Human Rights Foundation facts for kids
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| Founded | 2005 |
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| Founder | Thor Halvorssen Mendoza |
| Location | |
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Area served
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Global |
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Chairman
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Yulia Navalnaya |
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Employees
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200+ |
| Website | hrf.org |
The Human Rights Foundation (HRF) is a non-profit group that works to protect human rights for people all over the world. It pays special attention to countries with authoritarian regimes, which are governments that have total power and limit people's freedoms.
HRF was started in 2005 by Thor Halvorssen Mendoza, a film producer from Venezuela. The group is based in the famous Empire State Building in New York City. Today, its chairperson is Yulia Navalnaya, a Russian activist. One of HRF's biggest events is the Oslo Freedom Forum, a conference that brings people together to talk about freedom.
Contents
What is the Human Rights Foundation?
The Human Rights Foundation, or HRF, believes everyone deserves basic rights. These rights include being able to speak freely, choose their own beliefs, and be treated fairly by the law. The group works to protect these rights, especially for people living under governments that try to control every part of their lives.
HRF was founded by Thor Halvorssen Mendoza. His own family had faced problems with an unfair government. This personal experience inspired him to create an organization that would stand up for people in similar situations. From the beginning, famous leaders like Nobel Prize winner Elie Wiesel and former Czech president Václav Havel supported HRF.
At first, HRF focused on helping people in Latin America. Soon, it grew to help people all around the globe, in countries like North Korea, Russia, and Saudi Arabia.
What Does HRF Do?
HRF has many different programs and projects. They all share the goal of promoting freedom and democracy.
The Oslo Freedom Forum
This is HRF's most famous event. Every year, brave activists, journalists, and thinkers from around the world meet in Oslo, Norway. They share their stories and ideas about how to stand up to unfair governments.
The forum is a place to learn about fighting for freedom using peaceful methods. It also gives out awards to honor people who use art and creativity to challenge powerful leaders.
Helping Artists and Activists
- Art in Protest: This program helps artists from countries with strict governments. It gives them a chance to show their art, which often carries messages of freedom and hope.
- Flash Drives for Freedom: In North Korea, the government controls all information. This project sends USB flash drives into the country. The drives are filled with movies, books, and news from the outside world. This helps North Koreans see a different side of the story.
- Financial Freedom: Some governments control people by controlling their money. This program teaches activists how to use tools like cryptocurrencies to keep their money safe and continue their work.
Raising Awareness
- Celebrities & Dictators: This campaign points out when famous singers, athletes, or movie stars work with authoritarian leaders. Sometimes, governments use these celebrities to make themselves look good and hide their bad actions. This is called "sportswashing" or "artwashing."
- CCP Disruption Initiative: This project focuses on the actions of the Chinese Communist Party. It shares information about human rights issues in places like Xinjiang, Tibet, and Hong Kong.
- Combating Kleptocracy: "Kleptocracy" means "rule by thieves." This program investigates how corrupt leaders steal money from their countries and hide it around the world. HRF pushes for laws to stop this.
Supporting Future Leaders
- College Freedom Forum: HRF brings a version of the Oslo Freedom Forum to university students. This helps young people learn about human rights and get inspired to make a difference.
- Freedom Fellowship: This program trains and supports young activists from countries with harsh governments. It helps them become more effective leaders in their communities.
- Impact Litigation: The legal team at HRF helps people who have been unfairly put in prison. They present these cases to international groups like the United Nations to seek justice.
Awards for Courage
HRF gives out special awards to celebrate brave people who fight for freedom.
Václav Havel Prize for Creative Dissent
Named after the former Czech president, this award honors people who use creativity and art to challenge dictators. Past winners include the artist Ai Weiwei from China and the activist group The Ladies in White from Cuba.
Thulani Maseko Prize
This prize was created in 2024 to honor Thulani Maseko, a human rights lawyer from Eswatini who was killed for his work. It is given to people who show great courage in fighting for justice. The first person to receive this award was Alexei Navalny, a Russian activist who was honored after his death.
Important Campaigns
HRF has led many campaigns to help people and spread awareness.
- After an earthquake in Haiti in 2010, HRF raised money to provide meals for children.
- In North Korea, HRF helped drop thousands of copies of the movie The Interview by balloon. The film makes fun of the country's leader, and the goal was to break the government's control on information.
- HRF has often spoken out against "sportswashing." Before the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics, it asked world leaders not to attend to protest China's human rights record.
- In 2019, HRF wrote an open letter to the rapper Nicki Minaj, asking her to cancel a concert in Saudi Arabia. After the letter got a lot of attention, she canceled the show.
- The group has also created special funds to help activists during major protests in countries like Belarus, Venezuela, and Ukraine.
Leadership and Beliefs
HRF believes in the rights listed in the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. This is a major international agreement that says all people have the right to free speech, freedom of religion, and fair treatment under the law.
In July 2024, Yulia Navalnaya became the chairperson of HRF. She took over from Garry Kasparov, a famous chess champion and Russian activist.
Many people see HRF as an important voice for freedom. The New York Times once wrote that the group has "helped smuggle activists out of repressive countries." Activists who have been freed from prison have thanked HRF for its help.
See also
In Spanish: Human Rights Foundation para niños
