On this International Day of Political Prisoners, the NGOs mentioned below stand together to affirm a simple truth: no one should be imprisoned for exercising their fundamental rights or for peacefully expressing their beliefs. Yet around the world, there are an estimated one million political prisoners, who are unjustly detained for political reasons. These individuals—journalists, human rights defenders, democratic opposition leaders, religious leaders, artists, and ordinary citizens—represent the conscience of their societies. Their imprisonment is an assault not only on their freedom, but on the shared principles of human dignity and justice.
The International Day of Political Prisoners originated in the Soviet Union in 1974, when political prisoners collectively held a one-day hunger strike. Soviet prisoners of conscience repeated this protest every October 30, supported by demonstrations of solidarity in major cities. In response to Vladimir Putin’s ongoing and deepening repression, Russian political prisoners rekindled the tradition in 2021. In the years since, it has become an international day of solidarity with political prisoners worldwide.
Political imprisonment corrodes the rule of law, silences dissent, undermines press freedom, and weakens the foundations of democracy. Authoritarian governments use it to suppress opposition, instill fear, and consolidate control. Each unjust detention sends a chilling message to others who seek to speak truth to power.
We, as organizations who advocate on behalf of those unjustly detained around the world, call on democratic governments to continue to make the release of political prisoners a global priority—to raise these cases consistently in bilateral and multilateral forums, to request information and specific actions be taken on the prisoners’ behalf, to support accountability mechanisms, and to continue to provide support to organizations that advocate on behalf of those unjustly detained and provide legal and humanitarian assistance to them and their families. Solidarity with the unjustly detained must be sustained, coordinated, and visible.
We also stand in solidarity with the families, lawyers, and civil-society organizations who continue to advocate for freedom in the face of repression. Their courage reminds us that the defense of liberty is a collective responsibility.
On this day, and every day, we reaffirm our shared commitment to the universal right to freedom of thought, expression, association, and belief. The world’s political prisoners must not be forgotten—and their freedom must remain a global cause.
Signed:
- Freedom House
- Free Russia Foundation
- McCain Institute
- National Endowment for Democracy
- Abdorrahman Boroumand Center for Human Rights in Iran
- Al-Tahreer Association for Development (TAD)
- Amnesty International
- Center for Civil Liberties
- Committee to Protect Journalists
- Freedom Now
- George W. Bush Institute
- Global Magnitsky Justice Campaign
- Human Rights Center Viasna
- Human Rights Defense Center Memorial
- Human Rights First
- Human Rights Foundation
- Human Rights Watch
- International Republican Institute
- James W. Foley Legacy Foundation
- Lantos Foundation for Human Rights & Justice
- Oma Organization for Human Rights and Democracy Promotion
- Organization for Community Civic Engagement
- OVD-Info
- Political and Governance Development Academy
- Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP)
- The 30 October Foundation
- The Raoul Wallenberg Centre for Human Rights
- Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation
- World Liberty Congress
https://freedomhouse.org/article/joint-statement-international-day-political-prisoners
Hans Thoolen on Human Rights Defenders and their awards 