Civic Space and Activists
We collaborate with local, regional, and international partners to hold governments accountable, create lasting legal change, and foster an environment allowing individual and collective actors to speak out, participate in public affairs, organize, protest, and otherwise freely exercise and enjoy their human rights. Through strategic litigation and targeted advocacy, we foster collaboration and dialogue between civil society and key actors and promote cross-pollination of the most protective legal standards and innovative approaches to legal issues. Our partnership model builds on the work of local organizations on the ground by jointly strategizing and litigating cases, supporting their litigation through filing Amicus briefs, and working together to assess, advise, and build their technical capacity. From litigating landmark cases, such as the first case on lethal violence against journalists before the Inter-American Court on Human Rights or a case on the protection for peaceful assembly before the African Commission of Human and Peoples’ Rights, to developing an innovative tool that maps key ongoing judicial cases worldwide, we are committed to protecting and defending civic space and democracy around the world.
114
Countries with serious civic space restrictions
88%
Rate of impunity for crimes of violence against journalists
44 of 180
U.S. ranking in World Press Freedom Index
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Uganda Must Set Inquiry Into Kasese Killings
Tags Share (Kampala, May 26, 2017) The Ugandan government should facilitate independent and transparent investigations with international expertise into the November 2016 killings of civilians in Kasese, Uganda and hold security forces accountable, a coalition of 40 organizations said today. The groups urged the government to invite relevant African Commission experts and United Nations special
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RFK Human Rights Submits UN Petition for Al Jazeera Journalist Mahmoud Hussein
Tags Share On April 29, 2017, Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights submitted a petition to the United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention on behalf of Mahmoud Hussein. Mr. Hussein is a prominent Egyptian journalist who works for Al Jazeera Media Network in Qatar, covering the European region. Mr. Hussein has been arbitrarily detained by
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UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention: Mahmoud Hussein Case
Tags Share Mahmoud Hussein is a prominent Egyptian journalist who works as a news editor for the Al Jazeera Media Network. He was arbitrarily detained by Egyptian authorities in late December 2016 and has been subjected to cruel, inhumane, and degrading treatment for the past 129 days in detention, most of which has been spent
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Petitioning the UN on Behalf of Uganda’s Stella Nyanzi
Nyanzi, a leading voice on sexual freedom and women’s rights, has been arbitrarily detained by Ugandan authorities since April 7, 2017.
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UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention: Stella Nyanzi Case
Tags Share Stella Nyanzi is a prominent academic, social activist, and human rights defender who has long been outspoken about sexual freedom and women’s rights in Uganda. Even though these issues are particularly sensitive in the country, Nyanzi has been unafraid to defend these rights and call out the government’s misconduct. She recently criticized Ugandan
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Statement by Kerry Kennedy on Aya Hijazi’s Return to the United States
Tags Share Over the last several weeks, Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights worked closely with the Trump administration to ensure Aya’s case was prioritized at the highest levels, and we are deeply grateful to President Trump for his personal engagement in resolving Aya’s case. This is day of celebration for Aya Hijazi, Mohamed Hassanein and
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America Abdicates its Leadership on Human Rights
Tags Share This past Tuesday, the United States government failed to appear in two hearings before the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) concerning its human rights policies. It appeared to be a first for the United States in the IACHR’s nearly 60-year history, and reflects a troubling approach by the current administration to protection
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Release Nkongho Felix Agbor-Balla
Tags Share (March 27, 2017 | Washington D.C.) Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights and the Anti-Torture Initiative at the Washington College of Law’s Center for Human Rights & Humanitarian Law, call for the immediate release of human rights defender Nkongho Felix Agbor-Balla, who has been held in military detention since January 17, 2017. He was
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Guatemala Must Support Reforms in Favor of Judicial Independence
Tags Share (February 13, 2017, Washington D.C., New York, San José Costa Rica, and Guatemala City). The signatory organizations observe with concern the recent scandals related to influence peddling and manipulation of the elections processes of the Supreme Court of Justice of Guatemala, in which Judges Blanca Stalling and Eddy Orellana are publicly implicated. These
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RFK Human Rights Calls for Investigation Into Killing of Bangladeshi Journalist
Journalist Abdul Hakim Shimul was covering a violent clash between factions of the Awami League political party when he was shot and killed.
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Paulina Mateo Chic: Wife of Disappeared Guatemalan Activist Protected
When Guatemalan human rights defender Nicolás Mateo disappeared, his wife Paulina was left poverty-stricken and infirm.
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LIPRODHOR v. Rwanda: Rwanda Dismantles Human Rights Group
As head of LIPRODHOR, Laurent Munyandilikirwa fought for freedoms. Now RFK Human Rights fights alongside him.
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