Posts Tagged ‘detention’

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Detention, torture and silence: SOS-Defenders’ 2025 report on censorship by detention — 60 new defenders were jailed last year

September 6, 2026

Repressive governments arbitrarily detained at least 60 human rights defenders across 14 countries in 2025, according to the latest report by the SOS-Defenders platform, a collective initiative of local, regional and international organisations coordinated by the World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT), within the framework of the Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders (FIDH-OMCT).

The 2025 edition of the Censorship by Detention report, released on 3 September 2026, documents the use of arbitrary arrest across 14 countries with repressive regimes. The report reveals journalists and bloggers were the single most targeted group, accounting for 28 of the 60 documented detentions, followed by community leaders, academics, NGO members and lawyers. Afghanistan (16), Ethiopia (14) and Guatemala (10) recorded the highest numbers.

Detention is rarely the end of the abuse. Human rights defenders held in 2025 were subjected to physical violence, psychological abuse and forced confessions, secret and prolonged incommunicado detention, and inhuman conditions including prison overcrowding, denial of medical care and prolonged solitary confinement. OMCT’s Global Torture Index rates the risk of torture and ill-treatment for defenders as “Considerable” or worse in 36 of the 38 countries assessed. The report warns that violations behind prison walls remain severely underreported.

“This report is both an alarm and a call to action,” said Stéphanie David, Secretary General of OMCT. “Governments are increasingly using detention not only as punishment, but as a weapon of censorship — and, too often, torture and ill-treatment follow through the prison gates. We refuse to let these defenders be erased: OMCT and its partners will continue to expose these practices.”

“States must act,” added Claudia Virginia Samayoa, President of OMCT and Chair of the SOS-Defenders Advisory Group. “We call on governments to immediately and unconditionally release every human rights defender arbitrarily detained for their peaceful work, to end torture and ill-treatment behind bars, and to guarantee the right to defend human rights for all.”

Conversely, the report highlights that sustained coordinated advocacy, legal action, diplomatic pressure, and collective action contributed to securing the release of 87 defenders across 18 countries, with Belarus (22), Iran (15), Ethiopia (13) and Afghanistan (12) leading.

SOS-Defenders brings together more than 20 local, regional and international civil society organisations, convened under the auspices of the OMCT–FIDH Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders. The initiative consolidates global data on the arbitrary detention of defenders on a single public platform to drive coordinated action for their release. Since its launch, the platform has published more than 670 cases of arbitrarily detained defenders.

https://www.fidh.org/en/issues/human-rights-defenders/detention-torture-and-silence-sos-defenders-2025-report-on-censorship

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FEDA – Egypt political prisoners’ families launch new international rights group

August 17, 2026

On 14 August 2026, families of Egyptian detainees launched Families of Egyptian Detainees Association (FEDA) to seek releases, fair trials and better prison conditions on the 13th anniversary of Rabaa to seek practical solutions to what it described as a 13-year detention crisis and press for improved prison conditions and fair trials.

In its founding statement, FEDA said its main objective was to bring an end to “the tragedy that has continued for 13 years” by pursuing measures that could lead to the release of political detainees.The group’s launch coincides with the 13th anniversary of the Rabaa and Nahda massacres on 14 August 2013, when Egyptian security forces violently dispersed two sit-ins by supporters of ousted president Mohamed Morsi in Cairo.

The association said it would use legal and political channels to seek prisoners’ release and push for fair trials and detention conditions that comply with Egyptian law and international standards.

Its plans include approaching Egyptian and international institutions, political and religious leaders, and figures working in politics, media and human rights. FEDA also intends to visit the United Nations and bodies dealing with detention and enforced disappearance, pursue legal cases over alleged abuses and organise solidarity events.

Human Rights Watch estimated in 2017 that around 60,000 people had been imprisoned on political grounds since that year, although that cannot be treated as a current estimate of those presently held.

Rights organisations say political detention has affected journalists, activists, human rights defenders, protesters, academics and political opponents, as well as people detained over expression or political activity.

The association stressed that it was not aligned with any particular political movement, saying its purpose was to represent detainees’ families and work with Egyptian and international institutions to bring the political detention crisis to an end.

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https://www.newarab.com/news/egypt-political-prisoners-families-launch-intl-rights-group

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Algeria: UN experts demand release of arbitrarily detained journalist Hassan Bouras

August 11, 2026

On 10 July 2026, UN experts expressed deep concern over the detention of Algerian journalist and human rights defender Hassan Bouras, who faces serious risks after several weeks on hunger strike in detention.

