Rule of Law

Alexei Navalny’s death underscores the paradox of Russian power—that the voice of one man imprisoned and isolated in the Arctic should be such a threat.

It’s been 20 years since the Justice Initiative was launched to help advance open society values through human rights litigation, advocacy, and legal empowerment. This is a timeline of the Initiative’s biggest milestones.

Yemen is one of the most dangerous countries on earth for journalists. Yet against all odds, Wael Sharha conducted an investigation into unlawful detainments. The story of how his work resulted in 1,600 inmates being freed.

Even though it passed with fanfare nearly a year ago, Mexico’s government has yet to enforce an amnesty bill that offered hope to many indigenous people who did not receive a fair trial in the first place.

Although he is not as famous as many other dissident activists of his generation, the physicist Yuri Orlov, who passed away recently, should be remembered as a seminal figure within the broader movement for human rights.

As our grantees, partners, and allies work tirelessly to reduce the damage brought on by the pandemic, we at Open Society are committed to long-term reforms that will address the structural injustices worsened by the virus.

Thanks to an unusually forceful judgment from the EU Court of Justice, the rights of asylum seekers in the EU have been reaffirmed and the dangerous precedent set by Hungary’s government has been challenged.

Through legal empowerment and community-based justice initiatives, the very same people who are suffering the most from the pandemic can be given the tools they need to fight for justice and defend their rights.