Iran released an E.U. diplomat from Sweden and a dual Iranian-Swedish national, while Sweden released a former Iranian judiciary official serving a life sentence for war crimes.
Tag: Political Prisoners
Chinese Activists Who Gave #MeToo Victims a Voice Are Found Guilty
Huang Xueqin, a journalist, and Wang Jianbing, a labor activist, were convicted of subversion, a vaguely worded charge long seen as a tool for muzzling dissent.
Russia Detains a French National Suspected of Collecting Military Data
The detention is the latest in a series in which foreigners have been arrested or held against their will in Russia, exacerbating tensions with the West.
U Tin Oo, Embattled Pro-Democracy Leader in Myanmar, Dies at 97
A powerful figure in his country, he helped found its main opposition party. “I had to face up to the harm I did to people when I served in the army,” he said.
Hong Kong Convicts 14 Democracy Activists in Largest National Security Trial
As part of China’s crackdown on even peaceful opposition, a court in Hong Kong convicted 14 people, who now face prison time along with dozens of others.
Why a Tactic Used by Czars Is Back With a Vengeance
Authoritarian governments have long sought to target dissidents abroad. But the digital age may have given them stronger motives, and better tools, for transnational repression.
Anti-Monarchy Activist in Thailand Dies After Hunger Strike
Netiporn Sanesangkhom, 28, supported abolishing the law that prohibits criticizing royalty and wanted to push the authorities to stop jailing political activists.
Chinese Woman Jailed for Reporting on Covid Set to be Freed
Yet Zhang Zhan’s supporters and human rights activists who had followed her case said they could not reach her or her family members.
U.S. Army Soldier Is Detained in Russia
The soldier was apprehended in Vladivostok on charges of criminal misconduct, in a case that is likely to aggravate the contentious relationship between Moscow and Washington.
Hundreds of Bahraini Political Prisoners Freed in ‘Bittersweet’ Royal Pardon
Amid deepening tensions in the Middle East, Bahraini activists said that the mass pardon, while welcome, was incomplete, and called for the release of several jailed opposition leaders.