“We are deeply concerned by the ongoing arbitrary detention of Mr. Bouras, as well as the serious risks to his life, health and physical integrity,” the experts said.

On 12 April 2026, plainclothes security agents apprehended Bouras outside his home in El Bayadh, reportedly without a warrant or explanation. The following day, the El Bayadh court ordered his pre-trial detention on several charges, including membership of a terrorist organisation and disseminating publications deemed harmful to the national interest.

“We are troubled that his arrest and detention appear to be linked to the peaceful exercise of his rights to freedom of expression, to promote, protect and defend human rights as well as to participation in public affairs through his work as a journalist and human rights defender,” the experts said.

The arrest follows a pattern of judicial harassment linked to Bouras’ journalistic and human rights activities.

On 2 May, Bouras was placed in solitary confinement for beginning a hunger strike to protest his detention and the violation of his human rights. During the hunger strike, which lasted 26 days, he collapsed twice and developed serious health complications without receiving adequate medical care – a matter of acute concern given his pre-existing cardiac and respiratory conditions. His deteriorating condition raised acute concerns for his health and well-being.

On 22 June, his case was referred to the local criminal court and is now pending trial. This comes amidst increasing concerns regarding restrictions on civil and political rights and freedom of the press in the country, as well as the ability of journalists and human rights defenders to carry out their work free from intimidation.

The experts stressed that deprivation of liberty for the legitimate exercise of freedom of expression is incompatible with international human rights law. They recalled that all persons deprived of liberty must be treated with humanity and respect for their inherent dignity and body integrity.

“We urge Algerian authorities to act without delay to protect Mr. Bouras’ life, health and freedom of expression. He must be granted immediate access to legal counsel and adequate medical care,” the experts said.

“We call for Mr. Bouras’ immediate release and for an end to the broader pattern of harassment and prosecution of journalists and human rights defenders in Algeria.”

https://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2026/07/algeria-un-experts-demand-release-arbitrarily-detained-journalist-hassan

https://www.frontlinedefenders.org/en/case/case-history-hassan-bouras

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Arbitrarily detained lawyer Cedomir Stojkovic in Serbia must be released says ICJ

May 30, 2026
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On 15 April 2026 The ICJ condemned the continued deprivation of liberty of Serbian lawyer Cedomir Stojkovic and the criminal proceedings against him on charges of incitement to violent overthrow of the constitutional order and disclosure of official secrets, which appear to constitute reprisals for the exercise of his right to freedom of expression. On 4 April 2026, Serbia’s Bar Association (Advokatska komora Srbije) expressed concern that the political nature of the charges against him and the three-year period covered by the indictment “give rise to the suspicion that his detention, along with other measures imposed against attorney Stojkovic, are being used as a means of coercion, rather than as a means of ensuring the unobstructed conduct of criminal proceedings.” The Bar Association demanded that Stojkovic be released pending trial.

“The prosecution of a lawyer for social media posts expressing criticism of the authorities is incompatible with Serbia’s obligations under international human rights law and standards,” said Temur Shakirov, ICJ Europe and Central Asia Programme Director. “The Serbian authorities must release Stojkovic and ensure that lawyers can exercise their right to freedom of expression without fear of reprisal.”

The political nature of the charges, the breadth of the indictment covering social media posts over a three-year period, and the severity of the restrictive measures imposed on him, including pre-trial detention, house arrest and a prohibition on posting on social media and on participating in public life, give rise to serious concern that he is being prosecuted to punish him for his public criticism of the Serbian authorities.

Stojkovic was arrested on 29 December 2025 and held in pre-trial detention for 30 days before being transferred to house arrest on 27 March 2026. He remains subject to restrictive measures, including a prohibition on posting on social media and on participating in public life. The charges relate to 17 social media posts published over approximately three years, which the Higher Public Prosecutor’s Office in Belgrade has characterized as incitement to violent overthrow of the constitutional order and disclosure of official secrets.

On 24 March 2026, the UN Special Rapporteur on the independence of judges and lawyers addressed a communication to the Serbian Government expressing concern that several provisions of a series of amendments and newly adopted laws relating to the judiciary and the prosecution authorities “may not be in line with international human rights standards related to the independence of the judiciary and the right to a fair trial, including: the impartiality of the prosecution service, the separation of powers, and the ability of judges and prosecutors to perform their functions free from undue influence, pressure or interference.”

https://www.icj.org/serbia-arbitrarily-detained-lawyer-cedomir-stojkovic-must-be-released

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Kashmiri journalist Irfan Meraj three years detained

March 23, 2026

Srinagar: A coalition of international human rights organizations has called for the immediate release of Kashmiri journalist Irfan Meraj, three years after his arrest by India’s National Investigation Agency (NIA).

