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The Human Rights Foundation (HRF) is a non-profit organization that, according to its mission statement, works on “defending human rights and promoting liberal democracy in the Americas.” The Human Rights Foundation was founded in 2005 by film producer Thor Halvorssen. Its head office is in New York City.

Philosophy

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The Human Rights Foundation maintains that although current debates about whether it is possible to define universal economic and cultural rights are useful and important, those debates tend to divide those who would otherwise be strong allies in the struggle for rights. Its definition of human rights sidesteps those debates, focusing instead on the essential ideals of freedom of self-determination and freedom from tyranny.

Accordingly, the Human Rights Foundation adheres to the definition of human rights as put forth in the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (1976), believing that all individuals are entitled to the right to speak freely, the right to worship in the manner of their choice, the right to freely associate with those of like mind, the right to acquire and dispose of property, the right to leave and enter their country, the right to equal treatment and due process under law, the right to be able to participate in the government of their country, freedom from arbitrary detainment or exile, freedom from slavery and torture, and freedom from interference and coercion in matters of conscience.

In particular, the Human Rights Foundation seeks to sustain the struggle for liberty in those areas where it is presently under threat.

Methodology

The Human Rights Foundation operates by its own definition of transparency. According to the organisation's website, this means that it is willing to make public all of its research and it claims to be open to accepting new information and criticisms that might undermine its positions.

Finances

HRF's annual financial reports are available at the website of www.guidestar.org. HRF does not publish its donor list. HRF states: "We do not receive funding from any government. Any donation or grant accepted by HRF is done with a categorical understanding that the foundation is free to research and investigate regardless of where such investigations may lead or what conclusions HRF may reach. We encourage funding from anyone who cares about human freedom and we do not discriminate in accepting donations. If an individual or foundation has contributed to HRF’s work, this does not mean HRF necessarily endorses said individual or foundation’s views or opinions. In plain language: We are grateful, privileged, and proud that we receive support; it means our mission and work are being endorsed. This does not, however, mean we endorse the views of those who support us.

Like most grant-receiving service organizations, we do not publish the names of our donors. However, we would like to be transparent about why this is so: Some funders do not wish to be known due to fear of retaliation, others do not wish to be known because they do not want to be approached by other groups or organizations soliciting for donations, and still others do not wish to be known because they may, ultimately, disagree with the decisions and public statements of HRF. We do, however, offer any donor the possibility of being recognized on our website and in our publications if they choose to be." It appears this is in line with practices of other major Human Rights organizations like Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch.

International Council

The International Council of the Human Rights Foundation includes former political prisoners Vladimir Bukovsky, Palden Gyatso, Armando Valladares, Ramón José Velásquez, Elie Wiesel, and Harry Wu, as well as law professor Kenneth Anderson, chess grandmaster Garry Kasparov, former Estonian prime minister Mart Laar, political commentator Álvaro Vargas Llosa, and public policy professor James Q. Wilson.

Projects and Cases

Human Rights in Venezuela

The Human Rights Foundation published four reports in November 2006, all case studies of human rights violations in Venezuela. In January 2008, Human Rights Foundation researcher, Monica Fernandez, was shot and wounded in Caracas. Fernandez has been described as "an enemy of the state" in Venezuelan State media.

University Work

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HRF is also in the midst of starting university campus branches willing to support and sponsor events concerning HRF's mission, to support freedom in the Americas. The first campus to begin a branch of the Human Rights Foundation is George Mason University in Fairfax, VA.

Defense of Guadalupe Llori in Ecuador

The Human Rights Foundation declared governor Guadalupe Llori a prisoner of conscience and political prisoner. Amnesty International argued similarly. According to the Human Rights Foundation Llori was imprisoned on trumped terrorism charges by the government Ecuadorian President Rafael Correa. She was sent to El Inca prison where she remained for about ten months. The Human Rights Foundation filed a communication with the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention, pleading that it activate its urgent action procedure and send an appeal to the government of Ecuador for the immediate release of political prisoner Guadalupe Llori. The HRF was also the only international human rights organization that visited, twice, Guadalupe Llori while in prison. She was eventually freed after an intense international campaign and credited HRF with her release. She was re-elected governor of Orellana in April 2009.

Defense of Jose Miguel Vivanco and criticism of Colombian President Alvaro Uribe

The Human Rights Foundation published a defense of Human Rights Watch Latin America director after he was referred to as a "defender," "agent," and "accomplice" of the FARC rebel organization in Colombia. HRF chairman called on President Uribe to apologize.

