Human Rights First
| Human Rights First
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| legal form | Non-profit organization |
| founding | 1978 |
| Seat | |
| management |
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| Number of employees | 150-200 |
| Branch | international human rights organization |
| Website | www.humanrightsfirst.org |
Human Rights First (HRF) is a US non-profit organization that campaigns for human rights worldwide. The self-proclaimed mission statement of the human rights organization is to call on America to live up to its own ideals and values.
It carries the slogan “American Ideals. Universal Values ”(American Ideals. Universal Values).
The organization is an advocate for a wide range of human rights issues, but the main focus of its work is the defense of refugees and asylum seekers in the US. The organization supports human rights activists in countries such as Guatemala, Russia, Pakistan, Egypt, Zimbabwe and Indonesia.
Its work is based on the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1948) , the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (1966) and the International Bill of Human Rights .
founding
The organization was founded in 1978 by Marvin E. Frankel and Michael Posner and was under the auspices of the International League for Human Rights until July 31, 1982 . After splitting off the organization and expanding its own activities, it was renamed the “Lawyers Committee for Human Rights” in 1986 .
In May 2004, the human rights organization finally changed its name to "Human Rights First" .
financing
Human Rights First receives significant financial support from foundations, companies, institutions, and individuals. These include the Open Society Foundation , the Ford Foundation , Home Box Office (HBO), JPMorgan Chase and Facebook . In 2016, the activists were also supported by the Oak Foundation with 375,000 US dollars.
HRF is a 501 (c) (3) organization that, according to its own statements, does not receive government funding in order to maintain its independence.
In 2015, Human Rights First had revenues of $ 12.6 million and expenses of $ 13.8 million.
Working method
In addition to investigative research, public relations and lobbying, the organization relies on strategic partnerships for projects.
Asylum Representation Program
Human Rights First works with law firms in New York, New Jersey, Washington DC, Houston and Los Angeles to represent the legal interests of selected asylum seekers. The voluntary work of the lawyers enables asylum seekers to receive pro bono legal advice. In 2015, the pro bono lawyers invested 90,000 hours of their time in the Asylum Representation Program , which equates to approximately USD 46.5 million in legal fees.
Human Rights Defenders
The Human Rights Defenders Program supports human rights activists around the world who fear for the safety of their lives or that of their families because of their work. HRF works with local human rights activists in Colombia, Cuba, Bahrain, Egypt, Guatemala, Iran and Thailand to reaffirm their commitment, put them in contact with US officials and bring the respective cases to the public.
In Bahrain, for example, HRF regularly campaigns for the release of human rights activists and calls on the US government to intervene in the violent repression of opposition groups by the ruling monarchy. HRF advocates an arms embargo as a means of exerting pressure on the government of Bahrain.
In July 2016, the organization urged that all charges against prominent human rights activist Nabeel Rajab be dropped and that he be released immediately. In his tweets, he had been critical of Bahrain's treatment of prisoners and the Saudi Arabian war against Yemen.
Coalition of Retired Military Leaders
HRF has achieved an amalgamation of more than 65 retired admirals and generals who advocate more rule of law and respect for human rights in anti-terror policy.
In 2005, the Retired Military Coalition worked with Senator John McCain to enforce the Detainee Treatment Act , which aims to prohibit inhumane treatment of prisoners. The coalition successfully pushed for an expansion of the Detainee Treatment Act by adding an anti-torture amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act in November 2015.
Viewpoints and campaigns
Guantanamo closes and torture is prohibited
The organization believes the prison camp at Guantanamo Bay Naval Base is an attack on the rule of law and an eyesore on American ideals and values. Working with the Coalition of Retired Military Leaders , the organization is pushing Obama to close Guantanamo despite being blocked by Congress. The number of inmates has so far been reduced to 100 people. In 2008 this was still 280.
The charity also speaks out against torture.
“Torture is actually worse than unnecessary; it is counterproductive and undermines our national security… Most importantly, torture violates our core values as a nation ”
In 2014, HRF successfully contributed to the publication of the executive summary of a Senate Intelligence Committee report on CIA torture.
In this it became apparent that torture techniques are not only more brutal than known, but that they are ineffective as an interrogation method. Due to the pressure of media reports on the CIA torture report, a draft law was ultimately submitted to the Senate for voting, which included the ban on so-called " enhanced interrogation techniques ". The Senate voted 78-21 for the bill, and it went into effect with Obama's signature in December 2015.
Refugees and asylum seekers
In addition to the Asylum Representation Program , the organization campaigns for refugees by putting pressure on the American government because of the conditions in immigrant camps. The organization believes that the detention of asylum seekers, including families with children, in “prison-like facilities” is harmful in the face of the trauma suffered by many refugees. HRF calls for the government to develop alternatives to detention, such as programs that include the refugee in the community on a case-by-case basis.
Slavery and human trafficking
Human trafficking is the fastest growing criminal industry in the world, with an estimated 21 million casualties, with a profit of around $ 150 trillion annually. In 2015, HRF convened a group of opinion leaders from business, politics, military law enforcement, and activists to launch a public education campaign against modern slavery . The chairman is former FBI director Louis J. Freeh .
