Prisoners of Conscience

Prisoners of Conscience – Casework Program

Success Stories!

Youth Leader Freed in Belarus: © ByMedia.net
Belarus: Amnesty International welcomes the release from prison on January 23 of Zmitser Dashkevich, leader of a youth organization that advocates political freedom in Belarus. AI mounted a global campaign to win his release featuring his case in a Global Write-a-thon in December through which thousands of people across the United States appealed for his release. As one of Amnesty International USA's Special Focus Cases, Zmitser Dashkevich's case was a particular focus for action by Amnesty student activists, who joined youth activists around the world in sending 10,000 origami cranes to Belarusian authorities in a symbolic plea for freedom for Mr. Dashkevich and other prisoners of conscience.
2008-01-23

38 Ethiopian political prisoners freed!: Professor Mesfin Woldemariam © AI
Ethiopia: Amnesty International welcomes the release of Mesfin Woldemariam, one of 38 Ethiopian opposition party officials, prominent human rights defenders and journalists who were freed on July 20. Professor Woldemariam is Ethiopia's most prominent human rights defender and one of AIUSA's five special focus cases. Many thanks to all who took action on his behalf.
2007-07-20

Environmental Defender Freed!: © Private
"We won! Andrei is free!"
– Yevgenia Zatoka (Andrei's wife)

Turkmenistan: Amnesty International is happy to report that Andrei Zatoka was released from jail on January 31. Andrei had been detained on December 17 by local police at the airport in his home city of Dashoguz. There were allegations that he was targeted to punish him for his peaceful work as an environmental activist. He and his supporters are grateful for the appeals sent by AI's Urgent Action network on his behalf.
2007-01-31

Initiative Partnership Activists: Mikalay Astreyka (upper right), Tsimafey Dranchuk (upper left), Enira Branizkaya (lower left), Alyaksandr Shalayka (lower right) © Private
Belarus: Mikalay Astreyka was conditionally released from prison in November before the end of his sentence. He and 3 other political activists, featured in AIUSA's Summer postcard and Freedom Writer's actions, were arrested in February as they prepared to monitor elections in Belarus. Enira Branizkaya and Alyaksandr Shalayka were freed from prison in August, following completion of their sentences. Amnesty is calling for Astreyka's release to be made unconditional and for Tsimafey Dranchuk to be released as well. Many thanks to all who took action on their behalf.
2006-11-15

Claude Yabanda: © Private
Central African Republic: Claude Yabanda, a senior member of an opposition political party called the Patriotic Front for Progress, was released from prison on November 11. He had been detained since April 2006 on account of his peaceful political activities. Claude was featured in AIUSA's Holiday Card action. Many thanks to all who send letters of support. Read more »
2006-11-11

Helen Berhane: © Private
Eritrea: Helen Berhane, a well-known Christian evangelical singer, was released from captivity in Eritrea. She had been detained incommunicado without charge or trial for two and a half years. Most of her detention was spent in inhuman and degrading conditions inside a metal shipping container which was used as a prison cell. The authorities reportedly tortured her many times to make her recant her faith. Helen was hospitalized as a result of beatings and is said to be confined to a wheelchair. She refused to abandon her faith despite the threats and ill-treatment.

AIUSA activists sent cards of support and appeals for her release as part of AIUSA's Holiday Card and Easter Actions. We'd also like to thank Music for Human Rights supporters and their fans, including Gwen Stefani, Duran Duran, Coldplay, Sting, Anti-Flag, Incubus, Bright Eyes, Astralwerks Records and Axis of Justice who helped make Helen's release a reality. Read more »
2006-10-31

Guantánamo detainee, Murat Kurnaz has been released!: Murat Kurnaz © Private
"He is now again in the circle of his family. Their joy at embracing their lost son again is indescribable" -- statement from Murat's lawyer

Germany, Turkey, USA: Murat Kurnaz, a Turkish national born in Germany and featured in AIUSA's Holiday Card action, was released on August 24, 2006 from Guantánamo. He had been held for four years and eight months without charge or trial. In January 2005, a U.S. federal judge cited his case as illustrative of the inherent unfairness and fundamental flaws of the administrative review process in Guantánamo.
2006-08-24

Prisoner of Conscience "Very Grateful" to Urgent Action: Hojjatoleslam Ezimi Qedimi. (c) Private
"I am very grateful for the campaign which Amnesty started for my sake. I heard about the action while I was imprisoned. After I was released I saw letters while I was being interrogated by the security service. Your letters meant very much to me."

