Writer. Board @4freerussia_org, @SaveTibetOrg.
Joined April 2010
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Ellen Bork retweeted
What really does the @StateDept think they are going to get from these dialogues with the #Myanmar military reps? The rare earths are in Kachin state, under KIO control & on China's doorstep, so not available. And the BGFs protecting the scam centers are allied with (ret) Sr. Gen. Min Aung Hlaing & the Myanmar army - so the Tatmadaw are part of the problem, not the solution. Once again, the Trump team is both immorally transactional and completely clueless...
reuters.com/world/asia-pacif…
Ellen Bork retweeted
@maradiaga was imprisoned for challenging Nicaragua’s dictatorship. @ekagigauri_ defends independent voices in Georgia. Our own Beth Kerley of @ThinkDemocracy hosted them in conversation at @VanderbiltU’s Global Free Speech Summit.
Their warning: governments in Nicaragua, Georgia, and beyond are using so-called “foreign agent laws” as part of a broader crackdown on their critics. Anticorruption watchdogs, human rights advocates, independent journalists, and other defenders of freedom increasingly find themselves in the crosshairs, targeted by lawfare and risking arrest.
@NEDemocracy stands for free speech—including speech those in power dislike.
Freedom of speech is not simply one democratic value among many. It is how people defend all their other freedoms.
Watch the discussion: youtube.com/watch?v=uoHVauCt…
Ellen Bork retweeted
Who gets to choose the next Dalai Lama?
Chair Randy Schriver and Vice Chair Mike Kuiken explain what's at stake for Tibetan religious freedom—and why the implications extend far beyond Tibet.
Where are @SenTomCotton, @HawleyMO and @SenMcConnell who used to support freedom for Hong Kong and its people?
Since June, ICE has been arresting Hongkongers lawfully present in the US by intercepting airports, holding them for weeks, and pressuring them to sign voluntary departure forms. In every case I’ve handled, courts eventually order them released, but this only happens after weeks or months of illegal detention of innocent people. Even after release, many are forced by ICE to wear ankle monitors and barred from leaving their area.
@phelimkine of @politico investigates these illegal detentions in a new article out today. DHS told him that DED "is not a status." But Hanscom Smith, who served as US consul general in Hong Kong under both Trump and Biden, shared the reality: if you're a Hongkonger here on DED, you're here legally.
Many of these people were part of the 2019 democracy protests. Administration officials have told us the White House will not extend DED past February 5. After that, DHS's position is that it can put them on a plane back to a government that jails people for wearing a "liberate Hong Kong" T-shirt or posting pro-democracy statements on social media.
Senator Merkley and Rep. McGovern's Hong Konger Promise of Refuge Act would let these Hongkongers stay and apply for green cards. It is the clearest fix on the table, and it needs support now. Time is short: Please ask your senators and representative to cosponsor it.
Republicans in particular: this should be your bill too. In 2021 Marco Rubio cosponsored legislation to fast-track Hong Kong exiles for refugee status. These are pro-democracy Hongkongers fleeing the Chinese Communist Party, and every one of them was vetted before arriving. We need Republican cosponsors to get it moving, and I'm glad to talk with any office considering it.
politico.com/news/2026/10/10…
Ellen Bork retweeted
If there’s one area where a diverse bipartisan congressional coalition continues to exist, it’s on the issue of Americans wrongfully detained abroad. Great to see @SenTedBuddNC @SenMarkey @RepMoolenaar & @RepLynch leading this effort in Congress
budd.senate.gov/2026/09/25/b…
Ellen Bork retweeted
The person getting the Free Hong Kong flag pulled from their hands appears to be activist @_joeysiu who has a bounty out on her from the Hong Kong government.
Wow: Tibet group @SFTHQ said at least one attacker had diplomatic immunity and would NOT be arrested, according to DC police. Disturbing lack of accountability will only embolden Beijing's blatant use of transnational repression.
My thoughts on Min Zin, an American detained in China and the Trump-Xi summit. thehill.com/opinion/internat…
My friend @EminBayramli_ and his siblings need America’s help to free their father Gubad Ibadoghlu, an economist and anti-corruption activist persecuted in Azerbaijan. This weekend marked 1,000 days since Professor Ibadoghlu was arrested.
patch.com/new-jersey/newarkn….
