Prisoner of conscience

Prisoner of conscience (POC) is a term coined by Peter Benenson in a 28 May 1961 article ("The Forgotten Prisoners") for the London Observer newspaper. Most often associated with the human rights organisation Amnesty International, the term can refer to anyone imprisoned because of their race, sexual orientation, religion, or political views. It also refers to those who have been imprisoned and/or persecuted for the non-violent expression of their conscientiously held beliefs.

Mohamed Cheikh Ould Mkhaitir was sentenced to death after he wrote an article critical of religion and the caste system in Mauritania.

Definition

The article "The Forgotten Prisoners" by Peter Benenson, published in The Observer 28 May 1961, launched the campaign "Appeal for Amnesty 1961" and first defined a "prisoner of conscience".[1]

Any person who is physically restrained (by imprisonment or otherwise) from expressing (in any form of words or symbols) any opinion which he honestly holds and which does not advocate or condone personal violence. We also exclude those people who have conspired with a foreign government to overthrow their own.

The primary goal for this year-long campaign, founded by the English lawyer Peter Benenson and a small group of writers, academics and lawyers including Quaker peace activist Eric Baker, was to identify individual prisoners of conscience around the world and then campaign for their release. In early 1962, the campaign had received enough public support to become a permanent organization and was renamed Amnesty International.

A protest outside the Saudi Arabian Embassy in London against detention of Saudi blogger Raif Badawi, 2017

Under British law, Amnesty International was classed as a political organisation and therefore excluded from tax-free charity status.[2] To work around this, the "Fund for the Persecuted" was established in 1962 to receive donations to support prisoners and their families. The name was later changed to the "Prisoners of Conscience Appeal Fund" and is now a separate and independent charity which provides relief and rehabilitation grants to prisoners of conscience in the UK and around the world.[3]

Amnesty International has, since its founding, pressured governments to release those persons it considers to be prisoners of conscience.[4] Governments, conversely, tend to deny that the specific prisoners identified by Amnesty International are, in fact, being held on the grounds Amnesty claims; they allege that these prisoners pose genuine threats to the security of their countries.[5]

The concept of "prisoners of conscience" became a controversy around Nelson Mandela's imprisonment in South Africa 1964. He had initially been adopted as a prisoner of conscience in 1962, when he was sentenced to five years in jail for inciting a strike of African workers.[6] This was reversed after the Rivonia Trial showed that Mandela now had turned to violently opposing the South African regime. The reversal evolved in 1964 into a worldwide debate and a poll among the members of Amnesty International. The overwhelming majority decided to maintain the basic rule, that prisoners of conscience are those who have not used or advocated violence.[7]

The phrase is now widely used in political discussions to describe a political prisoner, whether or not Amnesty International has specifically adopted the case, although the phrase has a different scope and definition than that of political prisoner.[8]

Current Amnesty International prisoners of conscience

Below is an incomplete list of individuals that Amnesty International considers to be prisoners of conscience, organized by country.

Azerbaijan

Bahrain

Belarus

Cambodia

China

Eritrea

Ethiopia

The Gambia

Hong Kong

India

Israel

Iran

Kuwait

Kyrgyzstan

Malaysia

Mauritania

Morocco

Myanmar
Aung San Suu Kyi was an Amnesty International-recognized prisoner of conscience from 1989 to 1995, from 2000 to 2002, and from 2003 to 2010.[66]

