#SetThemFree Song Contest
Announcement: #SetThemFree song contest winner After receiving almost 1,500 votes, we are pleased to announce the winner of the #SetThemFree song contest. The winning song is “Barricades of Hate #SetThemFree”,…
June 6, 2016: Prominent Activists Zainab Al-Khawaja & Khadija Ismayilova Set Free After International Pressure
…are encouraging to the international community, oppressive governments continue to intimidate activists and many political prisoners remain behind bars. The Set Them Free campaign urges the release of opposition leader…
SPOTLIGHT: AZERBAIJAN
…once again raised human rights concerns with the government of Azerbaijan. Though the government accepted recommendations for human rights education, equality measures, free speech and free association, it “regulated for…
Set Them Free The Story – 2015
EURASIA
…in prison, completing the full length of his sentence. Mehman Huseynov is a well-known anti-corruption blogger and photojournalist in Azerbaijan and the Chairman of the Institute for Reporters’ Freedom and…
Political Prisoners’ Global Map
…Free campaign and is not endorsed by the National Endowment for Democracy. The Set Them Free campaign has taken all reasonable efforts, including using multiple sources, to verify the accuracy…
AFRICA
…State after completing his reduced sentence of three and a half years. Tesfaye was arrested in December 2015 after posting comments critiquing the government on Facebook. He was charged with…
Zeynab Jalalian
…(later commuted) by the Supreme Court in November 2009 on the charges of “enmity with God” and cooperation with the Party of Free Life of Kurdistan (PJAK). UPDATE: Zeynab Jalalian…
DEMOCRACY ALERTS
…Standards that commits them to carry out coordinated diplomatic actions, whenever it is necessary, to support the space of civil society. Under these commitments, we ask the diplomatic community to:…
#SetThemFree Campaign Welcomes the Release of Belarusian Political Prisoner Eduard Palchys
…serving in jail over politics.” Join the #SetThemFree Campaign in expressing solidarity with political prisoners around the world by learning their stories here. Original #SetThemFree Advocacy Facebook Post for Palchys:…
May 18, 2015: Global Campaign to Help Release Political Prisoners Launched
Every day, governments introduce restrictive laws and policies that shrink civic space and people’s ability to live free and meaningful lives. As a consequence, pro-democracy activists are coming under increased…
Befeqadu Hailu
…9 bloggers were awarded the International Press Freedom Award from the Committee to Protect Journalists. Hailu has worked as a journalist since 2009 and won the Burt Award for African…
Gerardo Carrero
…subway stopped passing over his head. His mistreatment caused him to despair so much that he tried to commit suicide three days after arriving. While in La Tumba, Gerardo developed…
December 17, 2015: #SetThemFree Campaign Updates
Ethiopia: As of mid-October, all Zone 9 Bloggers have been acquitted and released from detention. Though many may regard this as a victory for freedom of expression, let the experience…
June 9, 2015: Nicolas Maduro – It’s Time to #SetThemFree!
…will be simultaneously blasted on 100+ social media profiles: “I stand with #Venezuela political prisoners. Join me in telling #NicolásMaduro – it’s time to #SetThemFree!” With the #SetThemFree Campaign, we…
June 23, 2015: Campaign Victory for Political Prisoners in Venezuela
…political prisoners. Join me in telling #NicolasMaduro – it’s time to #SetThemFree!” The #SetThemFree Campaign aims to bring awareness to the struggle of countless individuals unjustly imprisoned for challenging oppressive…
Mahlet Fantahun
…the International Press Freedom Award from the Committee to Protect Journalists. Fantahun received her degree in Applied Mathematics. She seeks to foster civic engagement by posting critical comments on social…
TAKE ACTION
…POST your stories and photos of political prisoners and use the hashtag #SetThemFree in your social media posts. E-MAIL your friends about the campaign. UPLOAD #SetThemFree campaign graphics to your…
Fuad Ahmadli
AZERBAIJAN / Detained August 18, 2016 Fuad Ahmadli is the head of Youth Committee of Azerbaijan Popular Front Party Khatai District Branch. Shortly after he helped organize an opposition demonstration,…
Mehman Huseynov
…fundamental freedoms of democracy are freedom of expression, freedom of media, freedom of assembly, property rights, etc. These freedoms and rights are restricted in Azerbaijan. Sometimes, you see people’s rights…
Azerbaijan Targets Father of Political Prisoner
…“conducting an unauthorized operative-search” shortly after helping to organize an opposition protest. Learn more about Fuad’s story here and share this Tweet to alert your community about Zafar’s unreasonable detention….
