On Oct. 30, the Human Rights Foundation observed the International Day of Political Prisoners, honoring the estimated 1 million political prisoners globally. These detainees are targeted not for committing any crime, but for their work as journalists, opposition leaders, lawyers, artists, and human rights defenders — or for simply expressing their beliefs. Too often, their stories are distilled to mere statistics. But these individuals are not just numbers. They have families, friends, jobs, and full lives that have been ripped away from them.
HRF highlighted the experiences of six political prisoners in their own words, through letters and other communications they have bravely shared with the world.
Dauletmurat Tazhimuratov
Dauletmurat Tazhimuratov is a Karakalpak lawyer, journalist, and human rights defender in Uzbekistan. He was detained in July 2022 for protesting constitutional amendments that would have stripped Karakalpakstan of its status as a sovereign republic within Uzbekistan. He was initially sentenced to 16 years; Uzbekistan has since extended his imprisonment to nearly 18 years. He is held in a remote, high-security penal colony, and there are reports of torture and ill-treatment. The UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention (WGAD) determined that his detention is arbitrary following a submission by HRF in July 2024.
Mahrang Baloch
Dr. Mahrang Baloch is a Baloch human rights defender and founder of the Baloch Yakjehti Committee, a network of activists promoting human rights in Balochistan. She was arrested at a peaceful protest in March 2025 and detained for three months without trial. In July 2025, the day her detention was set for review, Pakistan instead brought terrorism charges against her. Nearly a year later and after a trial riddled with due process violations, she was sentenced to two terms of life in prison. HRF submitted her case to the WGAD in August.
Victoire Ingabire
Victoire Ingabire is a leading Rwandan opposition figure, advocate for democratic reform, and founder of the political party Development and Liberty for All. She was first arrested in 2010 when she returned from exile to run for president and was imprisoned until 2018, when she received a presidential pardon. On June 19, 2025, she was arrested again after testifying in a trial involving eight of her party members and an independent journalist. She remains in detention, and now faces a trial in which the prosecution seeks a life sentence. The WGAD determined that her detention is arbitrary following a submission by HRF in November 2025.
Umar Khalid
Umar Khalid is an Indian activist and former researcher at Jawaharlal Nehru University, where he was a leader of the Democratic Students’ Union. Khalid was arrested on Sept. 13, 2020, after becoming a prominent figure in protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act, which excluded Muslims from eligibility for fast-tracked Indian citizenship. Khalid has been detained for more than six years without trial, solely for exercising the rights to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly. The WGAD found Khalid’s detention to be arbitrary following HRF’s March 2025 petition.
Ulviyya Ali
Ulviyya Ali is an Azerbaijani journalist who spent years reporting for Voice of America (VOA) on human rights abuses by Azerbaijani officials. In a country ranked among the top 10 most repressive regimes for press freedom, her work has played a vital role in preserving independent journalism. Two months after President Donald Trump’s March 2025 executive order that effectively shuttered VOA, police in Baku arrested Ali on fabricated currency smuggling charges. She remains imprisoned, awaiting sentencing in harsh conditions. She faced police violence and threats of sexual assault on the day of her arrest, has been denied essential medical care, and has been subjected to further retaliation for refusing to remain silent — including being placed in a cell with a person accused of manslaughter. HRF submitted her case to a group of UN special procedures in May 2026.
Vadim Kobzev and Alexei Liptser
Vadim Kobzev and Alexei Liptser were members of the legal team for Alexei Navalny, the late Russian opposition leader. Both attorneys challenged Navalny’s prosecution amid an intensifying crackdown on dissent in Russia. In October 2023, they were arrested on politically motivated charges of “extremism” related to their work with Navalny. They were convicted and sentenced to multi-year prison terms in penal colonies, in a case that has become emblematic of Russia’s mounting pressure on independent lawyers and the rule of law. HRF submitted Kobzev and Liptser’s case to the WGAD in January 2026.
Hong Kong Watch marks International Day of Political Prisoners in joint statement from coalition of over 50 human rights groups
