Human Rights First

Never Lose Yourself: How Music Helped Sergey Reclaim His Future

By Sophia Racy, Communications Intern Sergey grew up in Belarus witnessing a particular kind of contradiction: Artists like ...
Human Rights First

Human Rights First Condemns Northern Ireland Violence

Human Rights First joins local human rights groups in Northern Ireland in condemning the knife attack in Belfast on Tuesday ...
Human Rights First

President and CEO Uzra Zeya’s Remarks to Macaulay Honors College Commencement Upon Acceptance of Honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters

Thank you, Dean Byrne, Director Sviridov, Provost Meeks, and distinguished faculty members for this extraordinary honor and one that I never imagined was possible. I’d like to think my late mother is ...
Human Rights First

Preserving Judicial Review of Asylum Decisions

As with most final decisions of federal agencies, U.S. law has long ensured access to federal court review in immigration cases, including asylum. This crucial safeguard saves lives and provides ...
Human Rights First

Tahmina Kohistani: “A New Way for the Women of Afghanistan”

This blog is part of the Olympics 2012 and Human Rights series. One of the many bright spots in this year’s more gender-inclusive Olympics is Tahmina Kohistani, 23, a track-and-field athlete from ...
Human Rights First

Record Number of U.S. Immigration Enforcement Flights Underscores Growing Human Cost of Trump Administration’s Immigration Crackdown

Washington, D.C. — A new report released today by ICE Flight Monitor, housed at Human Rights First, exposes the human toll of the Trump administration’s deportation campaign. In September 2025 the ...
Human Rights First

Russia’s Enforcement of Child Porn Law Threatens Internet Freedom

Russia is in the news again: this time for using a new law aimed at curbing internet child pornography, drug use, and suicide to instead limit internet speech. The authorities’ implementation of this ...
Human Rights First

Human Rights First Condemns El Salvador’s Ongoing Arbitrary Detention of Ruth Lopez Alfaro and Demands Her Immediate Release

Washington, D.C. — Human Rights First strongly condemns the arbitrary detention without trial of Ruth López Alfaro by the Government of El Salvador one year after her unjust arrest. The Salvadoran ...
Human Rights First

Labor Trafficking and Sex Trafficking: Equally Critical, Unequally Prioritized

On July 12, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee (SFRC) and the House Foreign Affairs Committee (HFAC) Africa, Global Health, Global Human Rights, and International Organizations Subcommittee held ...