Through the merger of the stakeholders, it was possible for Congress to fund the Justice Department by $ 7.5 million more in 2016.
Targeted killing by drones
The organization believes that targeted killing by drone attacks is not compatible with international law. In May 2015, HRF and other human rights organizations such as Amnesty International , Human Rights Watch and the European Center for Constitutional and Human Rights wrote a joint letter directly to President Barack Obama , in which they called for the anti-terror program to be made more transparent and elaborated on a legal basis that respects humanitarian law and international human rights. Only then is a meaningful supervision by Congress and strict judicial control possible.
LGBT rights
The organization demands that the rights of LGBT people should also be a priority of US foreign policy.
With this objective in mind, HRF appealed to Secretary of State John Kerry to establish a position within the State Department devoted to this agenda alone. Randy Berry, a member of the foreign service, was appointed as the special envoy for the humanitarian rights of the LGBT group.
HRF deals with the suppression and persecution of LGBTs in Russia, Africa, the Middle East and the Caribbean countries.
Human Rights First Awards
The organization annually honors particularly committed lawyers who participate in the program to defend asylum seekers with the Pro Bono Star Award .
The Marvin Frankel Annual Award is presented in memory of one of the founding fathers of Human Rights First, Marvin E. Frankel, to law firms that have successfully partnered with the organization.
The Roger N. Baldwin Medal of Liberty honors human rights organizations and activists who are committed to human rights outside the United States on the most difficult of terms. Roger N. Baldwin was a leading figure in the international human rights movement and the principal founder of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and the International League for Human Rights . The award is endowed with USD 25,000.
criticism
The Charity Navigator organization , which examines charities for their financial situation, transparency and success, rates HRF with a total of 4 stars, the best possible rating. The human rights organization received 3 stars only for its financial rating.
HRF also received an A rating from the Charity Watch organization .
The American newspaper The Hill listed Elisa Massimino on behalf of Human Rights First as one of the top lobbyists in 2015.
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ Human Rights First | American ideals. Universal values. In: www.humanrightsfirst.org. Retrieved August 8, 2016 .
- ^ The International Bill of Human Rights. (PDF) In: Fact Sheet No.2 (Rev.1). Published by UNHCHR , accessed April 3, 2019 .
- ↑ The International Charter of Human Rights. In: Human Rights. Published by: UN German Translation Service, accessed on April 3, 2019 .
- ↑ HRF Financial Statements 2015. (PDF) Retrieved on August 8, 2016 (English).
- ↑ HRF Annual Report 2015 (PDF) Accessed August 8, 2016 .
- ↑ "Annual Report 2016" Oak Foundation, page 39
- ↑ HRF Annual Report 2015. Accessed August 8, 2016 .
- ↑ HRF Annual Report 2015 (PDF) Accessed August 8, 2016 .
- ↑ HRF Annual Report 2015. (PDF) Accessed August 9, 2016 .
- ↑ HRF Human Rights Defenders. Retrieved August 9, 2016 .
- ^ Bryan Dooley: Four Things President Obama Should Do Immediately About Bahrain. Retrieved August 9, 2016 .
- ↑ HRF Press Release: Bahraini Officials Urged to Drop Charges Against Nabeel Rajab. Retrieved August 9, 2016 .
- ↑ REMARKS BY SENATOR JOHN McCAIN AT THE 2012 HUMAN RIGHTS SUMMIT. Retrieved August 9, 2016 .
- ↑ HRF press release- Senate Passes National Defense Authorization Act Solidifying Ban on Torture. Retrieved August 9, 2016 .
- ↑ HRF Factsheet - Closing Guantanamo. Retrieved August 9, 2016 .
- ↑ RML Letter on Gitmo to Obama. (PDF) Retrieved August 9, 2016 .
- ↑ HRF Annual Report 2015. (PDF) Accessed August 9, 2016 .
- ^ Letter: Retired Military Leaders to Presidential Candidates. Retrieved August 9, 2016 .
- ^ Julian Hattem, The Hill: ACLU asks court to block 'extraordinary' spy doc shuffle. Retrieved August 9, 2016 .
- ↑ HRF Annual Report. (PDF) Retrieved August 9, 2016 .
- ↑ HRF - IMMIGRATION DETENTION. Retrieved August 9, 2016 .
- ^ HRF - Human Trafficking. Retrieved August 9, 2016 .
- ^ Letter to President Obama on US dronestrikes. Retrieved August 9, 2016 .
- ^ Letter to President Obama on US dronestrikes. Retrieved August 8, 2016 .
- ↑ HRF - LGBT Rights. Retrieved August 9, 2016 .
- ^ John Kerry, Secretary of State: US Department of State - Special Envoy for the Human Rights of LGBT Persons. (No longer available online.) Archived from the original on August 13, 2016 ; accessed on August 9, 2016 . Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ^ HRF - Awards and Advocacy. Retrieved August 9, 2016 .
- ↑ Charitynavigator.org: Overall Score and Rating - Human Rights First. Retrieved August 8, 2016 .
- ^ Charitywatch.org: Ratings and Metrics - Human Rights First. Retrieved August 8, 2016 .
