Transparency and due process are essential principles in democratic societies. We have always complied with Kenya’s laws, including on immigration matters, and are seeking formal clarification through appropriate channels.
Since 2005, we have worked constructively with Kenyan institutions and stakeholders, including government actors, on issues such as economic policy, climate, and democratic governance, and we value that partnership.
Open Society does not fund or organize political protests. Our work in Kenya, as elsewhere, supports lawful civic engagement and accountable governance.
Kagoro is a well-respected constitutional lawyer and Pan-Africanist with decades of experience working on governance, regional integration, global justice, and rule of law issues across Africa. He has lawfully resided in Kenya for extended periods over the past decade.
We categorically reject as baseless the allegations circulated by certain media outlets, citing unnamed sources, that Kagoro was involved in financing or coordinating political unrest in Kenya. No evidence has been presented to support these defamatory claims.
The removal order authorizing the air carrier to ferry him back to South Africa cites Section 54 of the Kenya Citizenship and Immigration Act of 2011, which pertains to documentation-related offenses.
Kagoro was held for more than 10 hours upon arrival at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport in Nairobi, questioned by national intelligence officers, and subsequently denied entry and returned to Johannesburg. Kagoro has never been charged with or convicted of any criminal offense.
The Open Society Foundations condemn the arbitrary detention and denial of entry of our managing director of Programs, Brian Kagoro, by authorities in Kenya. No formal charges were presented, and no written reasons were provided to him.
“Trauma‑informed services, and trauma‑aware society, are essential for Ukraine’s future .. Anniversaries are important moments to remember, but we must not forget that impact of war does not simply end when the fighting stops, which I know we all hope will be soon” www.thejournal.ie/ukraine-war-...
"People are coming Bucha to learn about war crimes of the Russian army. But, we as locals, we want to turn that image into the symbol of resilience, the symbol of strengthen of Ukrainian people." Mykhailyna Skoryk-Shkarivska, former deputy mayor of Bucha, who is supporting communities in working with foreign partners and in developing innovative tools for municipal services
"We started introducing animal-assisted recovery programs after receiving a group of children evacuated from Mariupol, some who had lost their parents. When we heard them laughing, we started crying because we realized that the animals we helped are now helping others." Yevgeniia Molchanova, Co-founder of Zeleniy Hai, which has been housing animals in need since the start of the war
We spoke with four Ukrainians who, despite suffering through the war themselves, are devoting their energy to preserving Ukraine’s democracy, institutions, and society.
Read their stories of everyday Ukrainian resistance: osf.to/4aO0x1v
#Ukraine #SlavaUkraini #Resilience
In the 4 years since Russia's full-scale invasion, Ukraine has seen a civic reawakening, with ordinary Ukrainians taking the charge to preserve their democracy and build toward a post-war future.
"Veterans and their families are no longer a small, marginalized club of people, it's now the experience of the whole of society. And we can work together, as a community and as a nation of veterans." Liubov Halan, Co-founder of Pryncyp, an organization helping develop human capital and human rights within the military
"Before, everybody was an ordinary person; now they seem like superheroes. More than resilient, I would say we are proactive." Olena Herasymiuk, Poet and Paramedic
In the four years since Russia’s full-scale invasion, Ukrainians have sparked a civic reawakening. From frontline towns to major cities, ordinary people are defending democracy, caring for one another, and laying the groundwork for a post-war future.
MAX ROBINSON In 1969, Robinson broke racial barriers in television journalism, becoming the first Black anchor of a major-city newscast in Washington, D.C., and later made history as a co-anchor of ABC’s World News Tonight where he pushed to cover the news from a Black perspective.
MARSHA P. JOHNSON Johnson was a leading figure in the LGBTQ liberation movement. Following the Stonewall riot, she joined the Gay Liberation Front and marched in the first Gay Pride rally and cofounded the Street Transvestite Action Revolutionaries to help homeless transgender youth in big cities.
BAYARD RUSTIN A political activist who believed in nonviolent resistance, Rustin educated some of the civil rights movement’s most well-known faces, such as Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. He helped to organize some of the movement’s largest events, like the 1963 March on Washington and the First Freedom Ride in 1947.
JANE BOLIN In 1939, Jane was appointed as the first Black female judge in the United States. She was assigned to family court, where she worked for four decades fighting against segregationist policies and supporting the welfare of children.
We’re honoring the unsung leaders in the civil rights movement.
UNSUNG LEADERS OF THE BLACK CIVIL RIGHTS MOVEMENT
CLAUDETTE COLVIN Nine months before Rosa Parks, 15-year-old Claudette was arrested for refusing to give her seat to a white woman after school. She was forcibly removed and arrested and later became one of the plaintiffs in the Supreme Court case Browder vs. Gayle, which declared bus segregation unconstitutional.
A. PHILIP RANDOLPH Known as the 'father of the Black labor movement,' Randolph founded the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters in 1925, the first Black labor union charted in the U.S. He also spearheaded the 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom.
ELLA BAKER Ella has been called the 'mother of the civil rights movement' and was a mentor to some of the most influential leaders in the movement. As an organizer within the NAACP, she helped co-found the Southern Christian Leadership Conference in 1957 and the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee.
