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The Dissident’s Mic

The Dissident’s Mic is a two-person interview series featuring timely, in-depth conversations about authoritarianism around the world. Hosted by HRF staff members Casey Michel and Chelsea Hedquist, each episode is driven by a central compelling question and grounded in the firsthand experiences of dissidents resisting authoritarian power.

Slide Background

The Dissident’s Mic

The Dissident’s Mic is a two-person interview series featuring timely, in-depth conversations about authoritarianism around the world. Hosted by HRF staff members Casey Michel and Chelsea Hedquist, each episode is driven by a central compelling question and grounded in the firsthand experiences of dissidents resisting authoritarian power.

Our Latest Work

Jul 24, 2026

Protecting EU-Based Youth Activists and Diaspora Communities from China’s Transnational Repression

Although a codified definition remains absent from the international legal lexicon, transnational repression (TNR) refers to the practice of foreign governments or their proxies extending their reach beyond borders in an attempt to individuals, including human rights defenders, journalists, activists, artists, academics, and members of diaspora communities, whose speech, activity, or perceived affiliations are regarded by the state as unacceptable.

Jul 24, 2026

Protecting US-Based Youth Activists and Diaspora Communities from China’s Transnational Repression

Although a codified definition remains absent from the international legal lexicon, transnational repression (TNR)1 refers to the practice of foreign governments or their proxies extending their reach beyond borders in an attempt to control individuals, including human rights defenders, journalists, activists, artists, academics, and members of diaspora communities, whose speech, activity, or perceived affiliations are regarded by the state as unacceptable.

Jul 23, 2026

HRF’s Weekly Financial Freedom Report #130

In Russia, lawmakers approved new amendments expanding financial surveillance under the country’s “foreign agents” law.

Jul 23, 2026

HRF Brings UN Attention to Rights Abuses in Sudan and Syria

NEW YORK (July 23, 2026) — Last week, the Human Rights Foundation (HRF) submitted a formal contribution to the United Nations Human Rights Council’s Universal Periodic Review (UPR) of Sudan, as well as a joint submission for Syria with the Syria Justice and Accountability Centre (SJAC).

Jul 22, 2026

How AI Agents Are Empowering Human-Rights Defenders

Just two years ago, AI seemed like an inevitable upgrade for dictators and a downgrade for dissidents.

Jul 21, 2026

Against all odds, Tisza beat the system – but can it change it?

For years, Hungary was considered one of central and eastern Europe’s great democratic success stories after the fall of the Iron Curtain.

Jul 21, 2026

HRF succeeds in UN petition: Thailand condemned for arbitrary detention of pro-democracy activist Sopon “Get” Surariddhidhamrong

NEW YORK (July 21, 2026) – The Human Rights Foundation (HRF) and Thai Lawyers for Human Rights (TLHR) have secured a legal victory after the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention (WGAD) declared the arrest and detention of Thai pro-democracy activist, Sopon “Get” Surariddhidhamrong, to be arbitrary and in violation of international law.

Jul 20, 2026

HRF’s Alex Gladstein Discusses AI and the Future of Human Rights with Cutting-Edge AI Researcher

Artificial intelligence (AI) is the fastest-spreading technology in human history. But the crucial question is whether or not it will serve human freedom.

More than half of the world lives under tyranny

Tyranny is the root of poverty, war, and torture

We’re uniting the world to stand against tyranny.

More than half of the world lives under tyranny

Tyranny is the root of poverty, war, and torture

We’re uniting the world to stand against tyranny.

Our Programs

HRF’s AI for Individual Rights program is the world’s first to support open-source, privacy-protecting artificial intelligence (AI) tools in the hands of dissidents and expose how AI is used by autocrats as a tool of repression.

Art is a powerful tool for dissent in closed societies, provoking constructive dialogue and creating space for debate beyond mainstream bodies of political discourse. Authoritarian governments around the world recognize the power of art as a conduit of change and systematically persecute, repress, or censor artists to silence political dissent.

All governments, especially those of dictators, frequently debase, manipulate, demonetize, and surveil currencies, confiscate property, and freeze the bank accounts of people they don’t like. Dissidents, human rights defenders, journalists, and nonprofit organizations in authoritarian countries face enormous obstacles just to receive donations and pay bills.

So for many years, North Korean defectors have organized efforts to smuggle outside info into North Korea on USB drives to counter Kim Jong-un’s constant propaganda.

Global Media Impressions

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Video Views of Human Rights Advocates Telling Their Story

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New Tech/Creative Partnerships with Activists

75+

Dollars in New Funding for Human Rights Work

$50m+

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