Civic Space and Activists
We collaborate with local, regional, and international partners to hold governments accountable, create lasting legal change, and foster an environment allowing individual and collective actors to speak out, participate in public affairs, organize, protest, and otherwise freely exercise and enjoy their human rights. Through strategic litigation and targeted advocacy, we foster collaboration and dialogue between civil society and key actors and promote cross-pollination of the most protective legal standards and innovative approaches to legal issues. Our partnership model builds on the work of local organizations on the ground by jointly strategizing and litigating cases, supporting their litigation through filing Amicus briefs, and working together to assess, advise, and build their technical capacity. From litigating landmark cases, such as the first case on lethal violence against journalists before the Inter-American Court on Human Rights or a case on the protection for peaceful assembly before the African Commission of Human and Peoples’ Rights, to developing an innovative tool that maps key ongoing judicial cases worldwide, we are committed to protecting and defending civic space and democracy around the world.
114
Countries with serious civic space restrictions
88%
Rate of impunity for crimes of violence against journalists
44 of 180
U.S. ranking in World Press Freedom Index
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This Week’s Spotlight on Human Rights
Tags Share “Even God Cannot Hear Us Here”: What I Witnessed Inside an ICE Women’s Prison Tufts University doctoral student Rümeysa Öztürk opens up for the first time about her shocking arrest and 45 days in a South Louisiana processing facility. She recalls the generous and compassionate women who helped her through this harrowing ordeal.…
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El Salvador: Alto a la Criminalización de Personas Defensoras de Derechos Humanos y al Desmantelamiento del Estado de Derecho
Tags Share Las organizaciones firmantes expresamos nuestra profunda preocupación ante el creciente uso del derecho penal sin las garantías del debido proceso, el acoso, estigmatización y la persecución que ejercen las autoridades salvadoreñas contra personas defensoras de derechos humanos, líderes comunitarios, activistas ambientales, profesores universitarios abogados, periodistas y otras voces críticas hacia el poder. Destacados…
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El Salvador: Stop the Criminalization of Human Rights Defenders and the Dismantling of the Rule of Law
Tags Share We, the undersigned organizations, express our deep concern over the increasing use of criminal law without due process guarantees, the harassment, the stigmatization, and the persecution by Salvadoran authorities against human rights defenders, community leaders, environmental activists, university professors, lawyers, journalists, and other voices critical of the government. Prominent journalists, activists, and lawyers,…
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Mississippi Public Broadcasting: Kerry Kennedy joins Mississippi Edition at Medgar Evers’ Legacy at 100th Birthday Celebration
Tags Share Kerry Kennedy, daughter of Senator Robert F. Kennedy, recently joined other daughters of very influential public figures who lost their lives to violence to commemorate what would have been Medgar Evers’ 100th birthday. In this interview with Mississippi Public Broadcasting, Kerry describes these activists as people who would “run into the flames” to…
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The Associated Press: Daughter of assassinated civil rights leader sees painful echoes of political violence in America
Tags Share In Jackson, Mississippi, daughters of civil rights icons Medgar Evers, Vernon Dahmer, and Robert F. Kennedy gathered to honor Evers’ 100th birthday and reflect on the enduring threat of political violence in America. Kerry Kennedy urged the crowd to remember not only the legacy of these leaders, but also the hatred that cut…
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Ninety U.S. civil society groups express “deep concern” to FIFA about immigration policies ahead of 2026 World Cup
Tags Share Ninety U.S.-based civil society groups have warned FIFA that it risks becoming a “public relations tool to whitewash the reputation of an increasingly authoritarian government”, in a joint letter that calls on FIFA to publicly urge the US government to reverse immigration policies and practices introduced by the Trump administration. The letter describes…
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Chad: RFK Human Rights Condemns the Continued Detention of Opposition Leader Dr. Succès Masra
Tags Share RFK Human Rights condemns the arbitrary detention and judicial harassment of Chadian opposition political leader Dr. Succès Masra. We strongly urge the government of Chad to respect Dr. Masra’s rights to liberty, fair trial, and freedoms of expression and association, and to desist from attacks on opposition political parties and movements, in line…
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Mississippi Public Broadcasting: ‘Daddy Daughters:’ Honoring Civil Rights Fathers During Medgar Evers Centennial Celebration
Tags Share In Jackson, Mississippi, a moving panel brought together the daughters of civil rights leaders to honor what would have been Medgar Evers’ 100th birthday. The women shared personal stories of joy, resilience, and loss before a packed audience of civil rights veterans, students, and community members. Kerry Kennedy, president of RFK Human Rights…
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Mississippi Today: Daughters of civil rights heroes, writers hear echoes of past
Tags Share In Jackson, Mississippi, daughters of civil rights icons Medgar Evers, Vernon Dahmer, and Robert F. Kennedy gathered to share powerful personal stories in honor of what would have been Medgar Evers’ 100th birthday. Kerry Kennedy, president of RFK Human Rights, reflected on her father’s legacy of courage, recalling how he ran toward the…
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WJTV 12 News: Medgar Evers at 100: Celebration kicks off in Jackson
Tags Share On June 26, Jackson, Mississippi kicked off centennial celebrations honoring the life and legacy of civil rights icon Medgar Evers, who would have turned 100 this year. The multi-day tribute opened with community gatherings, public remembrances, and calls to carry forward Evers’ vision for justice. Kerry Kennedy, president of RFK Human Rights and…
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WAPT: Convening in the capital city: Leaders gather to honor civil rights icon
Tags Share “We’re all here tonight to celebrate these extraordinary icons of civil rights, who gave their lives for justice for our country, to stop segregation, to ensure voting rights for all, and it’s not just about looking back at history 60 years ago. But it’s really about taking lessons from history and applying them…
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This Week’s Spotlight on Human Rights
Tags Share Florida’s ‘Alligator Alcatraz’ Detention Center Sparks Major Concern as Construction Begins: ‘An Obscene Human Rights Violation’ Florida has begun building a new migrant detention center deep in the Everglades, springing into action after the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) approved the development. But activists and locals have already raised major concerns, citing environmental and human…
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