Nigeria

North Korea

Pakistan

Russia
NameAgeLocationTermUntilReason
Christensen, Dennis45Detention Center No. 1, Oryol Region17 months2018-11-01Religious activity
Karimov, Ilkham37Detention Center No. 5, Republic of Tatarstan5 months2018-10-25Religious activity
Matrashov, Konstantin29Detention Center No. 5, Republic of Tatarstan5 months2018-10-25Religious activity
Myakushin, Vladimir30Detention Center No. 5, Republic of Tatarstan5 months2018-10-25Religious activity
Yulmetyev, Aydar24Detention Center No. 5, Republic of Tatarstan5 months2018-10-25Religious activity
Mikhailov, Dmitriy40Detention Center No. 1, Ivanovo Region5 months2018-10-19Religious activity
Klimov, Sergey48Detention Center No. 1, Tomsk Region5 months2018-10-31Religious activity
Osadchuk, Valentin42Detention Center No. 1, Primorskiy Territory7 months2018-11-20Religious activity
Bazhenov, Konstantin43Detention Center No. 1, Saratov Region6 months2018-12-12Religious activity
Makhammadiev, Felix33Detention Center No. 1, Saratov Region6 months2018-12-12Religious activity
Budenchuk, Aleksey35Detention Center No. 1, Saratov Region6 months2018-12-12Religious activity
Stupnikov, Andrey44Detention Center No. 1, Krasnoyarsk Territory4 months2018-11-02Religious activity
Polyakova, Anastasiya34Detention Center No. 1, Omsk Region5 months2018-11-20Religious activity
Polyakov, Sergey46Detention Center No. 1, Omsk Region5 months2018-11-20Religious activity
Alushkin, Vladimir54Detention Center No. 1, Penza Region4 months2018-11-14Religious activity
Levchuk, Vadim46Detention Center No. 1, Kemerovo Region]4 months2018-11-19Religious activity
Britvin, Sergey52Detention Center No. 1, Kemerovo Region4 months2018-11-19Religious activity
Barmakin, Dmitriy44Detention Center No. 1, Primorskiy Territory4 months2018-10-27Religious activity
Moskalenko, Valeriy51Detention Center No. 1, Khabarovsk Territory4 months2018-12-02Religious activity
Sorokina, Nataliya43Detention Center No. 1, Smolensk Region1 month 12 days2018-11-19Religious activity
Troshina, Mariya41Detention Center No. 1, Smolensk Region1 month 12 days2018-11-19Religious activity
Onishchuk, Andzhey50Unconfirmed1 month 24 days2018-12-02Religious activity
Korobeynikov, Vladimir65UnconfirmedUnconfirmedReligious activity
Suvorkov, Andrey25Unconfirmed1 month 25 days2018-12-03Religious activity
Suvorkov, Evgeniy40Unconfirmed1 month 24 days2018-12-02Religious activity
Khalturin, Maksim44Unconfirmed1 month 24 days2018-12-02Religious activity

