Physicians for Human Rights is a left-of-center medical organization that advocates on action against human rights abuses including landmine removal and tracking war crimes in regions such as Ethiopia and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The group claims that abortion and refugee-asylum restrictions in the U.S. are violations of human rights. ^{1 2 3}

The group was one of nearly 200 medical organizations and NGOs that appealed to the United Nations (UN) for intervention in the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade in 2022. ⁴

Background

Physicians for Human Rights was founded in 1986 by doctors and medical staff investigating human rights abuses in El Salvador, Chile, and the UN. ¹

In 1997, the group was a co-recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize due to its work on landmine removal. ¹

Financials

For the fiscal year ending in June 2023, Physicians for Human Rights reported $5,935,004 in revenue, of which $5,833,760 was derived from contributions and grants and $110,319 was derived from investment income. It reported $8,989,916 in expenses, of which $783,245 was allocated as grants, $3,723,056 was spent on salary and compensation, and $142,391 was spent on professional fundraising. It ended the year with a deficit of $3,054,912, and net assets of $9,168,332. ⁵

Advocacy

Physicians for Human Rights advocates for victims of human rights abuses around the world. ^{2 3} Its operations range from war-torn conflict zones, such as the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, Ukraine and Gaza to the United States, where it opposes restrictions on abortion and asylum claims. ^{2 3}

In 2022, the group was one of nearly 200 human rights advocacy groups and NGOs to seek intervention by the United Nations (UN) in the wake of the 2022 overturning of Roe v. Wade by the U.S. Supreme Court. ^{6 4}

The group has also claimed refugees have the right to asylum in the United States, claiming the Trump administration’s stance on immigration and asylum as being a “crackdown” with a “catastrophic human toll.” It opposed to the implementation of Title 42 expulsions carried out by both the Trump and Biden administrations and claimed that the policy led to adverse health outcomes for refugees. ^{7 8}

Leadership

Saman Zia-Zarifi is the executive director of Physicians for Human Rights, a position he has held since March 2023. He previously worked at the International Commission of Jurists as regional director of Asia and the Pacific and later as the group’s secretary general. He was also the Asia director at Amnesty International for four years, and the Asia deputy director at Human Rights Watch for eight years. ^{9 10}

1. “Our History.” PHR. Accessed September 30, 2024. https://phr.org/about/history/.
2. “About PHR.” PHR. Accessed September 30, 2024. https://phr.org/about/.
3. “Focus Areas.” PHR. Accessed September 30, 2024. https://phr.org/our-work/focus-areas/.
4.  “190+ Organizations Urge UN Special Rapporteurs to Act on Dobbs v. Jackson Supreme Court Decision.” PHR, March 2, 2023. Accessed September 30, 2024. https://phr.org/news/190-organizations-urge-un-special-rapporteurs-to-act-on-dobbs-v-jackson-supreme-court-decision/.
5.  Physicians for Human Rights, Return of an organization exempt from taxation (Form 990) Part I, 2023.
6.  “Reproductive Justice.” PHR. Accessed September 30, 2024. https://phr.org/issues/when-doctors-harm/dual-loyalty/reproductive-justice/.
7. “Asylum and Persecution.” PHR. Accessed September 30, 2024. https://phr.org/issues/asylum-and-persecution/.
8. “Neither Safety nor Health: How Title 42 Expulsions Harm Health and Violate Rights.” PHR. Accessed September 30, 2024. https://phr.org/our-work/resources/neither-safety-nor-health/.
9. “Saman Zia-Zarifi, JD, LLM.” PHR. Accessed September 30, 2024. https://phr.org/people/saman-zia-zarifi-jd-llm/.
10. “Sam Zarifi | LinkedIn.” LinkedIn.com. Accessed September 30, 2024. https://www.linkedin.com/in/samzarifi/?originalSubdomain=ch