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Fortify Rights

@fortifyrights.bsky.social
300 followers 7 following 440 posts

Ensuring #Rights4All by investigating violations 🔍, engaging people with power 🤝, and strengthening human rights defenders and communities 💪. www.fortifyrights.org

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Fortify Rights @fortifyrights.bsky.social · 24/07/2026
"The growing number of Rohingya seeking safety in Malaysia is the direct consequence of the world’s negligence and inaction." In The Diplomat, Lynn Htet from Fortify Rights argues that Malaysia can no longer treat the Rohingya crisis as Myanmar's internal affair.
thediplomat.com
Malaysia Must Reject Hate and Confront Myanmar Over the Rohingya Crisis
Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s government has largely remained silent about the recent online “hate campaign” targeting Rohingya refugees.
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Fortify Rights @fortifyrights.bsky.social · 09/04/2026
🚨 Fortify Rights investigation documents the killing of scores of Rohingya civilians by the Arakan Army on May 2, 2024, in Hoyyar Siri, also known as Htan Shauk Khan village in Buthidaung Township, Rakhine State. bit.ly/RohingyaMassacre2024
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Fortify Rights @fortifyrights.bsky.social · 10/03/2026
Arman Mondol, from Bangladesh, was promised work abroad in Europe. Instead, brokers deceived him and sent him to fight on the frontlines of Russia’s war in Ukraine. More is documented in a new report by Fortify Rights and Truth Hounds. Read the full report: bit.ly/Tricked-into-the-War
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Fortify Rights @fortifyrights.bsky.social · 10/03/2026
Maksudur Rahman is a Bangladeshi father & son who left home hoping to support his family with the promised civilian job, but were deceived by brokers. Fortify Rights & Truth Hounds new report exposes how Bangladeshi men are trafficked into Russia's war against Ukraine. bit.ly/Tricked-into-the-War
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Fortify Rights @fortifyrights.bsky.social · 05/03/2026
📢 Tomorrow in Bangkok Panel Discussion: Impacts in South & Southeast Asia from Russia’s Illegal War in Ukraine 📅 March 6 | 7:00 PM 📍 FCCT, Bangkok Live on FCCT and Fortify Rights Facebook page
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Fortify Rights @fortifyrights.bsky.social · 02/03/2026
🇨🇳 New reporting on the latest house church arrests in China highlights deepening concerns over religious freedom. Senior Director Benedict Rogers describes the detentions as part of a wider crackdown, warning they reflect the Chinese Communist Party’s “absolute intent to control religion.”
thetablet.co.uk
China intent on ‘persecution’ say campaigners, after latest house church arrests - The Tablet
The Chinese government’s policy towards religion “is not about indigenisation” but persecution, according to the daughter of an imprisoned church leader.
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Fortify Rights @fortifyrights.bsky.social · 27/02/2026
𝗥𝗲𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁 𝗟𝗮𝘂𝗻𝗰𝗵 “𝗜 𝗪𝗮𝘀 𝗧𝗿𝗶𝗰𝗸𝗲𝗱 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗪𝗮𝗿” A new joint report by Fortify Rights & Truth Hounds reveals how Bangladeshi men have been deceived, coerced, & trafficked into the Russian Army & deployed to the frontlines of Russia’s ongoing war of aggression against Ukraine. bit.ly/FortifyEventRegister
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Fortify Rights @fortifyrights.bsky.social · 24/02/2026
🙌 Meet the people behind Fortify Rights’s new Leadership Council. From former government ministers and Parliamentarians, diplomats and legal experts, to artists, entrepreneurs and human rights defenders, our Leadership Council members share why they are joining our cause to advance human rights.
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Fortify Rights @fortifyrights.bsky.social · 23/02/2026
As the new gov't of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party takes office, it must prioritise lifting longstanding restrictions on Rohingya refugees. John Quinley of Fortify Rights highlights how Bhasan Char has been used to isolate & confine Rohingya refugees. www.thenewhumanitarian.org/opinion/2026...
thenewhumanitarian.org
The Bhasan Char project was never about protection, it’s about Rohingya confinement
Whoever takes office in Bangladesh after the elections next month must prioritise lifting longstanding and deeply embedded restrictions on refugees.
