NEW YORK — In Hong Kong today, human rights lawyer Albert Ho, recipient of Human Rights First’s 2020 Roger Baldwin Medal of Liberty, received two concurrent jail sentences of 18 months for his involvement in a 2019 pro-democracy march.
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Human Rights First on Jan. 6 commission vote
WASHINGTON — Chris Purdy, Project Manager of the Veterans for American Ideals program at Human Rights First gave the following statement in reaction to the U.S. Senate blocking a commission to investigate the violent insurrection at the U.S. Capitol o…
Read moreHuman Rights First Concerned Biden Plan Risks New “Rocket Dockets” When It Should End Trump Asylum Policies
NEW YORK – Human Rights First expressed concerns that new Biden administration policies announced today risk undermining due process in asylum adjudications while the administration continues to fail to end illegal Trump policies that deny refugees U.S…
Read moreHuman Rights First Calls on Biden Administration to Center Human Rights in Withdrawal of Troops from Afghanistan
NEW YORK – Today, President Biden announced that the United States would withdraw all American troops from Afghanistan, completing the military exit by the 20th anniversary of the September 11, 2001 attacks.
Read moreHuman Rights First Applauds Biden Administration’s Commitment to Ending Forever Wars, But Calls for Concrete Steps
NEW YORK — Human Rights First welcomed interim national security strategic guidance released today by the Biden administration signaling its commitment to end America’s “forever wars” that have cost thousands of lives and billions of dollars, and urge…
Read moreHuman Rights First Welcomes Multilateral Sanctions Against Russian Officials Involved in Abuses Against Alexei Navalny
WASHINGTON – Human Rights First welcomes announcements today from both the European Union and the United States government of sanctions against multiple Russian government officials and entities involved in the poisoning and imprisonment of Russian opp…
Read moreHuman Rights First Calls on Social Media Companies to Invest in Anti-Extremism After Wray Testimony in Senate
WASHINGTON – Human Rights First President and CEO Michael Breen gave the following statement on the testimony given by FBI Director Christopher Wray today before the Senate Judiciary Committee:
“Putting aside senators’ ridiculous false equivalencies b…
Read morePOMED, Human Rights First, PEN America, Committee to Protect Journalists Respond to ODNI Report on the Murder of Jamal Khashoggi
WASHINGTON – The Project on Middle East Democracy, Human Rights First, PEN America, and the Committee to Protect Journalists issued the following joint statement in response to the U.S. government release of a declassified version of the congressionall…
Read moreMore than 70 Non-Governmental Organizations, Faith-Based Groups, and Academic Institutions Call for the Biden Administration to Repeal ICC Sanctions
The undersigned organizations urge the Biden Administration to engage constructively with the International Criminal Court (ICC). The U.S. government’s support[…]
Read moreHuman Rights First and Scores of NGOs and Legal Clinics File Amicus Brief In Support of Overturning “Remain in Mexico” Policy
WASHINGTON – Human Rights First, the National Immigration Law Center (“NILC”), and Sidley Austin LLP today filed an amicus curiae—friend of the court—brief at the U.S. Supreme Court in a case challenging the so-called Migrant Protection Protocols (“MPP…
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