Africa
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ECOWAS Court Petition highlights the pervasive challenges faced by women journalists in West Africa
Tags Share Women in the Media Sierra Leone (WIMSAL) and RFK Human Rights have submitted a petition to the Community Court of Justice of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) on behalf of Umu Thoronka, a Sierra Leonean journalist who was unlawfully dismissed from her position at the Sierra Leone Broadcasting Corporation (SLBC)…
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SJS and RFK Human Rights Issue Statement of Support for Somali Journalist Abdalle Mumin facing SLAPP Threat
Tags Share Mogadishu, Somalia / Washington, DC, U.S. – 22 August 2025 – The Somali Journalists Syndicate (SJS) and Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights (RFKHR) strongly denounce the attempts of Premier Bank to silence Abdalle Mumin, a human rights defender and journalist. At the behest of Premier Bank, a major Somali financial institution with strong…
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This Week’s Spotlight on Human Rights
Tags Share Trump’s ‘Law and Order’ Push in D.C. Looks a Lot Like an Immigration Raid When Trump announced on Aug. 11 that he would deploy hundreds of National Guard members and federalize the local police to “take back” the capital, he framed the mission as a crackdown on violent crime. He cited cases of…
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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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Gender-based Violence Against Women Journalists in East and West Africa
For more on civic space and violence against women, subscribe to our newsletter. Stay up to date with the Justice Roundup—your source for the latest news, reports, victories, and events from our legal team, delivered straight to your inbox. Tags Share Journalists across the globe are faced with violence, harassment, criminalization, and even death for…
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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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