political prisoners

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Venezuela Hands Over 'Fat Leonard' in Prisoner Swap

Former defense contractor is central figure in massive Pentagon bribery scandal

(Newser) - This file is updated throughout with new details. The US freed a close ally of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro in exchange for the release of 10 Americans imprisoned in the South American country and the extradition of a fugitive defense contractor known as "Fat Leonard," who is at...

Activist Plans to Risk Prison for Father Jailed in Bahrain

Maryam al-Khawaja says government's promise of prison reform is a ruse timed to US visit

(Newser) - In early August, more than 800 prisoners launched Bahrain's largest-ever hunger strike, demanding access to life-saving medical care and other improved conditions in the country's largest prison. That strike was paused Monday—two days before Crown Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa's scheduled visit to Washington—as...

Anti-War Dad Separated From Child Is On the Run in Russia
Anti-War Russian Dad
Arrested in Belarus
UPDATED
Mar 30, 2023 7:18 AM CDT

Anti-War Russian Dad Arrested in Belarus

Aleksei Moskalyov fled house arrest hours before he was sentenced to penal colony

(Newser) - Aleksei Moskalyov, an anti-war Russian father who fled house arrest hours before he was sentenced to two years in a penal colony Tuesday, has been arrested in Belarus, his lawyer says. Dmitry Zakhvatov tells Reuters that Moskalyov's arrest in Minsk, more than 400 miles away from his hometown south...

Nicaragua Surprises US By Sending 222 Detainees

Biden welcomes arrivals, saying, 'I'm glad they're out'

(Newser) - In the middle of the night, political leaders, priests, students, and activists languishing in Nicaragua's most notorious prisons were awoken, given back the clothes they had been arrested in and told to dress. Hours later, 222 of them, widely considered political prisoners, landed at a Washington-area airport, deported from...

Russian Opposition Leader: Staffer Abducted, Sent to Arctic

Alexei Navalny says Ruslan Shaveddinov was forcibly 'conscripted' for military service

(Newser) - The Russian military says it's simply making a 23-year-old draft dodger fulfill his one-year conscription—but President Vladimir Putin's main opponent is calling what happened earlier this week a kidnapping. The Guardian reports that Ruslan Shaveddinov, an activist and project manager at opposition leader Alexei Navalny's Anti-Corruption...

Castro Opens Up in Rare Cuba Presser

Cuban president answers question about political prisoners

(Newser) - President Obama made history in Cuba today by getting Cuban President Raul Castro to field questions from reporters—inspiring an exchange over democracy and human rights that apparently left Cubans stunned. The White House negotiated to the last minute to make the press conference happen, the AP reports. Among the...

Cuba Frees 53 Political Prisoners

The deal is part of agreement between US and Castro

(Newser) - Cuba has completed the release of 53 political prisoners that was part of last month's historic deal between the United States and Cuba, the US said today. The prisoners had been on a list of opposition figures whose release was sought as part of the US agreement last month...

With Eye on Obama Visit, Burma Frees 452 Prisoners

But activists criticized move

(Newser) - Burma ordered 452 prisoners freed today in an apparent goodwill gesture ahead of a historic visit by President Barack Obama—but activists criticized the move for failing to focus on hundreds of political detainees. It was not immediately clear if any political prisoners were among those granted freedom, prompting rights...

N. Korea to Free Prisoners for Kim Jong Il's Birthday

Likely another move to shore up support for Kim Jong Un

(Newser) - North Korea has announced a round of special pardons for some of its prisoners in honor of what would have been Kim Jong Il's 70th birthday next month, in what the Telegraph sees as an attempt to boost the popularity of Dear Leader's heir, Kim Jong Un. The...

Activists: Syria Is Tricking Monitors

Even as Syria releases another 500 prisoners

(Newser) - Arab League observers in Syria have been claiming as their chief triumph the regime's evacuation of its troops from protest-prone cities. But activists say that hasn’t actually happened—the regime is just using some cheap tricks to make it look like it has, Reuters reports. Activists say the...

Burma's Thaw Now Extends to Media

Journalists can criticize gov't, but still many limits

(Newser) - The political thawing of tropical Burma seems to be continuing, as the second-least-free country in the world for journalism (after North Korea) has begun to relax its tight controls over the media. As the Wall Street Journal reports, pictures of democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi have appeared in newspapers...

Burma Releases 155 Political Prisoners

Prominent activist Zarganar among them

(Newser) - Burma today began releasing the 6,300 prisoners who will be granted amnesty, but so far the number of political detainees released does not come close to the estimated 2,000 who are in jail. The Telegraph puts the number of political prisoners released at 120, while the AP reports...

Burma Grants Amnesty to 6,300
 Burma Grants Amnesty to 6,300 
Oct 11, 2011 9:57 AM CDT

Burma Grants Amnesty to 6,300

Democracy advocates hope the group includes political prisoners

(Newser) - The ice might be breaking in Burma: The nation's rulers today announced that they will grant amnesty to 6,359 prisoners beginning tomorrow, sparking hopes among democracy advocates that the 2,000-some political prisoners being held will be among them. The government didn't explicitly say political prisoners would...

N. Korea's Prison Camps Burgeoning, Now Hold 200K
N. Korea's Prison Camps Burgeoning, Now Hold 200K
SAYS AMNESTY
May 4, 2011 12:13 PM CDT

N. Korea's Prison Camps Burgeoning, Now Hold 200K

Amnesty International points to satellite images, witness testimony

(Newser) - Satellite images of North Korea's political prisoner camps show they are getting bigger, says Amnesty International. (See the photos here .) The rights group compared images of four camps from 2001 and found a "significant increase in the scale of the camps," reports the BBC . Amnesty estimates...

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