political prisoners

city hall man's face

Renowned Russian sociologist Boris Kagarlitsky sent the following message from prison to his daughter, Ksenia, on March 26. In it, he discusses the fallout of the horrific terrorist attack carried out at Moscow’s Crocus City Hall on March 22. Translated by Renfrey Clarke.

man and woman

Renowned Russian sociologist Boris Kagarlitsky was jailed on February 13 for five years on trumped-up charges of "justifying terrorism". In reality, his only crime has been to speak out against Russia's war in Ukraine. Renfrey Clarke has translated Kagarlitsky's first public letter sent from prison to his daughter, Ksenia.

Russian folk-punk outfit Arkadiy Kots Band have released a new track to mark the 65th birthday of political prisoner Boris Kagarlitsky, reports Federico Fuentes.

Public housing in Chile

Miguel Lawner — architect and former political prisoner — speaks to Taroa Zúñiga Silva about how Salvador Allende’s government improved the lives of Chileans in its first year.

A Free Ocalan protest in Sydney, Australia

Every year since the imprisonment of Kurdish leader Abdullah Öcalan 23 years ago, an international peace delegation has collected evidence on the treatment of political prisoners in Turkey, reports Peter Boyle.

The final act in a week of protest in Catalonia, against the vindictive jail terms imposed on nine Catalan leaders by the Spanish Supreme Court on October 14, was a general strike and vast demonstration in the capital, Barcelona.

Infuriated by the verdict, frustrated with the strategy of the established independence movement (seen as “getting nowhere”), and most of all, outraged by police violence, young Catalans, who had never been on a barricade in their lives, decided that “direct action” was the only solution, writes Dick Nichols.

Whether “free or imprisoned,” Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva “will be elected president” of Brazil following October's general election, said former Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff, speaking during a visit to Buenos Aires, Argentina, on May 1.

Dilma said the recent attacks on Lula and the Workers’ Party are all part of a “lawfare” against the left in the country. 

Derry community activist Tony Taylor has been held in jail for more than two years without charge or trial on the orders of a British official, write the Free Tony Taylor Campaign Team.

An Israeli military court has approved a plea deal that will see Palestinian teenager Ahed Tamimi serve an eight-month jail sentence on top of a fine of nearly US$1500.

If we are serious about using International Women’s Day, held annually on March 8, to campaign for the freedom and equality of women and girls, then we should not ignore Palestinians.

More than 1000 students marched through the streets of Jaffna demanding freedom for Tamil political prisoners on November 14.

An appeal issued by the Jaffna Universty Students Union read: "At least 132 Tamil political prisoners are languishing in the prisons of Sri Lankan state across the island. Many of them have been detained for years without trial".

More than 2000 people demonstrated on September 26 in Chile's capital Santiago to support four Mapuche Indigenous community members who have been on hunger strike in prison for 113 days.

The four were charged under a controversial anti-terrorism bill passed during the dictatorship of Augusto Pinochet.