Saudi Arabia

Sudan

Syria

Thailand

Tunisia

Ukraine

United Arab Emirates

Uzbekistan

Venezuela

Vietnam

See also

References
  1. Peter Berenson (28 May 1961). "The Forgotten Prisoners". The Observer. Retrieved 28 May 2011.
  2. Hopgood, Steven (2006). Keepers of the Flame: The Understanding Amnesty International. Cornell University Press. p. 70.
  3. "About Us". Prisoners of Conscience Appeal Fund. Archived from the original on 27 July 2011. Retrieved 22 April 2011.
  4. "History of Organization". The Nobel Foundation. 1977. Retrieved 22 April 2011.
  5. Human Rights and the Dirty War in Mexico by Kate Doyle
  6. Jonathan Power (2001). Like Water on Stone: The Story of Amnesty International. UPNE. p. 125. ISBN 9781555534875. Retrieved 24 May 2017. Mandela.
  7. Amnesty International (1965). "Amnesty International Annual Report 1064-65" (PDF). Retrieved 24 May 2017.
  8. "Freed China prisoner reaches US". BBC News. 18 March 2005. Retrieved 22 May 2010.
  9. "Azerbaijan: Authorities determined to silence dissent to ensure successful Eurovision". Amnesty International. 1 May 2012. Retrieved 2 May 2012.
  10. "Release Prisoners of Conscience Leyla and Arif Yunus". Amnesty International.
  11. "Azerbaijan: Opposition activist freed as pre-Eurovision hunger strike begins". Amnesty International. 16 May 2012. Retrieved 16 May 2012.
  12. "Azerbaijan Four activists face prison sentences". Amnesty International. Retrieved 20 March 2013.
  13. "Activists Face 12 Years' Jail on New Charges" (PDF). Amnesty International. 18 September 2013. Retrieved 9 October 2013.
  14. "Jalila al-Salman and Mahdi 'Issa Mahdi Abu Dheeb: Prisoners of Conscience". Amnesty International. 2012. Archived from the original on 25 October 2012. Retrieved 14 November 2012.
  15. "Bahrain activist arrested and charged". Amnesty International. 13 August 2013. Retrieved 14 August 2013.
  16. "Prisoner of conscience on trial faces new charges".
  17. "Bahrain must free prisoners of conscience after outrageous verdict". Amnesty International. 4 September 2012. Archived from the original on 9 September 2012. Retrieved 4 September 2012.
  18. "Further information on UA 264/10 (21 December 2010) and follow-ups (23 December 2010, 12 January 2011, 31 January 2011, 7 March 2011)" (PDF). Amnesty International. 14 April 2011. Retrieved 18 April 2011.
  19. "Belarus urged to free remaining prisoners of conscience after two released". Amnesty International. 16 April 2012. Retrieved 20 July 2012.
  20. "Belarus urged to release 'teddy bear' free speech activist". Amnesty International. 24 July 2012. Retrieved 24 July 2012.
  21. "Convictions of activists in Cambodia demonstrates dire state of justice". Amnesty International. 27 December 2012. Archived from the original on 1 January 2013. Retrieved 2 January 2013.
  22. Gillian Wong (23 December 2011). "China sentences rights activist Chen Wei to nine years in jail". The Independent. Retrieved 7 January 2012.
  23. "China: Tibetan film-maker may face unfair trial, Dhondup Wangchen". Amnesty International. 17 July 2009. Retrieved 22 May 2011.
  24. "Uighur teacher extradited to China on politically motivated 'terror' charges". Amnesty International. 15 June 2011. Retrieved 27 December 2011.
  25. "Amnesty International 'Shocked' Following Reports of Chinese Human Rights Lawyer Gao Zhisheng's Return to Prison". Amnesty International. 16 December 2011. Archived from the original on 5 December 2012. Retrieved 7 December 2012.
  26. "Human rights defender at risk of torture". Amnesty International. 11 October 2013. Retrieved 18 October 2013.
  27. "Further Information on UA 257/10 (15 December 2010) - Prisoner of Conscience/ Risk of Torture" (PDF). Amnesty International. 31 March 2011. Retrieved 18 April 2011.
  28. "MAO HENGFENG: HUMAN RIGHTS DEFENDER". Amnesty International. Archived from the original on 29 April 2011. Retrieved 18 April 2011.
  29. "Prisoners of Conscience". Amnesty International. Archived from the original on 15 April 2011. Retrieved 18 April 2011.
  30. "China: Falun Gong practitioners at risk of torture". Amnesty International. 31 May 2012. Retrieved 22 June 2020.
  31. "Eritrea: Prisoners of conscience held for a decade must be released". Amnesty International. 15 September 2011. Retrieved 26 December 2011.
  32. "Annual Report 2011". Amnesty International. 2011. Retrieved 28 May 2011.
  33. Amnesty International. "Eskinder Nega". Retrieved 16 June 2013.
  34. "Ebrima Manneh". Amnesty International. Archived from the original on 29 April 2011. Retrieved 17 April 2011.
  35. "Hong Kong: "Vindictive" jail terms for pro-democracy leaders". Amnesty International. Retrieved 18 August 2017.
  36. "Indian human rights activist Binayak Sen to be released on bail". Amnesty International. 15 April 2011. Retrieved 17 April 2011.
  37. "India: Release Soni Sori on International Women's Day". Amnesty International. 7 March 2012. Retrieved 7 March 2012.
