Dissidents and Dictators

Leopoldo López, a Venezuelan opposition leader and democracy activist, talks about his experience in prison, the abuses he suffered while being detained, and his hopes for democracy in Venezuela and around the world.

"One month ago, Russian forces launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Putin’s army has mercilessly targeted civilian areas, including apartment blocs, hospitals, and civilian shelters. The war crimes of Putin's regime are clear to all, as millions of refugees flee the conflict and thousands perish. In response to Putin’s murderous behavior, the United States and other democracies have imposed...

On February 24th, Russian forces launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Heavy artillery, missile strikes, and bombs have targeted civilian areas, destroying housing, hospitals, and orphanages. Many of these attacks are war crimes. There are already millions of refugees, and many thousands of casualties. This war is Putin’s war. Putin has wielded violence as the key tool in shaping a system tha...

Since 2014, the Russian military has fought a war against Ukraine, annexed the Crimean peninsula, supported seperatist forces in the Donbas, and used cyber attacks to destabilize Ukrainian government services. On February 22, Russia commenced a full-scale invasion of Ukraine, intensifying a war that has already cost more than 14,000 lives. Amidst the uncertainty of the situation, we examine why Ru...

A conversation between Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya and HRF Chairman Garry Kasparov about how dictator Alexander Lukashenko stole the 2020 presidential election, how Belarus rose up, and how she has been advocating around the world for the release of political prisoners, an end to political violence, and free and fair elections in Belarus.

HRF President and CEO Thor Halvorssen sat down with Hatice Cengiz, fiancée of slain Saudi journalist and Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi, for a long-awaited Q&A. Hatice has been relentless in her campaign to bring justice to Jamal’s case since his brutal murder by an assassination squad inside the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul, Turkey. In this conversation, Hatice expands on her activism i...

More than one million Uyghurs are currently detained in China’s mass network of concentration camps, where they are regularly subject to torture, forced abortions, severe mental and bodily harm, and even forced labor. Young Uyghur activist Akida Pulat discusses how this system of abuse has impacted her family, and shares what companies, organizations, governments, and the general public should do...

Steve Jurvetson talks on the importance of promoting and maintaining a system under which new ideas and technologies can arise that can disrupt the status quo and change the lives of billions for the better. This system can be no other than an open society that allows for the protection and promotion of people’s freedoms in all dimensions.

A message authored by Alexey Navalny from prison reflecting on the recent elections and condemning not just the terrible corruption of the Putin regime, but also the West failure to crack down on Russian influence abroad.

In this episode of Dissidents and Dictators, the Human Rights Foundation’s (HRF) International Legal Associate Michelle Gulino speaks with Russian pro-democracy activist and opposition leader Vladimir Kara-Murza about the rise of government repression in Putin’s Kafkaesque Russia. Under Putin’s rule, Russia has become one of the most repressive countries in the world. Kara-Murza is Vice President...

In the autumn of 2020, Armenia and Azerbaijan fought a 44 daylong war over the disputed territory of Nagorno-Karabakh, leading to thousands of civilian and military casualties, as well as more than one hundred thousand refugees. Despite a peace agreement, historical grievances, wartime atrocities, and nationalistic rhetoric have spurred continued violence and ethnic hatred between Armenia and Azer...

As the world prepares for the 2022 FIFA World Cup to be held in Qatar, the Human Rights Foundation (HRF) seeks to hold the Qatari government accountable for labor and human rights violations against migrant workers building the infrastructure for the event. Thousands of migrant workers have died on Qatari construction sites, and there are numerous reports of systemic exploitation and mistreatment...

With millions being arbitrarily detained and imprisoned in labor camps in the Xinjiang region of China simply for speaking a different language and practicing a different culture, Silence Is Not An Option. Sit down with our panelists for a chance to listen to three individually unique stories all with the same end goal, to free their family, friends, and neighbors from the regime's tight grasp. Wh...

Moderator: Alex Gladstein, Human Rights Foundation Panelists: Dr. Darren Byler: Anthropologist and Uyghur technopolitics expert Megha Rajagopalan: Buzzfeed international correspondent and investigative journalist Bethany Allen-Ebrahiminan: Axios China reporter What is unfolding in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (also referred to as East Turkestan) is considered one of the worst human rights...

The Long-Arm of Authoritarianism Moderator: Jenny Wang, Human Rights Foundation Panelists: Dr. Sean Roberts, Director of International Development Studies Program at George Washington University's Elliott School of International Affairs Dr. Timothy Grose, Associate Professor of China Studies at the Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology Alex Chow, Hong Kong activist and 2018 Nobel Peace Prize nominee...

A discussion with democratic leader of Belarus, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya on the future of the democratic movement and human rights in Belarus along with: Michael McFaul: Former U.S. Ambassador to Russia Bill Browder: Magnitsky Act Architect Garry Kasparov: Chairman of the Human Rights Foundation Moderator: Roberto González, Chief Legal Officer at the Human Rights Foundation

Dictatorial regimes from Russia to Saudi Arabia to China are investing millions of dollars into hosting major sporting events and investing in teams in free societies, in an effort to improve their human rights images internationally and pivot the global eye away from their repressive measures. Countries like Saudi Arabia and China have been leading these investments and bids in global sporting ev...

Authoritarian regimes around the world, such as China, Russia, and Saudi Arabia, are increasingly using technology to spy on journalists, dissidents, and activists. From basic phishing emails to sophisticated malware, these methods violate personal privacy and endanger the lives of individuals who dare to stand up against dictators and freely express their opinions. The Human Rights Foundation, wh...

Dictatorships often use professional sports to cover up their crimes and establish international legitimacy. In Belarus, the regime of Alexander Lukashenko is particularly invested in Ice Hockey as a means of promoting his regime. However, in January Belarusians convinced the International Ice Hockey Federation to cancel the Ice Hockey World Championships in Minsk in order to prevent Lukashenko fr...

How are Russia, Saudi Arabia, and North Korea using technology to consolidate their power and influence globally? Panelists: Phillipa Thomas, Iyad El-Baghdadi, Jieun Baek and Andy Greenberg

Authoritarianism is on the rise globally – but one resilient country has learned how to push back. In this conversation with Taiwan's Digital Minister Audrey Tang, learn how Taiwan is protecting its young democracy using transparency, innovation, and open governance.

How does Saudi Arabia use spy tech to hunt critics and dissidents around the world? In this episode, John Scott- Railton and Bill Marczak, dive into the case of Omar Abdulaziz and how the Saudi regime hacks dissidents to intimidate and silence them.

Ahmed Gatnash, host of "The Arab Tyrant Manual" podcast and Founder of the Kawaakibi Foundation, moderates a discussion between HRF Chairman Garry Kasparov, Areej Sadhan, sister of jailed Saudi dissident Abdulrahman al-Sadhan, and investigative journalist Karim Zidan on the Saudi regime's investments in sports and entertainment to distract from ongoing human rights abuses. This panel was recorded...

Saudi Arabia just announced the “Labour Relation Initiative” set to be implemented in March 2021 which will ease foreign workers contractual restrictions. This podcast will provide an overview of the Kafala sponsorship system in Saudi Arabia and the implications of the announcement. In a fireside chat, Executive Director of the Saudi American Justice Project Bethany AlHaidari will discuss how the...

Twitter and Square CEO Jack Dorsey discusses the role Twitter plays in shaping public discouse, his thoughts on the murder of Jamal Khashoggi, and much more with HRF president Thor Halvorssen at the 2020 Oslo Freedom Forum.