Iran: Hojjatoleslam Ezimi Qedimi was returned to prison on March 26, 2006 after an appeal against a one-year prison sentence was rejected on February 20, 2006 by Branch 2 of the Special Court for the Clergy. If charged, Hojjatoleslam Ezimi Qedimi could be a prisoner of conscience, held solely on account of his peaceful beliefs and activities on behalf of the Azeri Turk community in Iran.
2006-05-04

Civil society leaders released amid political transition: Peace and human rights must be the priority now. The politics of violence must end. (Krishna Pahadi)

Nepal:
Prisoners of conscience Krishna Pahadi, Dr Devendra Raj Panday, Dr Mathura Prasad Shrestha and Shyam Shrestha were among hundreds of civil society and political party activists who were released on 25 April amid a historic political transition in Nepal.

On April 24, following nearly three weeks of massive nationwide public protests against palace rule, King Gyanendra announced the reinstatement of Parliament. Since King Gyanendra seized direct control of the government on 1 February 2005, he has used the security forces to spearhead a massive crackdown on dissent. Members of the non-violent political opposition have been arbitrarily detained, beaten, and even shot. In his latest announcement, the King conceded that “Sovereignty of the Kingdom of Nepal is inherent in the people of Nepal” and recognized “the spirit of the ongoing people's movement.”

Krishna Pahadi, a former chair of Amnesty International Nepal and founder of the Human Rights and Peace Society; Dr Devendra Raj Panday, former president of the anti-corruption organization Transparency International-Nepal; Dr Mathura Prasad Shrestha, president of Physicians for Social Responsibility-Nepal; and Shyam Shrestha, editor of the political journal Mulyankan,are all leaders of the Citizens' Movement for Democracy and Peace (CMDP). The CMDP has played a key role in organizing pro-democracy demonstrations over the past year.

Speaking to Amnesty International by phone, Krishna Pahadi thanked all those who sent appeals on behalf of prisoners of conscience in Nepal. He also gave special thanks to members of the AI delegation that visited him and Shyam Shrestha in custody in March 2006.

“Peace and human rights must be the priority now,” Krishna Pahadi said. “The politics of violence must end.”

2006-04-25

Prisoner of Conscience Gurbandurdy Durdykuliev has been released!: © Private
Turkmenistan: Amnesty International welcomes the release of Gurbandurdy Durdykuliev, a 64 year-old prisoner of conscience from Turkmenistan, who was forcibly confined to a psychiatric hospital in 2004, after asking President Niyazov for authorization to hold a peaceful political protest.

Durdykuliev was one of Amnesty International USA's five Special Focus Cases in 2006. AIUSA activists from across the country worked on his behalf. More than 400 AIUSA student groups in the Northeast United States "adopted" Durdykuliev, sending hundreds of letters and petitions to Turkmen authorities calling for his immediate release.

AIUSA also worked with Congress to draw more attention to Durdykuliev's case, both by writing letters and meeting with officials. On April 4, 2006 – partly due to AIUSA's efforts – 54 members of Congress sent a letter to the President of Turkmenistan calling for Durdykuliev's release and condemning the use of forced psychiatric confinement of political dissidents.
2006-04-11

5 Human Rights Defenders Released without Charge by Sudanese Security Forces

The head of the Sudan Development Organization (SUDO), Dr Mudawi Ibrahim Adam, thanked Amnesty International for its action on behalf of the five men, saying, "The Governor received the first faxes sent by Amnesty International - very soon thereafter the five were released. They asked me when they were released, 'Why were we released so quickly?' The pressure exerted by you has really worked, thanks for your solidarity."

Sudan:

Alrayah Ibrahim Eldaw (m), staff member of SUDO
Sayed Abu Bakr (m), SUDO volunteer
Alfaris Ibrahim (m), SUDO staff member
Dawalbeit Kabbur (m), SUDO staff member, and
Osman Ali Ismael (m), SUDO staff member

At 5:30 pm on February 13, the five human rights defenders named above were released without charge by security forces.

The five had been arrested on the morning of February 13 at Ed Dain University in South Darfur as they conducted a training session on human rights monitoring.

