Disclosure: Human Rights Careers may be compensated by course providers.

9 Inspiring Blogs of Human Rights Defenders

Monika Robert’s TransGriot Blog

Monika Roberts is ‘’a proud unapologetic Black trans woman speaking truth to power and discussing the world around her since 2006.’’ She is a GLAAD award winning blogger and trans human rights advocate working on the promotion of acceptance of all trans people while especially focusing on transgender people of color.

She writes a blog called TransGriot (pronounced Gree-oh) where she lists all her favorite blogs, trans blogs, LGBTIQ and POC resources. On her blog she states the “Blog’s mission is to become the griot of our community. I will introduce you to and talk about your African descended trans brothers and trans sisters across the Diaspora, reclaim and document our chocolate flavored trans history, speak truth to power, comment on the things that impact our trans community from an Afrocentric perspective and enlighten you about the general things that go on around me and in the communities that I am a member of.”

Chloe Schwenke’s Blog

In 2017, Chloe Schwenke’s blog was selected as one of the top 40 human rights blogs on the web by Feedspot. She is a Quaker feminist, human rights activist, educator and researcher with many years of experience working internationally in developing countries.

Up to date, Chloe has worked with some of the leading American human rights, development and research organizations. She compiled a lengthy list of accomplishments as an independent consultant on projects of the USAID, the US State Department, the World Bank, the UN, the Human Rights Campaign, the Inter-American Development Bank and many other international donors. On her blog she writes about feminism, foreign policy, gender equality, human dignity, international development, leadership, public policy, women and girls.

Befeqadu Hailu’s Voice from Ethiopia Blog

Befeqadu Hailu is an award winning Ethiopian blogger, human rights activist and writer, who runs a blog called Voice from Ethiopia, where he writes about human rights issues affecting the country.

In 2014, Hailu was arrested and charged with terrorism together with other members of a blogging group called Zone 9, because of their online and offline activism and campaigning for human rights in Ethiopia. Even though he was released from detention, Hailu is still facing a trial for ‘’inciting violence through writing’’. Hailu, nevertheless, received several awards for his writing and activism, including the Burt Award for African Literature and the International Press Freedom Award from the Committee to Protect Journalists.

Marcell Shehwaro’s On the Edge of Syria Blog

Marcell Shehwaro is a human rights activist from Aleppo in Syria. She is very well known for her blog about life in this city where she writes about some of the most extreme situations that human rights activists are facing in Syria and Iraq.

Marcell recently fled Aleppo due to deteriorating security situation in Syria. She is a member of the group of human rights activists and defenders called Kesh Malek, who, despite the war, keep on protesting against the Syrian current regime. The group’s goal is to warrant freedoms of press, education and justice. Together with Kesh Malek, Marcell wants to set up schools in devastated Aleppo, to provide children who still live there with education.

Craig Murray’s Blog

Craig Murray is a human rights activist, blogger and author. Formerly he served as a diplomat for the UK government in Uzbekistan. He also stood as an independent parliamentary candidate in Blackburn in 2005. He is also an honorary research fellow at the University Lancaster School of Law.

On his blog, Craig Murray shares his personal insights about the world politics and the state of human rights in conflict affected countries such as Syria and Palestine. He was brought before the court several times for blogging; however, he is still very active in posting regularly.

Renee Gerlich’s Writing by Renee Blog

Renee Gerlich is a feminist human rights activist and independent writer based in New Zealand. She writes about women’s liberation, militarism, education and the literacy gap. Her activism often involves exhibitions and actions, including an exhibition called Too Much Truth: Women’s Global Resistance to Sexploitation in 2017 and an intervention at the 2018 Auckland Pride.

She has published on the Canadian website Feminist Current on prostitution and gender identity in New Zealand and the feminist magazine Rain and Thunder. She gave interviews with Women’s Liberation News, Feminist Current, Defend Feminists, and the environmentalist writer Derrick Jensen. Essays she posts on her blog have been translated into French, Spanish, German, Turkish, Norwegian, Serbian and Croatian languages.

Howard Wasserman’s Civil Rights Blog

Howard Wasserman is a law professor who teaches civil procedure, evidence, federal courts and civil rights. He writes for several blogs such as PrawfsBlog and SCOTUSBlog. However, professor Wasserman also maintains his own Civil Rights Blog where he covers a wide range of topics.

An opening line on professor Wasserman’s blog is “the very essence of civil liberty consists in the rights of every individual to claim the protection of the laws, whenever he receives an injury”. On this blog, readers can read about the freedom of speech, the role of procedure and jurisdiction in public law and civil rights litigation.

Johnathan Todres’s Children’s Rights Blog

Johnathan Todres is a law professor and children’s rights activist. He often works as a regular advisor to NGOs working on legislative and policy initiatives to address child trafficking and related issues. He is also a board member of the Georgia Asylum and Immigration Network and a fellow of the American Bar Foundation.

On professor Todres’ blog you can read about a wide range of issues affecting children’s rights and child-wellbeing, including child trafficking and other forms of child exploitation, the implementation of children’s rights law, human rights and the social determinants of health, legal and cultural constructs of childhood, human rights education and human rights in children’s literature.

Mercedes Allen’s Dented Blue Mercedes Blog

Mercedes Allen is a graphic designer, but also an advocate and activist for transgender rights of communities in Alberta, Canada. She conducted advocacy related to trans, LGBTIQ and aboriginal rights, as well as HIV and sex work.

On her blog she writes about human rights, equality, LGBTIQ and sexual minority issues in Canada, and the cross-border pollination of far-right spin. She also started the website called AlbertaTrans.org which became a network that helps foster and support trans communities in Alberta. She is also a founding member of the Trans Equality Society of Alberta.

Start your own human rights blog!

About the author

Ada Hasanagic

Ada Hasanagić is a human rights professional currently working as a researcher at the Delegation of the International Committee of the Red Cross in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina. Previously, Ada graduated with honors from the Sarajevo School of Science and Technology and the University of Buckingham in the fields of Political Science and International Relations. Also, she earned a master’s degree in Democracy and Human Rights from the University of Sarajevo and University of Bologna.