On December 6, Freedom House awarded the 2022 Mark Palmer Prize to Emine Dzhaparova, Ukraine's first deputy minister for foreign affairs, for her work on behalf of the Ukrainian people, especially Crimean Tatars, and her leadership in the struggle against Moscow's aggression. Following the award presentation, Freedom House president Michael J. Abramowitz moderated a fireside chat with Dzhaparova, US Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs Karen Donfried, and author, political scientist, and Freedom House trustee Francis Fukuyama.

https://freedomhouse.org/article/ukraines-fight-freedom-we-will-recover-we-will-survive

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Press release April 13, 2023 The Dutch Postcode Lottery has awarded Freedom House €1 million for general support of ongoing work to protect human rights defenders and civic space under threat around the world, Freedom House announced today. 'We are honored to receive this donation from the Dutch Postcode Lottery,' said Michael J. Abramowitz, president of Freedom House. 'Human rights defenders face daunting challenges and brutal repression at the hands of autocrats. This gift will help Freedom House's relentless efforts to support champions of freedom everywhere and protect vulnerable civic spaces under threat from increasingly brazen authoritarian regimes.

https://freedomhouse.org/article/freedom-house-awarded-1-million-euro-donation-dutch-postcode-lottery

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LGBT+ activists work tirelessly to defend individual rights for all, even as they are subjected to repression and hostility. In recognition of Pride Month, Freedom House spoke with the staff of two rights groups to learn about their contributions to the global fight for democracy, the progress LGBT+ advocates have achieved, and the risks LGBT+ people continue to face. UHAI ('Life') is Africa's first Indigenous activist-led and -managed fund for and by LGBT+ people. UHAI supports civil society organizing through flexible and accessible grants, capacity support, and research and documentation.

https://freedomhouse.org/article/how-lgbt-advocates-fight-for-everyone

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Autocrats' Favorite Word? Democracy. pinosilva Thu, 08/10/2023 - 14:51 Type Perspectives Image Illustration: Gil Wannalertsiri/Freedom House Go to www.addthis.com/dashboard to customize your tools Page blocks   ' The sides share the understanding that democracy is a universal human value, rather than a privilege of a limited number of states, and that its promotion and protection is a common responsibility of the entire world community.

https://freedomhouse.org/article/autocrats-favorite-word-democracy

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United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention Demands Immediate and Unconditional Release of US/Cambodian Dual National and Human Rights Activist Theary Seng rosen Wed, 07/12/2023 - 16:53 Type Joint statement Image Photo: Samuel/Agence France-Presse – Getty Images Go to www.addthis.com/dashboard to customize your tools Countries Cambodia Issues Authoritarian Reach Promoting U.S. Leadership Page blocks WASHINGTON, D.

https://freedomhouse.org/article/united-nations-working-group-arbitrary-detention-demands-immediate-and-unconditional

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More than 50,000 people lost their lives as a result of the two earthquakes that struck southern Turkey on February 6. While the state failed in both disaster preparedness and its response to the devastation, Turkish civil society has stepped in, providing large-scale humanitarian aid and banding together to defend the human rights of survivors in the ongoing aftermath of the catastrophe. This robust civic response is all the more impressive given the authoritarian government's escalating restrictions on independent activism in recent years.

https://freedomhouse.org/article/turkeys-earthquake-aftermath-underscores-value-civil-society

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In Kazakhstan, Snap Parliamentary Elections Provide an Unexpected Window of Opportunity for Civic Engagement pinosilva Thu, 08/03/2023 - 17:10 Type Perspectives Image People hold a rally in memory of victims of the recent country-wide unrest triggered by fuel price increase in Almaty, Kazakhstan, February 13, 2022. A banner reads: "People are not terrorists". REUTERS/Pavel Mikheyev  Go to www.addthis.com/dashboard to customize your tools Countries Kazakhstan Page blocks This past March, voters in Kazakhstan headed to the polls for snap parliamentary elections.

https://freedomhouse.org/article/kazakhstan-snap-parliamentary-elections-provide-unexpected-window-opportunity-civic

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Vladimir Kara-Murza is a prominent Russian democratic opposition leader, a fierce critic of dictator Vladimir Putin, a historian, and a regular Washington Post contributor. He is a courageous, deeply principled man, and a passionate advocate for political and civil rights in his native Russia. He is also currently being held as a political prisoner by Russian authorities. Despite the clear danger for opposition voices in Russia, especially following the full-scale military invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Kara-Murza—a lawful permanent resident (LPR) of the United States and the father of three young children —chose to return to his home country from abroad in April 2022, saying that he must go back to stand with Russian antiwar protesters and against Vladimir Putin.

https://freedomhouse.org/article/freeing-vladimir-kara-murza-should-be-us-government-priority

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Humanists International, Freedom Now, and Freedom House, with the support of Dechert LLP, today jointly filed a petition to the United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention to free Mubarak Bala, an advocate for freedom of religion or belief serving a 24-year sentence in a Nigerian prison. The filing coincides with the 3-year anniversary of Bala's arrest for expressing secular views on social media and leaving Islam. The son of an Islamic scholar and a chemical engineer by training, Bala began exploring religion in his youth and spoke openly about leaving Islam.

https://freedomhouse.org/article/ngos-file-un-petition-free-nigerian-humanist-mubarak-bala-3rd-anniversary-his-arrest

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On February 21, 2022, Russian president Vladimir Putin unleashed a tirade of falsehoods about Ukrainian history, culture, and sovereignty in a speech broadcast across Russia. Three days later, he launched an unprovoked, full-scale invasion of Ukraine, whose people have made clear time and again that they are committed to democratic values and intend to chart their own course in the world, beyond the shadow of the Kremlin. Many hoped that the Ukrainians' heroic defense against authoritarian aggression would galvanize democracy's supporters throughout Europe and Eurasia.

https://freedomhouse.org/article/europe-and-eurasia-democracy-autocracy-gap-widening

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From his cell in a Russian prison, Server Mustafayev's resolve to defend the rights of his community remains unchanged in spite of the deplorable conditions of his detention and repeated mistreatment by prison authorities. Read his letter in full below: Warm greetings in all languages of the world from the dungeons of the Gulag of the 21st century. I am sincerely grateful to everyone who remembers us, writes to us, and stands in solidarity with us, along our path of struggle for truth and justice.

https://freedomhouse.org/article/writing-russian-prison-server-mustafayev-calls-strength-unity

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