2006-02-13

Prisoner of Conscience Cheam Channy Released in Cambodia: © AFP
Cambodia: Cambodian prisoner of conscience and opposition parliamentarian Cheam Channy was released from Phnom Penh's military prison following a pardon by King Norodom Sihamoni. Amnesty International had been campaigning for his unconditional and immediate release. Read more. »
2006-02-06

Prisoner of Conscience Gérard Jean-Juste has been released!: Photo by Evens Sanon for AP
I am very grateful to Amnesty International and to all of you for helping fight for the human rights of all political prisoners, here in Haiti and across the world. Let's keep the momentum on for justice, peace, love, and sharing to prevail all over the world as God wants it.

Haiti: Gérard Jean Juste, who is reportedly suffering from leukemia, was granted a provisional release from detention on health grounds on January 29. The interim government in Haiti apparently granted his release to allow him to seek treatment abroad, as there are no medical facilities in Haiti able to offer treatment for leukaemia. Father Jean Juste has been allowed to travel to Miami, USA, where he will be treated. Gérard Jean Juste was diagnosed with leukemia in December 2005 by two US doctors, though doctors at the National Penitentiary Annex in Port-au-Prince where he was detained refuted this diagnosis. His health deteriorated recently after he suffered a bout of pneumonia, which apparently was brought on by the conditions in the prison where he was held.
2006-01-29

Mamun al-Humsi has been released!: Syria: Mamun Al-Humsi and Riad Seif, two former members of Syria's parliament, were freed on January 18 by the Syrian government after spending five years in prison. Mamun al-Humsi was one of Amnesty International's Special Focus Cases. Many thanks to all who took action on his behalf!
2006-01-18

Aminatou Haidar: © Martin Wikstrom
Morocco and Western Sahara: Human rights defender Aminatou Haidar, featured in our 2005 Holiday Card Action, was released from prison in January 2006. Her colleagues Mohamed El Moutaouakil, Houssein Lidri, Brahim Noumria, Larbi Messaoud, Ali Salem Tamek, and H'mad Hammad were freed two months later. Many thanks to all who took action on their behalf.
2006-01-15

Environmental Activist and Prisoner of Conscience Felipe Arreaga Released: Felipe Arreaga. © AI
In a letter dated September 21, 2005, Felipe Arreaga wrote to those who worked on obtaining his freedom: ''. . I want to tell you that during the long time of my detention, I always felt accompanied because of the expressions of support that never ceased. . I always said that I can die for the cause I believe and that I will not cease in a clean, legal and unselfish struggle that encourages me. . . Rest assured that my struggle will not cease and that you can count on me even if it is to do an errand. I will continue to walk in the mountains and advocating for human rights and a healthy environment. I will work very hard with my wife, caring for the forests and planting trees. . .''

Mexico: Amnesty International has received with pleasure the news of the acquittal of Felipe Arreaga Sánchez, environmental activist, founder of the Peasant Environmentalist Organization of the Sierra de Petatlán (OCESP) and prisoner of conscience. He was released on September 15. However, he, his family and other environmental activists in the region remain in grave danger. After considering his case, Amnesty International believed that the arrest and prosecution of Felipe Arreaga was in retaliation for his peaceful struggle to prevent excessive logging of the region’s forests. Read more. »
2005-09-15

Five Prisoners of Conscience Released from Libyan Jails: Libya: Ramadan Shaglouf, Tariq al-Dernawi, Tawfiq al-Jehani, Ali Be'aou and Musa al-Ziwi were released on September 10 and 11 after seven years imprisonment. They were serving prison terms up to life after being convicted of belonging to the Islamic Alliance Movement, a banned political group, but were considered prisoners of conscience by Amnesty International. Read more. »
2005-09-11

'Abdel Rahman al-Shaghouri: Syria: 'Abdel Rahman al-Shaghouri was released on August 31, 2005, one week after the end of his sentence. He has returned home to his family and is said to be in good health. Amnesty International USA championed 'Abdel Rahman al-Shaghouri's case through the Holiday Action in 2004.
2005-08-31

Néstor Rodríguez, Prisoner of Conscience, Relased: Néstor Rodríguez Lobaina. (c) Private
"I would like to give my deepest thanks to Amnesty International [members] for all the work that they have done to help in my release from prison... I am deeply grateful for all of this, and want to tell this prestigious organization that it has here a volunteer, an activist always at its service as well as my modest efforts to work and cooperate alongside it in this altruistic and humanitarian work."