According to Kashmir Media Service, nearly three dozen human rights groups, including Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch and the Committee to Protect Journalists, said Meraj’s continued detention is based on charges they believe are politically motivated and linked to his work documenting human rights issues in occupied Jammu and Kashmir.

The organizations said that the case reflects growing pressure on journalists and researchers working on sensitive issues in the territory. The advocacy groups highlighted the detention of Kashmiri human rights defender Khurram Parvez, coordinator of the Jammu Kashmir Coalition of Civil Society (JKCCS), who has been held since 2021. Investigators previously described Mehaj as an associate of Parvez, a fact that rights organizations say forms part of the basis for the charges against him.

The coalition urged the Indian government to end what they described as reprisals against journalists and human rights defenders in occupied Jammu and Kashmir and to reconsider laws that allow extended detention without trial. They also criticized the Modi-led Indian government for failing to respond to several inquiries previously raised by UN human rights experts regarding alleged violations in the region.

The groups called on the international community to monitor the situation closely and encourage greater protection for journalists and civil society organizations, stating that continued attention from international institutions may be necessary to ensure that press freedom and basic civil liberties are upheld in the territory.

Meraj was arrested in March 2023 during an investigation conducted by India’s National Investigation Agency for uploading posts on brutalities of Indian forces in the territory.

https://kmsnews.org/kms/2026/03/22/global-rights-groups-urge-release-of-kashmiri-journalist-rights-defender.html

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Joint NGO appeal for Dr Abduljalil Al-Singace on 15th anniversary of his arrest in Bahrain

March 19, 2026
Dr Abduljalil AlSingace – Bahrain – Credit Hasan Jamali

17 March 2026: PEN International, together with a coalition of human rights organisations, wrote to King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa and Crown Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa of Bahrain, urging the release of Dr Abduljalil Al-Singace, a 64-year-old human rights defender imprisoned for fifteen years for his pro-democracy activism. The letter highlights his deteriorating health due to denial of medical care, including delayed surgery and lack of physiotherapy, and his hunger strikes protesting the confiscation of his manuscripts and research. The organisations call on Bahraini authorities to release Dr Al-Singace, provide adequate healthcare, and return his confiscated work, noting that his release ahead of Eid Al-Fitr would be a meaningful act of compassion and reconciliation amid ongoing regional turmoil.

Your Majesties,

We are writing to respectfully urge Your Majesties to order the release of human rights defender Dr Abduljalil Al-Singace, who has now completed fifteen years of arbitrary imprisonment while serving a life sentence for his role in the pro-democracy movement.

Bahrain is currently facing unprecedented challenges as the regional conflict intensifies. The country has been subjected to multiple attacks and its airspace has been closed. At such a difficult time for the nation, acts that promote compassion, unity, and reconciliation are more important than ever. The release of Dr Al-Singace and others imprisoned for their human rights work and political views would send an important message during this difficult time.

Dr Al-Singace, now 64 years old, has been held in medical facilities since July 2021 and is currently detained at Muharraq Specialised Health Care Centre. He began a hunger strike in protest of the confiscation of his manuscripts and academic research. Since then, he has survived primarily on liquid intake, including multivitamin supplements. At times, he has resorted to full hunger strikes to protest the denial of medication and access to specialised medical treatment.

In November 2025, the UN Committee against Torture expressed serious concerns regarding his ongoing detention and urged Bahrain to release Dr Al-Singace, alongside fellow human rights defenders Hassan Mushaima and Abdulhadi Al-Khawaja.

We remain deeply concerned that Dr Al-Singace continues to suffer from the systematic denial of adequate medical care. For example, since 2021, he has experienced severe shoulder pain. After prolonged delays in obtaining a proper diagnosis, he finally received an MRI scan last year and doctors advised that surgery is required. However, there has been no indication as to when this operation will take place. He also continues to be denied physiotherapy despite his disability. These medical concerns should be addressed without further delay.

