Human Rights First Condemns DOJ Indictment of the Southern Poverty Law Center as Attack on Civil Rights

WASHINGTON, D.C.  – The U.S. Department of Justice’s shocking indictment of the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) is a dangerous attempt to silence the civil rights movement by targeting an organization at the forefront of the historic fight against hate and bigotry. This indictment comes at a moment of ongoing targeting of our democratic institutions, our First Amendment rights, and the civil rights movement writ large. 

Human Rights First President and CEO, Uzra Zeya said:

“This indictment is an attack on civil rights and on the organizations that have defended them for decades. We should be clear: criminalizing civil rights advocacy and rewriting history threatens the very foundation of our democracy. An attack on one civil society organization is an attack on all. Human Rights First stands with the SPLC in defending civil rights, protecting the First Amendment, and holding the government accountable to the rule of law.”