The Freedom Initiative - Legacy Account, 1730 Rhode Island Avenue NW, Suite 617, Washington D.C., DC (2026)

09/21/2023

On October 2, 2018, Jamal Khashoggi, a prominent Saudi journalist and Washington Post columnist, was brutally murdered at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on the direct orders of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS). His assassination sparked international outrage as governments, journalists, and businesses tried to reckon with this horrific act.

Five years later, the international community has welcomed the crown prince back into the fold despite the lack of justice or accountability for the murder. As a result, MBS has escalated his campaign of repression and become an even bigger threat to human rights in Saudi Arabia and around the world.

On October 2, the five year anniversary of Jamal Khashoggi's brutal murder, join us from 1:00-2:00PM ET for a virtual discussion as we commemorate his life and legacy and commit to safeguarding the rights of dissidents. Panelists will include Karen Attiah, Global Opinions editor for the Washington Post, where she recruited Jamal Khashoggi as a contributor; Omar Abdulaziz, a Saudi dissident and close friend of Jamal Khashoggi who was targeted by Saudi hackers; and Saudi human rights defender and head of monitoring and advocacy at ALQST Lina al-Hathloul.

The discussion will be moderated by Akbar Shahid Ahmed, senior foreign affairs reporter for HuffPost and will feature special video remarks from Hatice Cengiz, Jamal Khashoggi's fiancee.

To register for the virtual discussion, visit the .

08/30/2023

When someone becomes the victim of enforced disappearance, they literally vanish - from the lives of their families and from their communities. Abducted by police or agents of the state that refuse to reveal their whereabouts, victims are often tortured or even killed. The families and loved ones of people who have been forcibly disappeared live in agony and constant fear, not knowing when - or if - they will ever see their loved ones again.

Enforced disappearance is a tool of authoritarian regimes like Egypt and Saudi Arabia - both strategic U.S. allies - to instill fear in society and silence dissent. It is also a crime against international law.

Today, on the International Day for the Victims of Enforced Disappearance, we remember all those who have faced enforced disappearance or who continue to be forcibly disappeared. Today, we continue to call on Egypt and Saudi Arabia to reveal the whereabouts of all those forcibly disappeared and immediately release all those unjustly detained.

08/23/2023

📢 Join us this October at the Marine Corps Marathon for our ! Lace up your running shoes and help us raise money to continue our work to free the unjustly detained.

📅 Race Day: Sunday, October 29, 2023 🚧 2 run options: Marathon & 10K ⏰ Last day to register August 31, 2023

Your support will help us advocate for the freedom of political prisoners, push for U.S. policies that protect human rights, and hold abusers accountable.

Register today at the https://thefreedomi.org/freedomrun/

08/04/2023

On August 14, 2013, Egyptian security forces violently stormed two sit-ins in Cairo’s Rabaa al-Adawiya and al-Nahda squares and carried out one of the largest mass killings of protesters in recent history. The massacre marked a turning point for human rights in Egypt, heralding in one of the worse human rights crises in the country's modern history.

📣Ten years later, roughly 60,000 political dissidents are languishing behind bars and the human rights crisis in the country continues to deteriorate. To date, not a single perpetrator has been held accountable for the massacre.

On Thursday, August 10 at 12:00 P.M. ET, join the Freedom Initiative for a virtual panel as we discuss the ways in which the Rabaa massacre represents a paradigm shift in the Egyptian government’s crackdown on dissent and how and why efforts to combat growing repression have not always borne fruit. Panelists include former congressman and vocal advocate for human rights in Egypt Tom Malinowski; Andrea Prasow, Executive Director of the Freedom Initiative; human rights defender and former political prisoner Hassan Elbanna Taher, whose brother was killed in the aftermath of the Rabaa massacre; and Fajr Abdelnasser, whose father was killed during the Rabaa dispersal.

Register at the

07/06/2023

**UPDATED TIME AND DATE: Saturday, July 8, 2023 at Dar Al-Hijrah Islamic Center in Falls Church, Virginia after Maghreb Prayer**

On September 10, 2017, Dr. Salman al-Odah, a respected scholar of Islamic law, was arrested alongside dozens of writers, religious scholars, journalists and activists in a sweeping crackdown in Saudi Arabia just months after current Crown Prince Mohamed bin Salman (MBS) seized power in a palace coup. His crime? Advocating for peaceful relations between Saudi Arabia and Qatar on Twitter.