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Fortify Rights @fortifyrights.bsky.social · 11/02/2026
🇧🇩 Bangladesh’s incoming gov't must ensure freedom of movement for Rohingya refugees in camps and on Bhasan Char. “Freedom of movement is a fundamental right for a human being and Rohingya should not be deprived just because they are refugees." - Zaw Win www.fortifyrights.org/bgd-inv-2026...
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Fortify Rights @fortifyrights.bsky.social · 10/02/2026
Bhasan Char has failed Rohingya refugees, but the blame doesn’t lie with Bangladesh alone. By ignoring the rights and views clearly expressed by Rohingya refugees, the UN and donor governments have enabled the restrictions on movement and detention. en.prothomalo.com/opinion/op-e...
en.prothomalo.com
Bhasan Char is a failure, but it’s not all Bangladesh’s fault
Bangladesh and the international community need to end support for Bhasan Char. They must commit to solutions that present a win for refugees and Bangladeshis
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Fortify Rights @fortifyrights.bsky.social · 10/02/2026
As Jimmy Lai, a 78-year-old British pro-democracy publisher, was unjustly sentenced to 20 years in prison in Hong Kong, Benedict Rogers from Fortify Rights urges the British government to make Lai’s release a priority. spectator.com/article/brit...
spectator.com
Britain cannot leave Jimmy Lai to die in jail
Beijing has been allowed to make an example of Mr Lai by imposing a cruel sentence. Now it must be pressed to show clemency.
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Fortify Rights @fortifyrights.bsky.social · 28/01/2026
In the aftermath of the February 2021 coup, Myanmar military and police forces shot and killed unarmed civilians, tortured detainees, and carried out mass arbitrary arrests across cities and towns nationwide. Learn more: www.fortifyrights.org/mya-inv-rep-...
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Fortify Rights @fortifyrights.bsky.social · 28/01/2026
Bangladesh 🇧🇩 Bhasan Char has always been a failed project. It should serve as a lesson for both the UN and governments, illustrating the dangers of trying to “manage” refugees rather than recognising them as individual rights-holders. Read the op-ed: www.thenewhumanitarian.org/opinion/2026...
thenewhumanitarian.org
The Bhasan Char project was never about protection, it’s about Rohingya confinement
Whoever takes office in Bangladesh after the elections next month must prioritise lifting longstanding and deeply embedded restrictions on refugees.
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Fortify Rights @fortifyrights.bsky.social · 28/01/2026
🇲🇲 NEW: Australia and Timor-Leste should jointly refer Myanmar to the International Criminal Court, said Fortify Rights, as Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese meets Timor-Leste’s leaders in Dili today. Read the full news release: www.fortifyrights.org/mya-inv-2026...
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Fortify Rights @fortifyrights.bsky.social · 27/01/2026
🇧🇩 “The election in February is not simply about who governs next, but about whether Bangladesh finally breaks its long cycle of authoritarianism and political violence. The revolution that forced Hasina from power was, at its core, a demand for human rights.” www.independent.co.uk/voices/bangl...
independent.co.uk
As Bangladesh heads to the polls, human rights must come first
Bangladesh has a rare opportunity to choose a path that shuns the abuses of previous administrations, John Quinley and Benedict Rogers say
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Fortify Rights @fortifyrights.bsky.social · 26/01/2026
🇲🇲 NEW: The Myanmar military junta is increasingly using commercial paramotors and gyrocopters to carry out targeted attacks on civilians, including schools, hospitals, monasteries, and peaceful gatherings, Fortify Rights said today. Read the full news release: www.fortifyrights.org/mya-inv-2026...