Denis Solís Gonzalez
…the group and to pressure them into cancelling their concert for freedom in Cuba. As recently as November 7, a police officer briefly entered Solís’ home without his consent or…
Abel Wabela
ETHIOPIA / Detained April 25, 2014 Abel Wabela has been set free on October 16, 2015! UPDATE October 16, 2015: After 539 days in prison, Abel Wabela was released from…
SPOTLIGHT: NICARAGUA
…World Movement Steering Committee member and Member of European Parliament Ana Gomes spearheaded the passage of a strongly worded non-binding resolution in the European Parliament. The resolution called for “‘targeted…
Nathnael Feleke
ETHIOPIA / Detained April 25, 2014 Natnael Feleke has been set free on October 16, 2015! UPDATE October 16, 2015: After 539 days in prison, Natnael Feleke was released from…
Nabeel Rajab
…Rajab to five-years in prison for his tweets criticizing Bahrain’s prison conditions and condemning Saudi Arabia’s role in the war in Yemen. Rajab will now complete the rest of his…
Atnaf Berahane
ETHIOPIA / Detained April 25, 2014 Atnaf Berhane has been set free on October 16, 2015! UPDATE October 16, 2015: After 539 days in prison, Atnaf Berhane was released from…
Zelalem Kibret
ETHIOPIA / Detained April 25, 2014 Zelalem Kibret has been set free on July 8, 2015! Zelalem Kibret is a lawyer and a lecturer at Ambo University who co-founded Zone…
Ismail Alexandrani
…Washington, D.C. The World Movement for Democracy joined the Egyptian human rights community, Human Rights Watch, and Committee to Protect Journalists in calling for Alexandrani’s release. Lend your voice and…
Irlanda Jerez
…a common charge for those who participated in protests. Her husband, a lawyer, notes that those convicted of common offences—including fraud and swindling—are jailed separately from those accused of criminal…
Azerbaijani Journalist Mehman Huseynov Imprisoned
…of a company. Mehman has documented the deteriorating political freedoms in Azerbaijan through powerful photographs that captured the world’s attention, and received the Norwegian Nobel Institute’s Press Prize. In 2012,…
Ilgar Mammadov
…pretrial detention, but his candidacy was thwarted after the Central Election Commission claimed that 4,982 of the 41,247 signatures gathered in support of his candidacy were invalid—placing him below the…
Edom Kassaye
ETHIOPIA / Detained April 25, 2014 Edom Kassaye has been set free on July 9, 2015! Edom Kassaye is a journalist who had served as a reporter for various media…
Tesfalem Weldeyes
ETHIOPIA / Detained April 25, 2014 Tesfalem Weldeyes has been set free on July 8, 2015! Tesfalem Weldeyes, a journalist who worked as a freelancer for Addis Standard and many…
Asemamaw Hailegiorgis
ETHIOPIA / Detained April 25, 2014 Asemamaw Hailegiorgis has been set free on July 8, 2015! Asemamaw Hailegiorgis, a journalist with information technology background, was arrested on April 25, 2014….
Reeyot Alemu
ETHIOPIA / Detained April 25, 2014 Reeyot Alemu has been set free on July 9, 2015! Reeyot Alemu, a journalist who regularly contributed to weekly newspaper Féteh and a high…
July 23, 2015: #SetThemFree Campaign Updates
…in this exclusive interview for the #SetThemFree campaign. Also, 16 U.S. Senators expressed their concerns on the diminishing space for both civil society and the freedom of press within Azerbaijan….
Zeynab Jalalian
…in July 2007. On 26 November 2009 the Supreme Court confirmed her death sentence on charges of “moharebeh (enmity with God),” and “cooperation with Party For Free Life of Kurdistan…
Amal Fathy
…regime. The group was banned in 2014 by the government of Abdel Fattah al-SiSi. She is currently a member of the Egyptian Commission for Rights and Freedoms (ECRF)—an NGO that…
Seymur Hazi (Haziyev)
…a bus stop during his commute to work. Authorities subsequently arrested him on charges of “hooliganism,” asserting that he had attacked and beat a Baku resident. Although Seymur’s lawyers maintained…
Khadija Ismayilova
…the fine, the government assigned her 200 hours of community service by sweeping the streets. After Khadija turned her community service into a public campaign called “Sweeping for Democracy,” the…
Yeimi Varela
…For 20 years, Yeimi Varela worked as the night watchman for the headquarters of Humano y Libre (“Human and Free”) and Un Mundo sin Mordaza (“A World without Silencing”), two…
Mikalai Statkevich
BELARUS / Detained May 26, 2012 Mikalay Statkevich has been set free on August 22, 2015! UPDATE: On April 10, 2019, Mikalai Statkevich was handed 15 days of detention for…
Rauf Mirkadirov
…the European Union released statements condemning Rauf’s detention. While in prison, Rauf suffered myriad health problems. He reported struggling with eye problems, issues with his blood pressure, and constant headaches….