With Eid Al-Fitr approaching, an occasion traditionally marked by royal pardons, we respectfully ask that Dr Al-Singace be included among those pardoned. In the meantime, we urge Your Majesties to ensure that he is held in conditions that meet international standards, receives his medication without delay, and has access to adequate healthcare in compliance with medical ethics. We also urge the relevant authorities to facilitate the return of his confiscated research to his family at the earliest opportunity.

At a time when the region is experiencing profound turmoil, the release of political prisoners, including Dr Al-Singace, would offer a meaningful gesture of compassion and help ease the suffering felt by many families in Bahrain.

Yours sincerely,

  • ALQST for Human Rights
  • ARTICLE 19
  • Bahrain Centre for Human Rights
  • Bahrain Institute for Rights and Democracy (BIRD)
  • The British Society for Middle Eastern Studies Committee on Academic Freedom
  • CIVICUS
  • Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ)
  • DAWN
  • English PEN
  • The Free Al-Khawaja Campaign
  • Gulf Centre for Human Rights (GCHR)
  • International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH), within the framework of the Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders
  • International Service for Human Rights (ISHR)
  • PEN International
  • Reprieve
  • Salam for Democracy and Human Rights (DHR)
  • Scholars at Risk
  • Wales PEN Cymru

https://www.pen-international.org/news/bahrainjoint-appeal-for-dr-abduljalil-al-singace-on-15th-anniversary-of-his-arrest

https://www.theguardian.com/books/2022/oct/10/immensely-brave-abduljalil-al-singace-named-international-writer-of-courage-pen

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UN expert urges Togo to release human rights defender Abdoul Aziz Goma

December 29, 2025

On 23 December 2025, the Special Rapporteur on human rights defenders, Mary Lawlor, renewed her call on authorities in Togo to release Togolese-Irish citizen and human rights defender Abdoul Aziz Goma from prison on the seventh anniversary of his arrest.

“Abdoul has now been arbitrarily detained for seven years and has been on hunger strike since 8 November 2025, protesting against the injustices he has faced. As he marks his 44th day without food, I am seriously concerned for his life,” Lawlor said.

Abdoul Aziz Goma was arrested in Lomé in 2018 after providing shelter to a group of young people who had travelled to the capital to demonstrate. Although he did not participate in any protests himself, Aziz Goma offered help to the youths when approached by an acquaintance.

Aziz Goma was initially held in secret for a number of years before being transferred to Togo’s formal prison system in 2022. He has been reportedly subjected to ill-treatment and denial of adequate medical care in prison, which have left him with a debilitating health condition.

In February 2025, when he was finally tried, Aziz Goma was convicted on multiple charges, including undermining national security, in a single day procedure and sentenced to ten years in prison.

Aziz Goma is reportedly very weak from hunger and reduced to spending much of the day lying down.

In September 2023, the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention determined that Aziz Goma’s ongoing detention was arbitrary.

The Special Rapporteur has also raised her concerns about Aziz Goma’s treatment and ongoing detention with Togolese authorities in 2021 and 2024.

https://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2025/12/un-expert-urges-togo-release-human-rights-defender-abdoul-aziz-goma

https://www.jurist.org/news/2025/12/un-expert-urges-togo-to-release-human-rights-defender-from-prison/

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Belarus marks Lawyers’ Day with 18 human rights defenders in prison

December 22, 2025
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The image of Themis. Photo: SB. Belarus Segodnya

The first Sunday in December is Lawyers’ Day in Belarus. It is celebrated against the backdrop of the fact that at least 18 lawyers, human rights activists, and legal professionals remain in prison. Since 2020, according to the Right to Defence project, 146 lawyers have had their licenses revoked, and dozens have been charged with administrative and criminal offences. Among those currently imprisoned for political reasons are Aliaksei Barodka, Vital Brahinets, Aliaksandr Danilevich, Maksim Znak, Anastasia Lazarenka, Siarhei Khlystou, and Yuliya Yurhilevich.

On November 29, the Homyel Regional Court convicted 41-year-old preacher Aliaksei Yahiela, charged with “assisting extremist activity” under two parts of Article 361-4 of the Criminal Code. Yahiela, who has a medical background but also worked as an evangelical preacher and healthy-lifestyle activist, had attracted attention, even from state media, for his anti-smoking initiative. Initially, it was unknown what sentence Aliaksei would receive.

However, it later emerged that he had been sentenced to imprisonment and is currently being held at Homiel’s Pretrial Detention Center No. 3.