  38. Chanu, Irom Sharmila. "India must release prisoner of conscience on prolonged hunger strike". Retrieved 14 January 2014.
  39. "Decision To Send HRDs Gautam Navlakha And Anand Teltumbde To Jail Is Cruel And Disappointing" (PDF). Amnesty International. 10 April 2020. Retrieved 25 May 2020.
  40. "Iran: Further Information: Three Iranian Journalists Sentenced". Amnesty International. 8 July 2010. Retrieved 4 September 2012.
  41. "Iran must release prisoner of conscience Zhila Bani-Yaghoub". Amnesty International. 3 September 2012. Archived from the original on 10 September 2012. Retrieved 4 September 2012.
  42. "Iran must immediately release prisoner of conscience Arzhang Davoodi". Amnesty International. 24 August 2012. Archived from the original on 25 August 2012. Retrieved 24 August 2012.
  43. "Archived copy". Amnesty International. Archived from the original on 12 October 2014. Retrieved 2 November 2014.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  44. "Urgent Action: Increasing concerns for safety of Goudarzi". Amnesty International. 30 September 2011. Retrieved 1 January 2012.
  45. "Iran: female prisoner's conditions after 8 years behind bars - People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK)". mojahedin.org.
  46. "Iran: Free prisoner of conscience to visit ailing son". Amnesty International. 17 February 2012. Retrieved 9 June 2012.
  47. "Urgent Action: Human rights activist sentenced" (PDF). Amnesty International. 13 April 2012. Retrieved 4 September 2012.
  48. "Habibollah Latifi's Death Sentence Stopped By Leadership's Pardon". hra-news.org. 2 September 2015.
  49. "Iran: Jailed Blogger Denied Medical Leave". Amnesty International. 17 May 2012. Retrieved 2 June 2012.
  50. "Urgent Action: human rights Defender imprisoned". Amnesty International. 30 April 2012. Retrieved 3 May 2012.
  51. "Prisoner at risk of torture and ill-treatment". Amnesty International. 14 September 2009. Retrieved 21 October 2012.
  52. "Urgent Action: Prisoner taken from cell at risk of torture". Amnesty International. 11 March 2011. Retrieved 7 January 2012.
  53. "Mansour Ossanlu, Prisoner of Conscience". Amnesty International. Archived from the original on 22 March 2011. Retrieved 18 April 2011.
  54. "About the Prometheus Project". American Repertory Theater. 15 February 2011. Retrieved 16 May 2011.
  55. Beaumont-Thomas, Ben (17 February 2015). "Jafar Panahi asks for Golden Bear winner Taxi to be shown in Iran". the Guardian.
  56. "Iran must release human rights defender Mohammad Ali Dadkhah". Amnesty International. 1 October 2012. Archived from the original on 1 October 2012. Retrieved 1 October 2012.
  57. "Trade Unionist Given Six-Year Prison Sentence". Amnesty International. 9 May 2012. Retrieved 14 May 2012.
  58. "The Iranian - Iran News And Analysis". The Iranian. Archived from the original on 5 September 2015. Retrieved 3 September 2015.
  59. "Heshmatollah Tabarzadi (m), aged 53, journalist" (PDF). Amnesty International. 6 April 2011. Retrieved 18 April 2011.
  60. "Kuwaiti man sentenced to 10 years' imprisonment for 'insulting' Tweets". Amnesty International. 7 June 2012. Retrieved 8 June 2012.
  61. "Kyrgyzstan: Further Information: Prisoner of Conscience on Brink of Death: Azimzhan Askarov". Amnesty International. 12 November 2010. Retrieved 17 April 2011.
  62. "Detained student activist at risk of torture". Amnesty International. 28 October 2014. Retrieved 28 October 2014.
  63. "Document". www.amnesty.org. Retrieved 16 March 2017.
  64. "Originally Sentenced to Death, a Blogger Goes Before Mauritania's Supreme Court". Global Voices Advocacy. 29 January 2017. Retrieved 16 March 2017.
  65. "Morocco holding independent editor over coverage of al-Qa'ida video". Amnesty International. 18 September 2013. Retrieved 2 October 2013.
  66. "Burma releases pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi". BBC News. 13 November 2010. Retrieved 14 November 2010.
  67. "Phyoe Phyoe Aung, Myanmar". Amnesty International. Retrieved 3 January 2016.
  68. "Fela Kuti, PoC, Nigeria" (PDF). Retrieved 16 February 2017.
  69. "2.2. Shin Sook Ja and her daughters", North Korea: Summary of Amnesty International's concerns, Amnesty International, 1993, retrieved 8 May 2012
  70. Pakistan: Authorities must immediately and unconditionally release Junaid Hafeez, Amnesty International (25 September 2019).
  71. "Protestor Sent to Mental Institution" (PDF). Amnesty International. 9 October 2013. Retrieved 18 October 2013.
  72. "Анатомия несправедливости: Процесс по Болотной". Amnesty International. 3 October 2013. Retrieved 3 October 2013.
  73. "Россия: блогеру грозит до пяти лет лишения свободы". Amnesty International. 8 September 2016. Retrieved 10 September 2016.
  74. "The List of Persons Recognized as Political Prisoners by Russia's Memorial Human Rights Center". Institute of Modern Russia. 22 January 2014. Retrieved 17 January 2017.
  75. "Saudi Arabia uses capital offence of 'apostasy' to stifle debate". Amnesty International. 24 December 2012. Archived from the original on 30 December 2012. Retrieved 2 January 2013.