Cuba: Prisoner of conscience Néstor Rodríguez Lobaina was released in July 2005, after five years and four months in prison. He had been detained in March 2000 and sentenced to a six year prison term for "disrespect," "public disorder," and "damage."
2005-08-19

Student Leader, Gagan Thapa, Thanks Urgent Action: Gagan Thapa at Amnesty International's headquarters in London. (c) AI
"After I was arrested I was held in a cell in Hanuman Dhoka police station in Kathmandu along with sixteen others. We slept eight at a time as the cell was so cramped. As soon as the Urgent Actions began to arrive the authorities immediately offered to transfer me to a cell where I would be held alone."

Nepal: Gagan Thapa appeared before the Special Court in Kathmandu in August 2005, where he was charged with sedition before being released pending trial. He told trial observers that such international attention had been instrumental in ensuring his safety. "If the international community had not been present at the right moment, the action taken against me would have been even more serious... As soon as the international pressure started, the police changed their tone." Gagan Thapa, a student leader and former Secretary General of the Nepal Students Union (NSU), was detained by police in Kathmandu on July 27, 2005. He chose to stay with the other prisoners so as not to appear privileged.
2005-08-15

Prisoner of Conscience Professor Yury Bandazhevsky Is Free!: Yury Bandazhevsky. © IREX/ProMedia.
"I would like to send a huge thank you to all Amnesty International members across the world whose support I could feel. The work of Amnesty International is very useful." Yury Bandazhevsky, August 10, 2005

Belarus: Amnesty International USA welcomes the good news that Yury Bandazhevsky, a prisoner of conscience and one of AIUSA's Special Focus Cases, was conditionally released on August 5, 2005. A well-respected scientist, Professor Bandazhevsky had clashed with the Belarusian government over his work on the health impact of the Chernobyl nuclear accident of 1986 on the people of Belarus. He served four years of an eight-year sentence on fabricated criminal charges before his release.

Amnesty International activists around the world had called for Prof. Bandazhevsky's release, and AIUSA had campaigned intensively on his behalf through its Special Focus Case project. Since 2004, more than 400 Amnesty student groups in the Northeast have championed his case, and people from across the U.S have sent more than 6,300 actions on his behalf via AIUSA's Online Action Center. Prof. Bandazhevsky's case was featured in AIUSA's annual Holiday Card Action, in its Urgent Action Network, and its Freedom Writers Network. Through AIUSA's Music for Human Rights program, the rock band The Cure promoted action on behalf of Prof. Bandazhevsky during their concerts and via their website. Read more. »
2005-08-05

Ignatius Mahendra Wardhana and Yoyok Eko Widodo: Indonesia: Ignatius Mahendra Wardhana and Yoyok Eko Widodo were released on August 17 and July 26, 2005, respectively. Both young men had been sentenced for insulting the President and Vice-President in 2003 for their role in a demonstration protesting government policies. Ignatius Mahendra Wardhana and Yoyok Eko Widodo's case featured in AIUSA's Holiday Action special focus cases in 2004.
2005-07-26

Former Chair of Amnesty International Nepal Released from Prison: Krishna Pahadi.
"I want to give special thanks to everyone at Amnesty International," he said in a phone call to AI staff. "I wrote many letters for prisoners of conscience [in the past], but now I realize how important it is." In an email on July 17 he wrote: " . . . Later I heard that Ai USA alone sent 37400 letters to different authorities of Nepal. Such pressure created [a] different environment and the present regime of Nepal could not [be]sustained , thats why I am taking fresh breath out side prison now."

Nepal: Five months of intense action by Amnesty International activists paid off on July 4 when veteran human rights defender Krishna Pahadi, founding chairman of Nepal's Human Rights and Peace Society, and former chair of AI Nepal, was set free from the Nepali prison where he had been held since February 9. As he was released, a police official gave him a box of more than 200 letters and postcards sent by AI supporters around the world, and told him that hundreds more had been received at the detention center. AIUSA activists alone sent over 37,400 appeals on his behalf! Krisha Pahadi's case has been a major focus of AIUSA's work and is a great victory!
2005-07-05

Rebiya Kadeer – Special Focus Case: Rebiya greeted with flowers (© AI)
"We are beyond happy. We have waited for this moment for five and a half years and want to thank everyone who worked toward this joyful day."
– Akida Rouzi, one of Rebiya Kadeer's daughters