Black history is American history.
February marks Black History Month in the United States, an opportunity to recognize and celebrate the central role Black leaders have played to defend our rights and protect our democracy.
"The process that led to drafting of the Freedom Charter is a vivid demonstration of how human rights are not a gift bestowed from above, but are always born our of struggles from below, from acts of defiance--and from an unyielding belief in our shared humanity." Binaifer Nowrojee, Open Society President
Human rights are born out of struggles, from acts of defiance, and an unyielding belief in our shared humanity. It is more important than ever to defend universal human rights as a pillar of open societies.
"Gone are the days when the place of women was in the kitchen and looking after the children. Today they are marching side by side with men in the road to freedom." Ida Mntwana at the Federation of South African Women's Inaugural Conference, 1954
Ida Mntwana led the African National Congress Women's League and mobilized across South Africa, leading demonstrations and strikes to end apartheid.
Mntwana’s continued activism and leadership of the Women’s March on August 9, 1956 brought more than 20,000 women together and was a critical moment in the broader anti-apartheid movement. South Africa commemorates August 9 as Women’s Day, a national holiday.
Did you know women activists were central to drafting South Africa’s Freedom Charter?
Women played an important role in the anti-apartheid movements-but their involvement often gets overlooked. The Women's March of 1956, led by Ida Mntwana, brought more than 20,000 women together to protest the apartheid pass laws.
Did you know women activists were central to drafting South Africa’s Freedom Charter?
Ida Mntwana, a South African activist, led the African National Congress League and mobilized women from across the country and supported the drafting of the country’s Freedom Charter.
More women now are graduating from university than men, and ever more women are taking up leadership roles in many spaces. As the role of women in society, we’ve seen attempts to push women back into “traditional” roles, as I said in at a @munsecconf.bsky.social event.
Inclusive development and democracy go hand in hand. The Soros Economic Development Fund’s CEO Georgia Levenson Keohane explains how the impact investing arm of Open Society is deploying catalytic capital to support economic development, opportunity, and inclusion. Read more: https://osf.to/4akoehC
“ICE was created to enforce the law. Under this Administration, it has become an instrument of unchecked state power, operating beyond accountability, transparency, or truth.” - Open Society President Binaifer Nowrojee
In the face of overzealous immigration enforcement and a lack of accountability for escalating attacks by federal agents, there is still power in resistance as people have come together to defend America's promise of democracy, writes Open Society President Binaifer Nowrojee @nowrojeeosf.bsky.social
On this day, we remember all victims of Nazi persecution and mass murder including Jews, Roma, LGBTQ people, people with disabilities, and others. We remain dedicated to the fight against all forms of hate by supporting efforts toward a world that is more open, more just, and more equitable for all.
Born in 1930 in Budapest, Soros lived as a teenager through the Nazi occupation of 1944–1945, which resulted in the murder of over 500,000 Hungarian Jews. His own Jewish family survived by securing false identity papers, concealing their backgrounds, and helping others do the same.
“We were confronted by unspeakable evil.” - George Soros, Open Society founder, on his experiences as a teenager during the Nazi occupation of Hungary
A Holocaust survivor who had to hide his Jewish identity to survive under Nazi occupation in his native Hungary, our founder George Soros experienced intolerance that inspired him to establish the Open Society Foundations for more tolerant and democratic societies worldwide.
For decades, we’ve funded efforts to reduce deaths from the overdose crisis. We have supported programs to expand access to proven overdose prevention medicines and strategies, including naloxone, and hold the pharmaceutical industry accountable. osf.to/unitedstates
Billions of dollars in opioid settlement funds from pharmaceutical companies in the U.S. must go to what's proven to work:
✅Harm reduction
✅Housing & support
NOT:
🚫Prisons
🚫Family separation
Read more from our grantee @popdemoc.bsky.social: populardemocracyinaction.org/publication/...
Young people across the Global South don’t just want to be heard—they want a seat at the table to help make decisions that will shape their futures.
#DemocracyandDignity #HumanRights #EconomicJustice
By meeting this challenge, Bard underscores the importance of investing in independent higher education as a cornerstone of democratic life when American democracy is under strain and colleges and universities face growing political and financial pressure. Learn more:
The challenge invited Bard to match a $500 million commitment from Open Society by raising an additional $500 million from other donors, securing a $1 billion endowment.
Open Society Celebrates Bard College’s Completion of Endowment Challenge: $1 Billion for Independent Higher Education and Democratic Life
“Higher education is essential to the future of American democracy. Bard will continue to be a place where critical thinking flourishes and students learn why the liberal arts are more important to freedom and the rule of law than ever in today’s embattled moment.” - Alex Soros, Open Society Foundations Chair
We welcome the successful completion by Bard College @bardcollege.bsky.social of a landmark endowment challenge first issued in 2021 by our founder George Soros.
Dr. Martin Luther King’s actions, words, and legacy have helped guide our support of human rights, justice, and equity for all. Light and openness are at the core of an open society—especially important as societies wrestle with multiple challenges across the world.