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Fortify Rights @fortifyrights.bsky.social · 22/01/2026
On January 21, 2026, Fortify Rights launched a new report, “Like Prisoners: The Mass Arbitrary Detention and Warehousing of Rohingya Refugees on Bhasan Char in Bangladesh,” at Dhaka Reporters Unity, documenting the systematic confinement of Rohingya refugees. Full report: bit.ly/BhasanCharRe...
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Fortify Rights @fortifyrights.bsky.social · 21/01/2026
🇧🇩 NEW: Bangladesh should immediately close Bhasan Char and end the mass arbitrary detention of Rohingya refugees, said Fortify Rights in a new report published today. Read the full news release: www.fortifyrights.org/bgd-inv-2026... Read the report: www.fortifyrights.org/bgd-inv-rep-...
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Fortify Rights @fortifyrights.bsky.social · 21/01/2026
📢 🇧🇩 TODAY: REPORT LAUNCH “Like Prisoners: The Mass Arbitrary Detention and Warehousing of Rohingya Refugees on Bhasan Char in Bangladesh” A new report by Fortify Rights documents the arbitrary confinement of Rohingya refugees on Bhasan Char.
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Fortify Rights @fortifyrights.bsky.social · 16/01/2026
Fortify Rights CEO Matthew Smith, with The Gambia's legal team, the Rohingya delegation of witnesses, and The Gambia’s Attorney General on the final day of the first round of oral hearings in The Gambia v. Myanmar case.
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Fortify Rights @fortifyrights.bsky.social · 16/01/2026
In a new op-ed for The Catholic Herald, Senior Director Benedict Rogers warns that Myanmar remains in the grip of a man-made human rights disaster, marked by daily airstrikes on civilians and sham elections designed to legitimize an illegal military regime. thecatholicherald.com/article/myan...
thecatholicherald.com
Myanmar’s sham elections
As Myanmar marks five years since its military coup, the junta’s staged elections, mass repression and escalating humanitarian catastrophe expose a crisis
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Fortify Rights @fortifyrights.bsky.social · 16/12/2025
🇭🇰 Democracy activist Jimmy Lai was found guilty of multiple violations of China’s national security laws. He has not been formally sentenced, but is likely facing life in prison. Senior Director Benedict Rogers reacts to the conviction on Ave Maria Radio. avemariapm.substack.com/p/jimmy-lai-...
avemariapm.substack.com
Jimmy Lai convicted, faces life in prison
Benedict Rogers of Hong Kong watch reacts to the conviction of democracy activist Jimmy Lai.
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Fortify Rights @fortifyrights.bsky.social · 16/12/2025
🇹🇭 พรุ่งนี้ วันที่ 17 ธันวาคม ศาลจังหวัดแม่สอดเตรียมอ่านคำพิพากษาศาลอุทธรณ์ คดีนายอ่องโกโกที่ถูกเจ้าหน้าที่ทหารไทยทรมานจนเสียชีวิตที่ชายแดนไทย-เมียนมา เมื่อวันที่ 12 มกราคม 2567 ขณะที่ชาวเมียนมาอีกรายหนึ่งถูกตัดสินว่ามีความผิด แต่ผู้กระทำความผิดที่แท้จริงยังคงลอยนวล ซ้ำด้วยการที่กรมสอบสวนคดีพิเศษ ของไทยได้ปฏิเสธที่จะรับคดีนี้ไปสอบสวน www.fortifyrights.org/tha-inv-2025...
fortifyrights.org
Thailand: Investigate Military Involvement in Torture, Acquit Wrongly Accused Myanmar National - Fortify Rights
Court to issue verdict in fatal torture of Myanmar national, key suspects remain at large
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Fortify Rights @fortifyrights.bsky.social · 16/12/2025
🇹🇭 NEW: Tomorrow, December 17, the Mae Sot Provincial Court will issue its appeal verdict in the case of Aung Ko Ko, a Myanmar national tortured to death by Thai soldiers at the Thai-Myanmar border on January 12, 2024. Read the news release: www.fortifyrights.org/tha-inv-2025...
