Democracy
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Zbigniew Bujak
Biography: Zbigniew Bujak led the Solidarity underground in the Warsaw region from the imposition of martial law in 1981 until his arrest in 1986. Born in 1954 and trained as an electrical technician and soldier, Bujak became active in the opposition in 1978 while he was working at the Ursus tractor factory. After organizing a
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Wei Jingsheng
Biography: Wei Jingsheng came to symbolize the struggle for human rights and democracy in China, when, after the Cultural Revolution, he was among the first to demand a freer society. In spite of the threat of imprisonment, Wei spoke openly with the Western press, publishing articles demanding reform and comparing the policies of all-powerful Premier
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Vera Stremkovskaya
Biography: Belarus was formed in 1988 after the fall of the USSR. As a founding member and former president of the Center for Human Rights in Belarus, Vera Stremkovskaya was one of that country’s most respected legal practitioners, known for her willingness to take up the defense of politically unpopular clients. In retaliation, she has
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Hyeon Kim
Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights Young Defender Hyeon Kim leads the University Students’ Association for Unification (USAU), the largest Korean human rights organization for college students, boasting over 330 college students from the North and South Koreas. His introduction to the topic began when his grandfather, a North Korean defector, left the country at the
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Experts call on the international community to engage in specific recommendations during the Universal Periodic Review on Bangladesh
Tags Share Ahead of the 44th session of the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) of the U.N. Human Rights Council (HRC) scheduled for November 13, 2023, four experts called on U.N. member states to urge Bangladesh to cease the continuing violations faced by human rights defenders, journalists, and critical voices within the country, during a virtual
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The January 6th Select Committee to receive the Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights 2023 Ripple of Hope Award
New York, NY, October 3, 2023 – Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights today announced that the January 6th Select Committee members will be presented with the 2023 Ripple of Hope Award during the organization’s annual gala on Wednesday, December 6 in New York City. Chairman Bennie Thompson, Vice Chair Liz Cheney, Rep. Pete Aguilar, Rep.
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Remembering Cuban pro-democracy leader Oswaldo Payá, 11 years after his murder
Tags Share Today we mark 11 years since Oswaldo Payá’s murder by the Cuban government. While we celebrate last month’s Inter-American Commission of Human Rights findings, more is needed: By having the U.N. remove Cuba as a member of its Human Rights Council, it demonstrates the international community is listening.
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Zimbabwe: Repeal the “Patriotic Act” to Respect Fundamental Human Rights
Tags Share The undersigned organizations express our grave concerns with the recent introduction of “patriotic” offenses in Zimbabwe. The Criminal Law (Codification and Reform) Amendment Act, 2023 (the so-called “Patriotic Act”), enacted on July 14, 2023, introduced overly broad and draconian offenses of “[wilfully] injuring the sovereignty and national interest of Zimbabwe”. The provisions amount
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Las próximas elecciones son una oportunidad importante para Venezuela, pero la falta de garantías aumenta las preocupaciones
Tags Share Las elecciones presidenciales de 2024 y las elecciones regionales, locales y legislativas de 2025, presentan una oportunidad crucial para la reinstitucionalización de la democracia y del Estado de Derecho en Venezuela, así como para la normalización de sus relaciones con la comunidad internacional. La crisis actual alcanzó dimensiones críticas frente a la carencia
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Upcoming Elections Provide an Important Opportunity for Venezuela but the Lack of Guarantees Deepens Concerns
Tags Share The 2024 presidential elections and 2025 regional, local and legislative elections present a crucial opportunity for the reinstitutionalization of Venezuela’s democracy and rule of law and for the normalization of its relations with the international community. The current crisis reached critical dimensions after the 2018 presidential election lacked legitimacy in the eyes of
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‘The Cuban regime killed my father’ – dissident’s daughter
Tags Share Angelita Baeyens, our VP of International Advocacy & Litigation, speaks with the BBC about the Cuban government’s culpability in the death of pro-democracy leader Oswaldo Payá. “They wanted to silence him [Payá] but they could not kill him in a way which would make it too obvious that the state was behind it.”
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Cuba Is Blamed for Deaths of Rights Activists in 2012
Tags Share On June 12, the Inter-American Commission of Human Rights published a report holding the Cuban government responsible for the assassination of pro-democracy leaders Oswaldo Payá and Harold Cepero, who were killed after a car crash provoked by Cuban state agents in 2012. Our VP of International Advocacy & Litigation Angelita Baeyens discusses the
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