  76. "Amnesty joins calls to free Saudi 'hunger striker'". Agence France-Presse. 13 April 2012. Retrieved 16 April 2012.
  77. "Saudi Arabia urged to allow prisoner of conscience to visit ill mother". Amnesty International. 19 October 2012. Retrieved 21 October 2012.
  78. "Saudi Arabia: Trial of Riyadh protester 'utterly unwarranted'". Amnesty International. 22 February 2012. Archived from the original on 23 February 2012. Retrieved 24 February 2012.
  79. "Death penalty fear for Tweeter facing forcible return to Saudi Arabia from Malaysia". Amnesty International. 10 February 2012. Archived from the original on 12 February 2012. Retrieved 10 February 2012.
  80. "Saudi Arabia: Man might face death penalty for tweets: Hamza Kashgari". Amnesty International. 13 February 2012. Archived from the original on 17 February 2012. Retrieved 24 February 2012.
  81. "Poet faces death for apostasy in Saudi Arabia: Ashraf Fayadh". Retrieved 27 January 2016.
  82. "Document". www.amnesty.org. Retrieved 17 January 2017.
  83. "Document". www.amnesty.org. Retrieved 17 January 2017.
  84. "Saudi Arabia: Fears grow that three young activists could soon be executed". www.amnesty.org. Retrieved 17 January 2017.
  85. "Document". www.amnesty.org. Retrieved 17 January 2017.
  86. "Document". www.amnesty.org. Retrieved 17 January 2017.
  87. "New anti-terror law used to imprison Saudi Arabian human rights activist". www.amnesty.org. Retrieved 17 January 2017.
  88. "Abdulaziz al-Shubaili gets 8-year sentence: ACPRA update and background - ALQST advocating for human rights Saudi Arabia QST". ALQST advocating for human rights Saudi Arabia QST. 29 May 2016. Retrieved 17 January 2017.
  89. "Saudi Arabia Must Release All Prisoners of Conscience Immediately and Unconditionally Irrespective of Royal Pardon Conditions". Amnesty International USA. Retrieved 17 January 2017.
  90. "Saudi Arabia: Prisoner of conscience latest to be convicted in 'counter-terror purge' of human rights NGO". www.amnesty.org. Retrieved 17 January 2017.
  91. "
    Sudanese Youth Activist at Risk of Torture"    . Amnesty International. 11 July 2012. Retrieved 12 July 2012.
  92. "Sudan must end clampdown on media". Amnesty International. 15 May 2012. Retrieved 14 May 2012.
  93. "Release Syrian prisoner of conscience 'Ali al-'Abdullah". Amnesty International. 4 February 2011. Retrieved 26 December 2011.
  94. "Syrian Activist Faces Secret Military Court". Amnesty International. 10 August 2012. Retrieved 17 August 2012.
  95. "Urgent Action- Health Concerns for Detained Syrian Activist - Shibal Ibrahim". Amnesty International. 24 January 2012. Retrieved 28 January 2012.
  96. "Syria: activists forced into hiding by threats". Amnesty International. 6 May 2011. Archived from the original on 3 September 2011. Retrieved 7 May 2011.
  97. "Somyot lese majeste judgement on Wednesday". The Bangkok Post. 22 January 2013. Archived from the original on 15 February 2013. Retrieved 24 January 2013.
  98. "Tunisia: Mounting attacks on freedom of expression". Amnesty International. 24 April 2012. Archived from the original on 5 April 2016. Retrieved 29 April 2012.
  99. "Ukraine: draft dodgers face jail as Kiev struggles to find new fighters". Retrieved 2 April 2016.
  100. "Document". www.amnesty.org. Retrieved 29 April 2017.
  101. "US Urged to Press Tashkent on Political Prisoners". Institute for War and Peace Reporting. 21 August 2012. Archived from the original on 16 April 2013. Retrieved 31 August 2012.
  102. "Faces of Impunity: Leopoldo López". Amnesty International. Retrieved 24 September 2015.
  103. "Amnistía Internacional | Acción Urgente | Geraldine Chacón y Gregory Hinds | PROVEA". www.derechos.org.ve (in Spanish). Retrieved 12 May 2018.
  104. "Prominent Vietnamese activist jailed over democracy calls". Amnesty International. 5 April 2011. Retrieved 17 April 2011.
  105. "Urgent Action : Le Cong Dinh, human rights lawyer: arrested". Retrieved 21 June 2009.
  106. "VIETNAMESE AUTHORITIES MUST RELEASE DR. NGUYEN DAN QUE". Amnesty International. 28 February 2011. Archived from the original on 29 April 2011. Retrieved 17 April 2011.
  107. "Vietnamese bloggers deny charges, third in leniency bid". BBC News. 16 April 2012. Retrieved 16 April 2012.
  108. "Catholic Priest Risks Being Returned to Prison". Amnesty International. 9 February 2011. Retrieved 17 April 2011.
  109. "Viet Nam: Halt crackdown on freedom of expression". Amnesty International. 7 August 2012. Archived from the original on 8 August 2012. Retrieved 14 August 2012.
  110. "Viet Nam activist prison sentence condemned". Amnesty International. 26 January 2011. Retrieved 20 July 2012.
  111. "Viet Nam: Prisoners of conscience released but dozens remain jailed". Amnesty International. Archived from the original on 29 November 2014. Retrieved 15 November 2014.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.