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Fortify Rights @fortifyrights.bsky.social · 15/12/2025
🇭🇰 NEW: A Hong Kong court has convicted media entrepreneur and pro-democracy advocate Jimmy Lai under the city’s draconian national security law. He now faces life imprisonment after five years of arbitrary detention for exercising basic freedoms. 🔗 www.fortifyrights.org/eas-inv-2025...
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Fortify Rights @fortifyrights.bsky.social · 12/12/2025
🇹🇭 သတင်းထုတ်ပြန်ချက် - ထိုင်းအာဏာပိုင်များသည် မြန်မာနိုင်ငံသား ၃,၅၀၀ ကျော်ကို ရနောင်း–ကော့သောင်း နယ်စပ်ဂိတ်မှတစ်ဆင့် မြန်မာစစ်အုပ်စုထံ အတင်းအကျပ် လွှဲပြောင်းပေးခဲ့ရာ၊ စစ်အုပ်စုကလည်း ပြန်လည်ပို့ဆောင်ခံရသူများကို စစ်မှုထမ်းရန် အတင်းအဓမ္မစေခိုင်းခဲ့သည်။ ဤအတင်းအကျပ် ပြန်ပို့မှုများသည် ထိုင်းနှင့် နိုင်ငံတကာဥပဒေများအား ချိုးဖောက်ရာရောက်သလို မြန်မာနိုင်ငံသားများအားလည်း ကြီးလေးသော ဘေးအန္တရာယ်ဆီသို့ တိုက်ရိုက်တွန်းပို့လိုက်ခြင်းပင်ဖြစ်သည်။ bit.ly/PushbackMYA
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Fortify Rights @fortifyrights.bsky.social · 12/12/2025
🇹🇭 BREAKING: Thai authorities forcibly returned more than 3,500 Myanmar nationals to the Myanmar military junta, who, in turn, forced returnees into the military. Thailand's actions may amount to torture, refoulement, and human trafficking. Full news release: www.fortifyrights.org/tha-inv-2025...
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Fortify Rights @fortifyrights.bsky.social · 08/12/2025
🇲🇾 Malaysian authorities must end their abusive campaign of immigration crackdowns and investigate deaths in detention centers. “Detainees face severe torture, both physical and psychological.”, Yap Lay Sheng told the New York Times. www.nytimes.com/2025/11/29/w...
nytimes.com
Where Hundreds of Undocumented Migrants Have Died in Custody
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Fortify Rights @fortifyrights.bsky.social · 27/11/2025
As the Myanmar junta prepares its “sham elections”, it is escalating deadly airstrikes on civilians in Karenni State and along Karenni-Shan state border. Fortify Rights’s new report documents 12 airstrikes that killed at least 55 people, including children. Read the report: bit.ly/HorrificSigh...
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Fortify Rights @fortifyrights.bsky.social · 25/11/2025
🇲🇾 NEW: Survivors of the Langkawi tragedy, who are Rohingya refugees fleeing genocide and likely victims of trafficking, are being prosecuted for “irregular entry.” Malaysia must drop charges against Rohingya shipwreck survivors. Read the full news release: www.fortifyrights.org/mly-inv-2025...
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Fortify Rights @fortifyrights.bsky.social · 25/11/2025
🇺🇸 The US Govt just ended Temporary Protected Status for people from Burma/Myanmar, ignoring realities on the ground. Myanmar is not safe, and the junta’s so-called “elections” are nowhere near free or fair. Forcing people to return now puts lives at serious risk. www.uscis.gov/newsroom/new...
uscis.gov
DHS Terminating Temporary Protected Status for Burma
Today, Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem announced the termination of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Burma (Myanmar).