National Review Symposium on Augusto Pinochet

After the death of Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet in December 2006 the American conservative magazine National Review invited five writers to submit articles about the legacy of Pinochet. HRF's staffmember Thor Halvorssen wrote one of the articles and caused furor in the conservative magazine when he disagreed with all of the other writers--who praised Pinochet--and instead attacked him as a "torturer" and "murderer." Dozens of commentators and bloggers covered the controversy with all of them praising HRF for its unequivocal position on a dictator whether left or right wing: "He shut down parliament, suffocated political life, banned trade unions, and made Chile his sultanate. His government disappeared 3,000 opponents, arrested 30,000 (torturing thousands of them), and controlled the country until 1990. ... Pinochet’s name will forever be linked to the Desaparecidos, the Caravan of Death, and the institutionalized torture that took place in the Villa Grimaldi complex."

Support for RCTV television against "shutdown" in Venezuela

The Human Right Foundation accused the Venezuelan government of "shutting down" the RCTV television station in Venezuela after its broadcast license was pulled. HRF created a site that features information about the "shutdown", a countdown, and a video of Hugo Chavez's comments on press critics. The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights has expressed concern about the freedom of expression in Venezuela, and, as a consequence of the termination of RCTV's broadcasting license, initiated legal actions against the Venezuelan State. In fact, RCTV was not shut-down at all, its public broadcasting license was not renewed, but it continues to broadcast on cable TV.

Documentary Film Involving Slave Trafficking in Dominican Republic

The Human Rights Foundation screened its documentary film "The Sugar Babies: The Plight of the Children of Agricultural Workers in the Sugar Industry", at Florida International University on June 27, 2007. The documentary about human trafficking of Haitians in the Dominican Republic drew protest from both Dominican government officials and from the Fanjul family, one of the largest beneficiaries of the human trafficking depicted in the film, with a sugar empire that dwarfs the U.S. Sugar Corporation. The government of the Dominican Republic protested and stated that they considered the film criminal.

HRF was strongly attacked by the government of the Dominican Republic for producing a documentary that alleged that the country's two richest families: Vicini and Fanjul billionaires had engaged in human trafficking from Dominican Republic. The Human Rights Foundation was criticized as anti-capitalist and as being part of an enormous campaign of defamation against the Dominican Republic. Subsequently, the American media published allegations that the Dominican government has engaged in bribery of journalists reviewing the film to give the film a bad review.

Participation in autonomy referendum in Bolivia

The Human Rights Foundation was criticized for sending observers to the Santa Cruz autonomy referendum, 2008. It eas also criticized for exposing slavery in the Dominican Republic. It was also criticized for defending Human Rights Watch.

Controversies and accusations of illegal activities

Documentary Film Involving Slave Trafficking in Dominican Republic

The Human Rights Foundation screened its documentary film "The Sugar Babies: The Plight of the Children of Agricultural Workers in the Sugar Industry", at Florida International University on June 27, 2007. The documentary about human trafficking of Haitians in the Dominican Republic drew protest from both Dominican government officials and from the Fanjul family, one of the largest beneficiaries of the human trafficking depicted in the film, with a sugar empire that dwarfs the U.S. Sugar Corporation. The government of the Dominican Republic protested and stated that they considered the film criminal.

HRF was strongly attacked by the government of the Dominican Republic for producing a documentary that alleged that the country's two richest families: Vicini and Fanjul billionaires had engaged in human trafficking from Dominican Republic. The Human Rights Foundation was criticized as anti-capitalist and as being part of an enormous campaign of defamation against the Dominican Republic. Subsequently, the American media published allegations that the Dominican government has engaged in bribery of journalists reviewing the film to give the film a bad review.

Alleged links with foreign mercenaries operating in Bolivia

In April 2009, staff of the HRF were allegedly implicated in the funding of mercenaries operating in Bolivia, who were purportedly planning to assassinate the Bolivian president Evo Morales and other political leaders in the country. The public prosecutor in charge of investigating the case of the mercenaries, who were apprehended by the Bolivian police, identified a member of HRF Bolivia staff as a purported associate of the mercenary cell that had acted as a conduit for the funding of the group.. Bolivian vice-minister for coordination of social movements, Sacha Llorenti then stated that the Human Rights Foundation did not have a license to operate in Bolivia, a claim which was reiterated by the public prosecutor's office. The HRF office in Bolivia refuted this in the local press, referring to documents that it claims prove that it functions according to law.

