Visible and Invisible Bars, a report from Free Them All: The Fred Hiatt Program to Free Political Prisoners, draws attention both to political imprisonment and its damaging impacts on prisoners and their families, and the consequences of civil death.
Despite increasingly repressive rule under the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), dissent in China occurs regularly and is geographically widespread. The China Dissent Monitor features quarterly updated interactive data on collective action in public spaces and cases of online dissent.
Democratic governance in the Nations in Transit region declined for the 20th consecutive year in 2023, as the region becomes increasingly defined by the widening gulf between those nations committed to a liberal, democratic order and those that violently reject it. Explore Nations in Transit 2024: A Region Reordered by Autocracy and Democracy.
In 2023, Freedom House assisted more than 15,000 human rights activists, organizations, journalists, children and youth, and others at-risk more than 90 countries. Here's how we worked to expand and defend freedom across the world over the past year.
Freedom is the power or right to speak, act and change as one wants without hindrance or restraint. Freedom is often associated with liberty and autonomy in the sense of "giving oneself one's own laws".[1]
In political discourse, political freedom is often associated with liberty and autonomy, and a distinction is made between countries that are free and dictatorships. In the area of civil rights, a strong distinction is made between freedom and slavery and there is conflict between people who think all races, religions, genders, and social classes should be equally free and people who think freedom is the exclusive right of certain groups. Frequently discussed are freedom of assembly, freedom of association, freedom of choice, and freedom of speech.
Sometimes the terms "freedom" and "liberty" tend to be used interchangeably.[4][5] Sometimes subtle distinctions are made between "freedom" and "liberty"[6] John Stuart Mill, for example, differentiated liberty from freedom in that freedom is primarily, if not exclusively, the ability to do as one wills and what one has the power to do, whereas liberty concerns the absence of arbitrary restraints and takes into account the rights of all involved. As such, the exercise of liberty is subject to capability and limited by the rights of others.[7]
Isaiah Berlin made a distinction between "positive" freedom and "negative" freedom in his seminal 1958 lecture "Two concepts of liberty". Charles Taylor elaborates on this idea, claiming that it is undeniable that there are two such kinds of freedom. Negative liberty means an ability to do what one wants, without external obstacles; positive liberty is the ability to fulfill one's purposes.[8][9]
Another distinction that some political theorists have deemed important is that people may aspire to have freedom from limiting forces (such as freedom from fear, freedom from want, and freedom from discrimination), but descriptions of freedom and liberty generally do not invoke having liberty from anything.[5] This is the concept of negative liberty.[5]
The FOC believes that the human rights that people have offline must also be protected online. The Coalition serves as a coordinating body that advances cross-regional diplomacy and commits to working together, and with all others who share these views, including through multistakeholder engagement, to support Internet freedom and protect human rights online worldwide.
The FOC aims to be a proactive Coalition that works with all stakeholders to ensure Internet freedom issues are on the policy agenda as a way to drive concrete policy changes and outcomes, and shape global norms to promote a rules-based, democratic, and inclusive world where human rights and fundamental freedoms are upheld in online and digital contexts.
Information and knowledge sharing, including through facilitating learning calls, monitoring and research activities, voluntary funding coordination, and sharing best-practices and guidelines on relevant policy and issue areas, as well as strengthening cooperation and coordination with outside stakeholders, where appropriate;
Freedom Farmers expands the historical narrative of the black freedom struggle to embrace the work, roles, and contributions of southern Black farmers and the organizations they formed. Whereas existing scholarship generally views agriculture as a site of oppression and exploitation of black people, this book reveals agriculture as a site of resistance and provides a historical foundation that adds meaning and context to current conversations around the resurgence of food justice/sovereignty movements in urban spaces like Detroit, Chicago, Milwaukee, New York City, and New Orleans. About the Author Monica M. White is assistant professor of environmental justice at the University of Wisconsin, Madison.
For more information about Monica M. White, visit the Author Page.
The Freedom Collection pursues the principles of human liberty by documenting the personal stories of men and women who have led or participated in freedom movements. Using video interviews, collected papers and other materials, the Freedom Collection strives to inspire and provide insight to the current generation of freedom advocates, and expands access to information and successful strategies for change. The Freedom Collection reinforces the moral and practical importance of supporting pro-democracy movements and remaining actively engaged in the world. It also preserves history as a tool for scholars, policy makers and students studying democratic movements.
The FREEDOM TO VIEW, along with the freedom to speak, to hear, and to read, is protected by the First Amendment to the Constitution of the United States. In a free society, there is no place for censorship of any medium of expression. Therefore these principles are affirmed:
1. To provide the broadest access to film, video, and other audiovisual materials because they are a means for the communication of ideas. Liberty of circulation is essential to insure the constitutional guarantees of freedom of expression.
2. To protect the confidentiality of all individuals and institutions using film, video, and other audiovisual materials.
3. To provide film, video, and other audiovisual materials which represent a diversity of views and expression. Selection of a work does not constitute or imply agreement with or approval of the content.
4. To provide a diversity of viewpoints without the constraint of labeling or prejudging film, video, or other audiovisual materials on the basis of the moral, religious, or political beliefs of the producer or filmmaker or on the basis of controversial content.
5. To contest vigorously, by all lawful means, every encroachment upon the public's freedom to view.
This statement was originally drafted by the Freedom to View Committee of the American Film and Video Association (formerly the Educational Film Library Association) and was adopted by the AFVA Board of Directors in February 1979. This statement was updated and approved by the AFVA Board of Directors in 1989.
Marguerite Casey Foundation provides unrestricted support to leaders in academia whose research provides critical insight from and to social justice leaders and whose ideas encourage us to imagine how we can radically improve our democracy, economy and society.
Launched in 2020, the Freedom Scholar awards exemplify a commitment to scholarship benefitting movements led by Black and Indigenous people, migrants and queer people, poor people, and people of color. The awards also recognize the role that Freedom Scholars play in cultivating and nurturing movements for justice and freedom. Awardees are proven movement leaders who entered academia and academics with a demonstrated commitment to supporting social movements.
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