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Fortify Rights @fortifyrights.bsky.social · 24/11/2025
🇲🇲At least five miners were killed and others injured in a junta airstrike on Mawchi on November 21. This comes after a series of deadly attacks on Mawchi from June to August, reflecting the same pattern of airstrikes on civilian areas that Fortify Rights recently documented across Karenni.
eng.mizzima.com
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Fortify Rights @fortifyrights.bsky.social · 20/11/2025
🇲🇲 DVB English covered our latest report on the Myanmar military junta's airstrikes killing and injuring civilians ahead of its sham 2025–26 "elections". It documents attacks across Karenni and Karenni-Shan State border from June to September 2025. english.dvb.no/new-fortify-...
english.dvb.no
New Fortify Rights report ties airstrikes to elections in Myanmar - DVB
Human rights group Fortify Rights released a report on Wednesday called Horrible Sight to Witness: Airstrikes on Civilians by Myanmar’s Military Junta Ahead of Sham Elections accusing the regime in Na...
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Fortify Rights @fortifyrights.bsky.social · 19/11/2025
🇲🇲 သတင်းထုတ်ပြန်ချက် - Fortify Rights မှ ယနေ့ထုတ်ပြန်သည့် အစီရင်ခံစာတွင် မြန်မာအာဏာသိမ်းစစ်အုပ်စုသည် “အတုအယောင်ရွေးကောက်ပွဲ” မတိုင်မီကာလအတွင်း ကရင်နီပြည်နယ်နှင့် ကရင်နီ–ရှမ်းနယ်စပ်ဒေသများရှိ အရပ်သားများအပေါ် ပစ်မှတ်ထားသည့် လေကြောင်းတိုက်ခိုက်မှုများကို တိုးမြှင့်လုပ်ဆောင်လျက်ရှိသည်ဟု ဖော်ပြထားသည်။ သတင်းထုတ်ပြန်ချက် အပြည့်အစုံကို ဖတ်ရှုရန် - shorturl.at/2V3id အစီရင်ခံစာအပြည့်အစုံကို ဖတ်ရှုရန် - bit.ly/HorrificSigh...
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Fortify Rights @fortifyrights.bsky.social · 19/11/2025
🇲🇲 NEW: The Myanmar junta is waging deadly airstrikes on civilians in Karenni State and the Karenni-Shan State border, ahead of its “sham elections,” said Fortify Rights in a new report published today. Full news release: www.fortifyrights.org/mya-inv-2025... Full report: bit.ly/HorrificSigh...
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Fortify Rights @fortifyrights.bsky.social · 14/11/2025
📄 New UN Report — The Hidden Crisis: Disability Rights in Post-Coup Myanmar Myanmar’s junta is executing, torturing, and burning alive persons with disabilities, leaving many in a daily fight for survival. Read the report: www.ohchr.org/en/press-rel...
ohchr.org
Myanmar: Junta violence and repression are trapping persons with disabilities in daily fight for survival, says Special Rapporteur
GENEVA – Junta forces have executed, tortured and sexually assaulted persons with disabilities while their relentless repression and violence are trapping many in a daily fight for survival according ...
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Fortify Rights @fortifyrights.bsky.social · 13/11/2025
🇨🇳 NEW: Fortify Rights calls on China to immediately and unconditionally release Pastor Ezra Jin Mingri and nearly 30 detained pastors and members of the Zion Church network. Read the full news release: www.fortifyrights.org/eas-inv-2025...
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Fortify Rights @fortifyrights.bsky.social · 13/11/2025
31 bodies recovered, 14 survivors rescued after a boat carrying mostly Rohingya refugees sank near Langkawi, with many still unaccounted for. Malaysia must urgently coordinate search-and-rescue efforts with regional governments and allow safe disembarkation of refugees fleeing persecution.
thestar.com.my
31 bodies found in search for Rohingya at sea
LANGKAWI: A total of 31 bodies have been found – 22 in Malaysian waters and nine in Thailand, along with 14 survivors.
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Fortify Rights @fortifyrights.bsky.social · 11/11/2025
🇲🇾 NEW: Fortify Rights urges Malaysia to coordinate with Thailand, Indonesia, and other Southeast Asian governments to urgently rescue Rohingya refugees missing at sea and ensure safe disembarkation for survivors. Read the full news release: www.fortifyrights.org/mly-inv-2025...