Marharyta Yasevich, 29, a BSU history graduate from Lida, was convicted of “assisting extremist activity” under Parts 1 and 2 of Article 361-4 of the Criminal Code. Yasevich, who, after graduating, ran a business in Smolensk and lived in Samakhvalavichy for the last few years, was sentenced, according to preliminary information, to imprisonment under house arrest.

https://en.belsat.eu/90442202/belarus-marks-lawyers-day-with-18-lawyers-and-rights-defenders-in-prison

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NGOs demand end to crackdown on peaceful Human Rights Defenders in Turkey

April 10, 2025

On 4 April 2025 a joint statement by 13 international, regional and national civil society organisations, strongly condemned violations of the right to protest in Turkey, including police brutality, ill-treatment that may amount to torture, mass arbitrary detentions, and the systematic persecution of human rights defenders. 

Mass protests erupted across Turkey on 19 March 2025, following the detention of more than 100 individuals —including the Mayor of Istanbul, Ekrem İmamoğlu. These arrests, made as part of investigations into allegations of “corruption” and “terrorism”, and their timing have raised widespread concerns that the charges are politically motivated – just days before İmamoğlu’s    expected presidential candidacy. 

In the immediate aftermath of the arrests, authorities imposed sweeping restrictions, including days-long blanket bans on gatherings across multiple cities, restricted access to several social media platforms curbing access and preventing the dissemination of information, and shut down major public transportation routes in İstanbul, all in a systematic effort to suppress dissent and mobilisations. 

Despite these measures, thousands have continued to gather in protest across the country since 19 March. While protests have been overwhelmingly peaceful, journalists and civil society organisations have documented grave human rights violations in several locations, and particularly in Saraçhane, Istanbul, including an indiscriminate and disproportionate display of police violence and brutality that may amount to torture and other ill-treatment, including beatings with batons, demonstrators being kicked while subdued on the ground, close-range targeting with Kinetic Impact Projectiles (KIPs), as well as the indiscriminate use of chemical irritants and water cannons. Based on widely circulated footage and public testimonies, and in line with the UN Committee Against Torture’s recommendations to Turkey following its periodic review in 2024, the Human Rights Foundation of Turkey (TİHV) has also denounced the use of restraint methods that inflict unnecessary pain, such as prolonged handcuffing behind the back and stress positions. These practices, known to cause serious health consequences, have at times been publicised by police officers themselves via personal accounts, seemingly as a tactic of intimidation.

Reports have stated that protesters who have been met with excessive police force have suffered grave and long-lasting injuries such as head trauma and eye damage due to tear gas cartridges and KIPs, burns and respiratory issues due to the indiscriminate and widespread use of tear gas and water cannons, which in some cases resulted in their hospitalisation. The full extent of the injuries, as well as the physical and psychological toll on protesters’ health, will only become clear in the following months. 

According to the report of Human Rights Association (İHD), as of 27 March 2025, a total of 1,879 people—including children, lawyers, journalists, students, union leaders and human rights defenders—have been taken into custody during protests and house raids on the grounds of inciting protests, engaging in violence, concealing their faces with masks, and using bats or other objects. Over 260 of them have been placed in pre-trial detention, while judicial control measures have been imposed on 468 individuals simply for exercising their right to peaceful protest. Istanbul Bar Association Child Rights Committee reported that among the arrested in İstanbul, 20 were under the age of 18. 

Progressive Lawyers Association (ÇHD) also highlights incidents of torture, ill-treatment and sexual violence in detention facilities.  Lawyers have denounced the treatment of seven female detainees who were subjected to beatings as well as unjustified strip searches while in custody. According to a released testimony, another female victim reported being groped by a police officer while handcuffed behind the back and forcefully pinned to the ground and that she soiled herself out of fear during the ordeal. She was reportedly placed under house arrest after her testimony. The Turkish Medical Association has recalled the importance of medical examinations upon entry in custody and detention to prevent and document torture and other ill-treatment.

Human rights defenders, including those monitoring the protests, have also become targets of State repression during the protests. Journalists and media organisations covering protests have also been persecuted, infringing on the right to freedom of expression and the right to information. As of 28 March, at least 14  journalists were detained after covering the protest. 

Lawyers representing those who were arbitrarily detained in the context of protests, were also targeted. At least 14 lawyers were detained, including the lawyer of İmamoğlu, demonstrating the State authorities’ disregard for the rule of law and the right to defence, due process and justice. In the midst of the protests as part of the general intimidation strategy against lawyers, on 21 March the Istanbul Bar Association’s executive board was dismissed by the decision of İstanbul 2nd Civil Court of First Instance- a move that raises serious concerns of further attacks on the independence of the legal profession and the detainees’ right to legal representation. Following the decision, police interfered as lawyers attempted to march from the courthouse in Çağlayan to the Istanbul Bar Association building in Taksim to protest the decision.