Criticism

Accusation of political bias

HRF has been the target of accusations of being too left wing or too right wing depending on the government it has criticized. Usually, those criticized in its reports such as Colombian president Alvaro Uribe, Ecuadorian president Rafael Correa, Bolivian president Evo Morales, Dominican Republic Foreign Minister, and Bolivian Minister Sacha Llorenti. The accusations of bias against HRF appear to be eerily similar to those of human rights defenders who upset the targets of their criticism.

In spite of its notable work on behalf of Guadalupe Llori, the President of Ecuador, Rafael Correa, accused the Human Rights Foundation of being a "backward, right wing" organization.

Notes

1. Mission. Human Rights Foundation. Retrieved 10 December 2006.
2. HRF's Transparency. Human Rights Foundation. Retrieved 10 December 2006.
3. Reports. Human Rights Foundation. Retrieved 10 December 2006.
4. "Mónica Fernández herida en suceso producido en la urbanización El Márques". El Universal. 2009-01-05. Retrieved 2009-05-05. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
5. "Human Rights Foundation responds to President Correa's accusations and declares Guadalupe Llori a political prisoner of Ecuador's government". Human Rights Foundation. June 18th, 2008. Retrieved 2009-05-06. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
6. "Guadalupe Llori (f), governor (prefecta) of the province of Orellana". Amnesty International. March 25th, 2008. Retrieved 2009-05-05. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
7. "Ecuador Denies Opposition Politician Her Freedom; Government Dealings with FARC Reveal Double Standard". Human Rights Foundation. March 17th, 2008. Retrieved 2009-05-06. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help); line feed character in |title= at position 51 (help)
8. "HRF pide a la ONU que solicite la liberación inmediata de Guadalupe Llori". EFE. September 9th, 2008. Retrieved 2009-05-05. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
9. "Delegados de DD.HH. visitaron a G. Llori". El Comercio. September 18th, 2008. Retrieved 2009-05-05. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
10. ""Soy la primera víctima de la Revolución Ciudadana": Guadalupe Llori". El Tiempo (Ecuador). 2008-09-24. Retrieved 2009-05-06. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
11. "Votación de la Provincia de ORELLANA para Candidatos a PREFECTO PROVINCIAL". Consejo Nacional Electoral. April 26, 2009. Retrieved 2009-05-06. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
12. "Respaldo a Vivanco". El Tiempo. Retrieved 2009-05-05. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
13. "Pinochet is history but how will it remember him?". National Review. December 11, 2006. Retrieved 2009-05-05. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help); Text "" ignored (help)
14. "FREERCTV.COM - Short Film on Censorship". Human Rights Foundation. 2007-05-17. Retrieved 2009-05-05. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
15. "IACHR CONCERNED ABOUT FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION IN VENEZUELA". Inter-American Commission on Human Rights. May 25, 2007. Retrieved 2009-05-06. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
16. "IACHR SUES VENEZUELA OVER ATTACKS ON RCTV". El Universal (Caracas). 2007-04-26. Retrieved 2009-05-06. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
17. CEPR Venezuela and the Media: Fact and Fiction, By Robert McChesney and Mark Weisbrot, June 1, 2007
18. Sugar Babies Screening. Palm Beach Post. Retrieved 11 July 2007.
19. "Sweet Truth: A filmmaker's exposé peeves the sugar powers". Miami News. May 28, 2008. Retrieved 2009-05-05. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
20. Sugar Babies Screening. Palm Beach Post. Retrieved 11 July 2007.
21. "Sweet Truth: A filmmaker's exposé peeves the sugar powers". Miami News. May 28, 2008. Retrieved 2009-05-05. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
22. "La Fiscalía identifica y rodea al supuesto grupo de Rózsa". La Razon. 2009-04-30. Retrieved 2009-05-06. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
23. La Razon newspaper, April 30, 2009
24. Erbol, 4 May 2009
25. La Razon, 5 May 2009
26. Agencia Boliviana de Informacion, 3 May 2009
27. Erbol, 5 May 2009
28. "Human Rights desmiente al viceministro Llorenti: mostraron papeles de su conformacion". Los Tiempos. 2009-05-05. Retrieved 2009-05-06. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
29. "Fundación Human Rights rechaza críticas del presidente Correa". El Universo. 2008-06-30. Retrieved 2009-05-05. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)

External links

• Human Rights Foundation website
• Full text of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights

• Human rights organizations
• Non-governmental organizations based in the United States
• International human rights organizations
• Organizations established in 2005
• Human rights in Latin America