Displaying items by tag: political prisoners

More than a hundred people held as political prisoners in Venezuela have been freed, according to the human rights group Foro Penal (FP). Among them were FP lawyer Kennedy Tejeda and communications student Juan Francisco Alvarado. Tejeda, a lawyer and human rights defender, had disappeared after visiting detainees in Carabobo state on 2 August 2024 to provide legal assistance, and had since been held in Tocorón prison. While welcoming his return to his family, FP also urged the government to publish official release lists. Acting president Delcy Rodríguez promised to release prisoners detained under Nicolás Maduro following his refusal to concede the 2024 presidential election. She said this marked the beginning of a ‘new political moment’ which allowed greater political and ideological diversity. According to FP, there were 777 political prisoners in Venezuelan jails as of 19 January.

Last year Vietnam passed a cybersecurity law requiring social media sites to remove any content requested by the government. Of the 128 political prisoners in jail, approximately 10% were jailed over alleged Facebook posts. Nguyen Nang Tinh, a 43-year-old Christian music teacher, has been sentenced to eleven years in prison on charges of propaganda against the state in Facebook posts. On 17 September, police officially closed the investigation and set a court date. On 17 November he was sentenced by the courts, a month later than originally scheduled. He was charged with ‘fabricated, preserved and disseminated information, materials and objects with the aim of opposing the Socialist Republic of Vietnam’. The posts in question were made under a Facebook account with the same name, though Tinh has repeatedly claimed that it is not his.

In a surprise move, Hailemariam Desalegn, the Ethiopian prime minister, has announced the release of political prisoners and the closure of a notorious detention centre, allegedly used as a torture chamber. He said the move was designed to allow political dialogue. It is still unclear exactly who will be released or when it will happen. Ethiopia is accused by rights groups of using mass arrests to stifle opposition. Amnesty International welcomed Mr Hailemariam's announcement, saying it could signal ‘the end of an era of bloody repression in Ethiopia’.