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Fortify Rights @fortifyrights.bsky.social · 10/11/2025
Fortify Rights Senior Director Benedict Rogers attended the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China (IPAC) Summit at the European Parliament in Brussels on Friday and Saturday. #IPACBrussels25 #StandTogether
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Fortify Rights @fortifyrights.bsky.social · 10/11/2025
🧵1/2 🇲🇲 The Arakan Army (AA) must stop using ethnic minorities in Rakhine State for dangerous forced labor at the conflict frontlines.
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Fortify Rights @fortifyrights.bsky.social · 05/11/2025
🇨🇳 In this latest op-ed, Fortify Rights Senior Director Benedict Rogers calls on the Vatican to honor Bishop Jia’s courage and stand with China’s persecuted Church. www.ucanews.com/news/vatican...
ucanews.com
Vatican acts as if China’s underground Church doesn't exist - UCA News
This op-ed critiques the Vatican's silence on the death of Bishop Julius Jia Zhiguo, a persecuted Chinese underground leader, questioning if it's a move to appease the CCP.
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Fortify Rights @fortifyrights.bsky.social · 03/11/2025
🇹🇱 Timor-Leste’s accession to ASEAN marks a powerful moment for democracy and human rights in the region. In his latest op-ed, Fortify Rights Benedict Rogers reflects on Timor-Leste’s journey and urges its leaders to use their ASEAN role to advance justice for Myanmar. shorturl.at/FXi4m
ucanews.com
Timor-Leste has vital role to play in holding ASEAN’s feet to the fire - UCA News
This op-ed argues that new ASEAN member Timor-Leste, led by José Ramos-Horta, has a moral duty to push the bloc to hold Myanmar's junta accountable at the ICC and reject its sham elections.
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Fortify Rights @fortifyrights.bsky.social · 31/10/2025
The Committee for Freedom in Hong Kong Foundation’s new report “Backdoor to the Battlefield” exposes how Hong Kong-based shell companies channel Canadian electronics into Russia’s weapons supply chain—and why weak sanctions enforcement allows it to continue. Read the report: shorturl.at/PdBef
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Fortify Rights @fortifyrights.bsky.social · 29/10/2025
NEW: As world leaders gather for the Asia Pacific Economic Co-operation (APEC) Summit in Seoul, Fortify Rights is calling on U.S. President Donald Trump to press Xi Jinping and other Asian leaders on grave human rights violations across the region. 🔗 www.fortifyrights.org/reg-inv-2025...
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Fortify Rights @fortifyrights.bsky.social · 27/10/2025
📝 From June–Sept 2025, Fortify Rights published 20 op-eds in major outlets—exposing atrocity crimes in Myanmar, refugee abuses in Thailand, shrinking civic space in the Mekong, and threats to freedoms from Russia to Hong Kong. Here are 10 op-eds that capture what drives our work.
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Fortify Rights @fortifyrights.bsky.social · 24/10/2025
🇲🇾 Myanmar pro-democracy activist and refugee Thuzar Maung and her family, forcibly abducted from their home in Kuala Lumpur in 2023, have been confirmed to be in the custody of Myanmar’s junta two years after their disappearance. 🔗 www.hrw.org/news/2025/10...
hrw.org
Malaysia: Abducted Refugee Detained in Myanmar
The Malaysian government should press Myanmar’s junta for the immediate release of a refugee family abducted from Kuala Lumpur in July 2023.
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Fortify Rights @fortifyrights.bsky.social · 23/10/2025
🇹🇱 NEW: 36 human rights organizations, including Fortify Rights, are urging President José Ramos-Horta to use the country’s new regional role — and its ICC membership — to push for accountability for atrocity crimes in Myanmar. Read the full news release: www.fortifyrights.org/mya-inv-2025...
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Fortify Rights @fortifyrights.bsky.social · 22/10/2025
🇲🇲 NEW: Fortify Rights urges the Arakan Army to immediately end its use of forced labor against Rohingya, Hindu, and other minorities in Rakhine State. Read the full news release: www.fortifyrights.org/mya-inv-2025...
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