It’s Time to Go Beyond the Clinic

A letter from Sam Zarifi, JD, PHR executive director

I write this letter shortly after a visit to Kenya, where I gathered with members of the Physicians for Human Rights (PHR) Board of Directors, our staff based in Africa, and some of our many local partners. I returned from this trip more alarmed than I have been in my 25 years of human rights investigations around the globe – and more convinced than ever about the importance of the work we are doing at PHR.

Global civil society – indeed the entire international human rights framework – is under strain like never before. In the United States, the early months of the Trump administration have seen a dizzying onslaught of attacks on rights, health, and the rule of law. The administration is brazenly undermining potential checks on its power, be it from Congress, courts, media, academia, scientific institutions, nonprofits, or protestors.

Expertise – including the expertise of health professionals – is not only met with skepticism, but with outright hostility. Critical scientific, medical, and public health institutions are being intimidated, muzzled, and defunded. The United States is not only withdrawing from but actively undercutting the organizations that form the foundations of the international human rights and global health architecture, from the World Health Organization to the Human Rights Council to the International Criminal Court (ICC).

“I returned from this trip more alarmed than I have been in my 25 years of human rights investigations around the globe – and more convinced than ever about the importance of the work we are doing at PHR.”

Seen from abroad, the U.S. government is signaling that rights can be trampled, that kindness is weakness, and that empathy is “suicidal.” As a result, human rights violators around the world are emboldened, from the Russian-occupied territories of Ukraine to the extractive mineral mines in the DRC to the besieged hospitals of Gaza. Combatants continue to use torture and rape as weapons of war in conflicts around the globe. Prohibited weapons as well as crowd-control weapons are deployed with abandon. The global dismantling of the U.S. aid system threatens to roll back the significant public health gains of the last century. And while brave health workers are on the frontlines responding to all these crises and more, they often find themselves in the crosshairs and targeted for fulfilling their oaths.

Against this grim backdrop, how do we keep fighting?

For me, the answer starts with Physicians for Human Rights and our incredible partners. For decades, PHR has confronted some of the most powerful perpetrators around the globe – and won. PHR has found ways to drive progress on some of the most difficult, seemingly intractable crises that humanity faces. And PHR has built a network of clinicians, scientists, lawyers, and advocacy experts that spans all U.S. states and scores of countries across all continents. PHR was built for times like these.

“For decades, PHR has confronted some of the most powerful perpetrators around the globe – and won. PHR has found ways to drive progress on some of the most difficult, seemingly intractable crises that humanity faces. And PHR has built a network of clinicians, scientists, lawyers, and advocacy experts that spans all U.S. states and scores of countries across all continents. PHR was built for times like these.”

Because when disinformation is rife, when society’s most marginalized are attacked, when universal values are called into question, the power of facts, evidence, and truth-telling becomes even more potent. Health professionals have unmatched tools, platforms, and skills to defend not only their patients, but their communities. In moments like these, medical professionals must go beyond the clinic. Now is the time to defend health and human rights inside and outside of health facilities, bringing the clinician’s toolkit to the fight for human rights across the United States and around the world.

I won’t sugar-coat it – everyone who cares about human rights and public health should brace for major tumult in the coming years. But as we set our strategy for the months ahead, it’s helpful to take stock of where we’ve been, the tools at our disposal, and the hard-fought wins we’ve achieved together.

And there were bright spots in the past year. After decades of tyrannical rule and 14 years of large-scale atrocities against civilians, Bashar al-Assad fled Syria and the Syrian people now have a rare opportunity to advance accountability and healing. A new international pandemic treaty was adopted. Despite facing immense attacks and sanctions, the ICC and International Court of Justice continued their independent investigations and prosecutions of some of the most egregious crimes of our time. In the 2024 election, United States voters supported reproductive rights at the state level. PHR played a role in all of these achievements – and many more that you will read about in the inspiring pages ahead. You’ll learn about how our network made a difference from Baton Rouge to Baghdad and from Kinshasa to Kyiv.

In times like these, there is strength in numbers. Autocrats feed on division, isolation, and helplessness. But mass mobilization has been and remains a mighty tool to prevent backsliding and safeguard human rights. And when talented professionals from the medical, scientific, and legal fields come together, there is so much we can do together to protect our communities.

So in this moment when so many are overwhelmed or searching for a way to make a difference, we invite you to join our movement. With your partnership, we can hold the line during these tumultuous times and ultimately drive toward a brighter world, where all rights are fulfilled for all.

Let’s get to work.