China: Amnesty International is happy to report that Rebiya Kadeer was released from prison on March 17. Rebiya Kadeer is a successful businesswoman who was jailed for her efforts to publicize discrimination and human rights violations against China's Uighur minority. Read more »
2005-03-17

Prisoner of Conscience, Camilo Mejía Castillo, released!: "I want to thank all the people and all the organizations who have supported my family and me throughout this most difficult time in our lives. I am now free from prison, but it was because of all of you that I remained a free man during my incarceration. I was not able to read all the mail that was sent, in part because prison rules did not allow it, and in part because I received thousands upon thousands of letters from all over the world. In time I will read all of them, and I will answer as many as I can. From the bottom of my heart, and on behalf of my family, my attorneys, and myself, thank you all."

USA: Camilo Mejía Castillo, a U.S. National Guardsman jailed for refusing to return to service in Iraq for reasons of conscience, was released from prison on February 15, 2005, before the completion of his one-year sentence. Castillo's case formed part of AIUSA's holiday action focus cases in 2004.
2005-02-05

Father Ly – Special Focus Case: © Private
Viet Nam: Amnesty International is happy to report that Father Ly was released from prison on February 1, 2005, as part of a general amnesty to mark Tet, the Lunar New Year. More than 8,000 prisoners were reportedly included in the amnesty, although few political prisoners benefited from it. In addition to Father Ly, Amnesty International has confirmed the release of three other prisoners of conscience -- Dr. Nguyen Dan Que, Thich Thien Minh, and Nguyen Dinh Huy. Each of these men had been the subject of action by AIUSA.
2005-02-01

ZIMBABWE - Women of Zimbabwe Arise! (WOZA): "I am alive today because the international community, through Amnesty International, through the media, have heard about our work. Amnesty International helped us to amplify our voice, and they gave us incredible protection. When we're there in the police cells, and we know that someone has got the message saying we're arrested, we know that something is happening."

Zimbabwe: Jenni Williams' case was one of the focus cases for Amnesty International 2004 Holiday Action.
2005-01-01

Leyla Zana – Special Focus Case: © Private
Turkey: Leyla Zana and three other parliamentarians were released from prison on June 9, 2004 by order of a Turkish appeals court. Amnesty International USA championed Leyla Zana's case through the Casework Program's Special Focus Case project. More than 400 AIUSA groups in the Northeast Region, and many others around the country, have campaigned intensively for the release of Zana and her colleagues. » Read more
2004-06-09

Tunisian Prisoner of Conscience Released: Former prisoner of conscience Zouheir Yahiaoui
"I thank everybody for what they have done for me. I like what Amnesty International does. There are so many prisoners who suffer in Tunisian prisons. The work of Amnesty International's members is good and it is important."

Tunisia: Following a relentless national and international campaign, Tunisian prisoner of conscience Zouheir Yahiaoui was conditionally released from prison on November 18, 2003. When he returned home, he found out from his family and through the internet that he had received immense international support.

Prisoner of conscience Zouheir Yahiaoui had been on hunger strike in protest at his continued detention. He is the former operator of TUNeZINE, an independent Internet website. He was arrested on June 4, 2002 in Ben Arous in the outskirts of Tunis and taken to the Ministry of the Interior, where he was allegedly tortured by security officers. He was convicted on charges of "spreading false information" and "misuse of telecommunication lines" and sentenced to two years' imprisonment in July 2002.
2004-01-09

Five Political Leaders in Gabon Thank AI Members: Gabon: Hughes Bessacque, Brice Obanda, Gervais Amogo, Abdul Allogo Mintsa, and Pascal Nkoulou, five members of the Gabonese opposition party Bongo Doit Partir (BDP), Bongo Must Go (or BDP-Gabon Nouveau), were released on October 1, 2003, after three months of detention. They have been reunited with their families and are generally in good health, although they did suffer some health problems during their imprisonment. They had been charged with threatening state security and insulting the head of state. Most, if not all, of them were released without charge. In a press release BDP-Gabon Nouveau's leader thanked members of Amnesty International and others for having put pressure on the government, as this was a factor in their release.
2003-10-16

Amnesty International USA

Prisoners of Conscience – Casework Program

Success Stories!