Signatories:

  • ARTICLE 19
  • Asociación Unidad de Defensa Jurídica, Registro y Memoria para Nicaragua (AUDJUDRNIC)
  • CIVICUS: World Alliance for Citizen Participation
  • EuroMed Rights
  • Front Line Defenders
  • Gulf Centre for Human Rights (GCHR)
  • ILGA-Europe
  • United Against Torture Consortium (UATC), through its following members:
    • The International Rehabilitation Council for Torture Victims (IRCT)
    • Omega Research Foundation
    • Redress
    • And the World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT)
  • Unidad de Protección a Defensoras y Defensores de Derechos Humanos – Guatemala (UDEFEGUA)
  • Within the framework of the Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders:
    • International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH)
    • World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT)

see also: https://humanrightsdefenders.blog/tag/turkey/

https://www.frontlinedefenders.org/en/statement-report/end-brutal-crackdown-peaceful-protest-and-human-rights-defenders

UN rapporteurs raise concerns over Turkey’s use of terrorism laws against rights defenders

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China on dissent: over 1,500 convicted in six years, report finds

March 11, 2025

Alan Lu for RFA on 5 March 2025 refers to a a new report which shows the extent of Beijing’s arbitrary detentions, with severe sentences for prisoners of conscience.

Chinese authorities have arbitrarily detained thousands of people for peacefully defending or exercising their rights over the past six years and convicted 1,545 prisoners of conscience, a rights group said on Wednesday.

Chinese Human Rights Defenders, or CHRD, a non-government organization of domestic and overseas Chinese rights activists, said the scope and scale of wrongful detention by Chinese authorities may constitute crimes against humanity.

“They were sentenced and imprisoned on charges that stem from laws that are not in conformity with the Chinese government’s domestic and international human rights obligations,” the group said in a report.

“Their cases proceeded through the full criminal justice system, with police, prosecutors, and courts arbitrarily depriving them of their liberty in violation of their human rights.”

Prisoners of conscience have faced severe penalties, with an average sentence of six years, increasing to seven for national security charges.

Three people, identified as Tashpolat Tiyip, Sattar Sawut and Yang Hengjun, were sentenced to death, while two, Rahile Dawut and Abdurazaq Sayim, received life sentences, the group said, adding that 48 were jailed for at least a decade.

Map of sentenced prisoners of conscience in mainland China, excluding Hong Kong and Macao.
Map of sentenced prisoners of conscience in mainland China, excluding Hong Kong and Macao. (CHRD)

Among the convicted, women activists and marginalized groups, including ethnic Tibetans and Uyghurs, were disproportionately represented among those wrongfully detained, the group said.

Out of all the prisoners of conscience aged 60 or older, two-thirds were women, it added.

“Human rights experts and international experts have raised that people over the age of 60 should generally not be held in custody due to the effects on their physical and mental health,” Angeli Datt, research consultant with CHRD, told journalists in a press briefing Wednesday.

“That two-thirds of them are women was really shocking to me,” she said.

“Worse still, the impunity Chinese government officials enjoy at home emboldens them to commit abuses abroad,” the group said.

China dismissed a Swiss report last month alleging that it pressures Tibetans and Uyghurs in Switzerland to spy on their communities.

‘Endangering national security’

The CHRD said that under Chinese leader Xi Jinping, the scope and scale of the use of arbitrary detention to silence critics and punish human rights personnel had grown.

The organization documented a total of 58 individuals known to have been convicted of “endangering national security.”

“The overall average prison sentence for a national security crime is 6.72 years, though this figure excludes those sentenced to death with a two-year reprieve or life imprisonment,” it said.

In Hong Kong, more people were convicted of “subversion” and “inciting subversion” — terms that the U.N. describes as “broad and imprecise, making them prone to misapplication and misuse.”

In one 2024 case, authorities convicted 45 people for participating in a primary election, an act fully protected under both domestic and international law. Subversion charges accounted for 37% of all prisoners of conscience sentenced in Hong Kong during this period.

https://www.rfa.org/english/china/2025/03/06/chia-dissent-crack-down-humgn-rights/

https://thediplomat.com/2025/03/chinas-system-of-mass-arbitrary-detention/

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