy and litigation newsletter, delivered straight to your inbox. Tags Share On March 26, the Arusha Initiative held its second virtual Town Hall. Participants discussed the importance of transparency and accountability within…
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African Court admits RFK Human Rights and IHRDA as amici curiae in case on electoral rights in Tanzania
Tags Share The African Court on Human and Peoples’ Rights has granted the request by the Institute for Human Rights and Development in Africa (IHRDA) and Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights (RFK Human Rights) to intervene as amici curiae in the case Ado Shaibu and 5 Others v. United Republic of Tanzania (Application 046/2020). The…
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RFK Human Rights Submits Petition to the UNWGAD on Behalf of Mr. Ouro-Gouni Motala of Togo
Tags Share RFK Human Rights submitted a petition to the United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention (UNWGAD) on behalf of Ouro-Gouni Motala, a Togolese metalsmith who was arbitrarily detained in a discriminatory wave of arrests by the Togolese authorities targeting members of the Kotokoli ethnic group. Mr. Ouro-Gouni was first arrested in late 2019…
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