Amnesty International’s Human Rights Academy is a free e-learning platform available in Arabic and English, among other languages. Launched post-Arab Spring to reach activists who risk reprisals for attending in-person workshops, this online academy allows anyone with an internet connection to take self-paced courses on human rights and advocacy (amnesty.org). Amnesty specifically designed it so that activists in repressive environments can “learn safely from their phones or computers,” accessing tools to defend human rights without drawing unwanted attention. By 2019 the Academy had tens of thousands of MENA users and offers certificates in topics like human rights basics, campaigning, and documentation. Gulf human rights defenders can enroll anonymously and acquire skills ranging from digital security to UN mechanisms. 

Importantly, Amnesty also developed blended learning opportunities: for instance, a cohort of MENA defenders first complete online modules, then attend an in-person week-long training (in a safe location) on documenting human rights violations, evidence collection, and interviewing victims. This program, which included integrated security training on risk analysis and emergency planning, has successfully built a network of trained HRDs in countries where Amnesty has no physical presence. 

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