Ellen Bork retweeted
Today marks 1,000 days of my father’s (Dr. Gubad Ibadoghlu’s) illegal detention. I have not seen my father in 1,000 days. I miss him immensely.
Thank you for Crude Accountability for making this video #FreeGubad
Ellen Bork retweeted
For 1,000 days, Dr. Gubad Ibadoghlu—a respected economist, anti-corruption advocate, and @NEDemocracy Reagan-Fascell Fellow—has been unjustly imprisoned for exercising his right to free expression.
Under custody of the Azerbaijani government, he has been held in inhumane conditions. His health is deteriorating, yet authorities continue to deny him the medical care he urgently needs.
We urge Azerbaijani authorities to free Dr. Ibadoghlu, lift the travel ban imposed on him, and allow him to reunite with his family, who have tirelessly advocated for his release.
#FreeGubad @freegubad @EminBayramli_
Ellen Bork retweeted
We condemn the continued detention of Azerbaijani economist Gubad Ibadoglu, now marking 1,000 days. Despite his fragile health, Gubad remains under restrictive house arrest after unjust imprisonment. Authorities must ensure his full freedom and access to medical care. #FreeGubad #FreeThemAll
Ellen Bork retweeted
It's been 1,000 days since economist & anti-corruption activist Gubad Ibadoghlu was arrested in #Azerbaijan. He remains in legal limbo, unable to leave the country, as the case against him has been paused. We call for all charges against him to be dropped & his rights restored
Ellen Bork retweeted
This is a terrible injustice to a prominent economist, who has enlightened students in the United States and elsewhere. Free him!
For 1,000 days, Dr. Gubad Ibadoghlu—a respected economist, anti-corruption advocate, and @NEDemocracy Reagan-Fascell Fellow—has been unjustly imprisoned for exercising his right to free expression.
Under custody of the Azerbaijani government, he has been held in inhumane conditions. His health is deteriorating, yet authorities continue to deny him the medical care he urgently needs.
We urge Azerbaijani authorities to free Dr. Ibadoghlu, lift the travel ban imposed on him, and allow him to reunite with his family, who have tirelessly advocated for his release.
#FreeGubad @freegubad @EminBayramli_
Ellen Bork retweeted
Economist and anti-corruption advocate Dr. Gubad Ibadoghlu, who has ties to Virginia, has been unjustly detained in Azerbaijan for 1,000 days. No one should be imprisoned for speaking out against corruption. Azerbaijan must uphold human rights and due process.
This piece by @crovitz about how America's foreign adversaries are propagating lies to weaken and divide the U.S. - and how the U.S. is letting them - needs to be widely read. wapo.st/4gTCJMe
Ellen Bork retweeted
"Our Dear Friends in Moscow” is a searing and sobering book that captures the profound cynicism and xenophobic nationalism that define contemporary Russia." -- Douglas Smith (“Former People” and “Rasputin”) reviews our book in @WSJ
wsj.com/arts-culture/books/o… via @WSJBooks
Ellen Bork retweeted
Two years ago today, Dr. Gubad Ibadoghlu—a leading economist and anti-corruption expert—was unjustly imprisoned in Azerbaijan. Two years without freedom, justice, or the medical care he urgently needs.
We urge his immediate and unconditional release. #FreeGubad
Ellen Bork retweeted
Time for @SecRubio to join the call for his release.
Today marks 2 years since #Azerbaijan arrested economist and anti-corruption activist Gubad Ibadoghlu. We call for an end to the judicial harassment against him and all political prisoners in Azerbaijan. #FreeGubad freedom-now.org/azerbaijan-m…
Ellen Bork retweeted
"The U.S. approach to Tibet has not been based on history or international law. Instead, it has fluctuated with Washington’s perceptions of its own strategic interests." It's time to pay a little more attention. @EllenBork on the Dalai Lama:
thebulwark.com/p/dalai-lama-…
Kari Lake Isn’t Telling the Truth About the Voice of America. @abennett's exposure of Lake's misrepresentations should reinforce Americans’ skepticism about other assertions of corruption and overspending at a vital American agency. wsj.com/opinion/kari-lake-is… via @WSJopinion