In prison, al-Odah has faced physical and psychological torture and has become partially deaf and blind as a result.

His son, Abdullah Alaoudh, is a prominent human rights defender and the Saudi Director of the Freedom Initiative who has advocated tirelessly for his father's freedom. On Saturday, July 8, 2023, join Abdullah Alaoudh at the Dar Al-Hijrah Islamic Center in Falls Church, Virginia for a discussion about the wrongful imprisonment of his father, human rights in Saudi Arabia and how you can help.

To learn more about the Freedom Initiative's work to free political prisoners, visit: www.thefreedomi.org

07/03/2023

Ten years ago today, then-army chief Abdel Fattah el-Sisi led a violent military coup in Egypt, ending the country's brief democratic transition. Today, a human rights crisis in the country continues unabated.

One decade after the coup, at least 60,000 political prisoners languish behind bars in Egypt, torture in prisons is systematic, and enforced disappearance has become commonplace. The long arm of Egyptian repression has also reached U.S. soil and transnational repression is on the rise. Despite the dire human rights situation in Egypt, the U.S. approved more than $12 billion in military aid to Egypt between 2013 and 2022.

Today, on the anniversary of the 2013 military coup, join us in calling on Egypt to free all those unjustly detained.

06/26/2023

On June 26, 1987, the UN Convention Against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment, came into effect. But nearly four decades later, torture continues to take place despite being a recognized international crime.

In Egypt, torture is systemic in detention centers. Officials are rarely brought to justice and victims have faced retaliation for speaking out. And in Saudi Arabia, torture & ill-treatment are also widespread. In both countries, brave human rights defenders have faced unimaginable torture for daring to speak out for a better world.

Today, on the International Day in Support of Victims of Torture, we stand in solidarity with victims of torture and their loved ones in Egypt, Saudi Arabia and around the world. We'll keep working towards a world free from torture and demanding justice and accountability.

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06/22/2023

On September 10, 2017, Dr. Salman al-Odah, a respected scholar of Islamic law, was arrested alongside dozens of writers, religious scholars, journalists and activists in a sweeping crackdown in Saudi Arabia just months after current Crown Prince Mohamed bin Salman (MBS) seized power in a palace coup. His crime? Advocating for peaceful relations between Saudi Arabia and Qatar on Twitter.

In prison, al-Odah has faced physical and psychological torture and has become partially deaf and blind as a result.

His son, Abdullah Alaoudh, is a prominent human rights defender and the Saudi Director of the Freedom Initiative who has advocated tirelessly for his father's freedom. On Saturday, June 24, 2023 from 6:30-8:30 PM ET, join Abdullah Alaoudh at the Dar Al-Hijrah Islamic Center in Falls Church, Virginia for a discussion about the wrongful imprisonment of his father, human rights in Saudi Arabia and how you can help.

To learn more about the Freedom Initiative's work to free political prisoners, visit: www.thefreedomi.org

06/22/2023

On September 10, 2017, Dr. Salman al-Odah, a respected scholar of Islamic law, was arrested alongside dozens of writers, religious scholars, journalists and activists in a sweeping crackdown in Saudi Arabia just months after current Crown Prince Mohamed bin Salman (MBS) seized power in a palace coup. His crime? Advocating for peaceful relations between Saudi Arabia and Qatar on Twitter.

In prison, al-Odah has faced physical and psychological torture and has become partially deaf and blind as a result.

His son, Abdullah Alaoudh, is a prominent human rights defender and the Saudi Director of the Freedom Initiative who has advocated tirelessly for his father's freedom. On Saturday, June 24, 2023 from 6:30-8:30 PM ET, join Abdullah Alaoudh at the Dar Al-Hijrah Islamic Center in Falls Church, Virginia for a discussion about the wrongful imprisonment of his father, human rights in Saudi Arabia and how you can help.

To learn more about the Freedom Initiative's work to free political prisoners, visit: www.thefreedomi.org

The Freedom Initiative - Legacy Account

09/21/2023

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08/04/2023

07/06/2023

07/03/2023

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