WASHINGTON —The Dutch Postcode Lottery has awarded Freedom House €1 million for general support of ongoing work to protect human rights defenders and civic space under threat around the world, Freedom House announced today.
“We are honored to receive this donation from the Dutch Postcode Lottery,” said Michael J. Abramowitz, president of Freedom House. “Human rights defenders face daunting challenges and brutal repression at the hands of autocrats. This gift will help Freedom House’s relentless efforts to support champions of freedom everywhere and protect vulnerable civic spaces under threat from increasingly brazen authoritarian regimes.”
The Dutch Postcode Lottery supports charities and organizations that work towards a just, green, and healthy world. Freedom House’s mission is to defend and expand freedom globally. The award will aid Freedom House in continuing important efforts to protect activists and civic space, while also expanding high-priority activities, including supporting activists and organizations during times of crisis; identifying and combating new tactics authoritarians are using to threaten human rights defenders; and expanding awareness-raising efforts to drive discussions about threats to democracy and human rights.
“Freedom House has shown that global freedom declined for a 17th consecutive year in 2022,” said Jonne Arnoldussen, managing director of the Nationale Postcode Loterij (Dutch Postcode Lottery). “Their work providing essential support for human rights defenders and defending vulnerable civic spaces is a critical step to help counter authoritarian gains and to one day bring the long recession in freedom to an end.”