ASIA
…Nhat VIETNAM Detained January 26. 2019 Truong Duy Nhat is a journalist who regularly contributes to Radio Free Asia and runs an independent blog Mot Goc Nhin Khac (Another Point…
September 23, 2016: Cuban Authorities’ Escalate Violent Assaults on Civil Society
On September 23, 2016, police authorities raided the headquarters of Cuban Legal Information Center (CUBALEX) and confiscated computers, hard drives, USB drives and cell phones. Cuban activist Kirenia Yalit stated:…
SPOTLIGHT: CUBA
…Patriotic Union of Cuba (UNPACU), the Cuban Commission for Human Rights and National Reconciliation (CCDHRN) continue to demand improvements from the government, fundamental freedoms, including freedom of peaceful assembly, freedom…
Chinese Authorities Detain Activists for Posting Pro-Democracy Content Online
On May 27, 2016, Chinese authorities detained seven activists in Beijing, and the Sichuan Province, after a photograph was posted online showing six of them calling for the commemoration of…
ABOUT
Join the movement. Stand with political prisoners. Help #SetThemFree. Every day, governments introduce restrictive laws and policies that shrink civic space and people’s ability to live free and meaningful lives….
María del Carmen Cala Aguilera
…47 verified political prisoners provided by the Cuban American National Foundation to President Raul Castro, who had promised to set political prisoners free if provided a list of their names….
Anar Mammadli
…Anar’s arrest, including the High Commissioner of the European Union, the US Ambassador to Azerbaijan, the UK Foreign Minister, and the UN Special Rapporteur for the Freedom of Peaceful Assembly…
MIDDLE EAST & NORTH AFRICA
…was originally sentenced to death (later commuted) by the Supreme Court in November 2009 on the charges of “enmity with God” and cooperation with the Party of Free Life of…
Hisham Kassem
Egypt / Detained September 16, 2023 UPDATE: Hisham Kassem was released from prison on February 20, 2024, after completing his 6-month sentence. On September 16, 2023, an Egyptian court sentenced…
Truong Duy Nhat
…he was “abusing democratic freedoms.” The government has also targeted Nhat, alongside several other dissidents, by “remov[ing] personal computers, cell phones, and other material from their respective homes and/or offices.”…
LATIN AMERICA & THE CARIBBEAN Copy
…Mantilla was a student studying Communications in Caracas. Mantilla. Founder of the movement Pro-Inclusion, he was arbitrarily arrested due to his activities promoting the equal rights of the LGBTI community….
Thailand’s Constitutional Referendum Passes Amidst Crackdown on Freedom of Expression
On August 7, 2016, the Asian Network for Free Elections (ANFREL) monitored Thailand’s local polling stations for the 2016 Thailand constitutional referendum, despite being refused accreditation by the country’s government….
Ilkin Rustamzade
…from 15 days of administrative detention for his involvement in organizing a peaceful gathering to commemorate victims on the anniversary of a 2009 shooting at the Azerbaijani State Oil Company….
Yonatan Tesfaye
…were freed mid-February, but his release was delayed after he refused to sign a “pardon” statement that required him to admit guilt to his charges. He was finally set free…
Afgan Mukhtarli
…in exile. In a Global Voices interview a week after his release, Mukhtarli thanked the international community for its continued pressure on the Azerbaijani administration during his time in prison….
Yon Goicoechea
…the national board of Voluntad Popular and the transitional government of Juan Guaido, president of the National Assembly. He continues to fight for his dream of a “democratic, free, independent…
Le Quoc Quan
VIETNAM / Detained in 2007 and 2013 UPDATE: Le Quoc Quan has been set free on June 27, 2015! A day after his release, he set down for an interview….
Burma’s Telecommunications Law Threatens Freedom of Expression & Used to Imprison Activists
…defamation cases against Burmese citizens, despite heavy criticism from local free speech advocates. Click here to join us in sharing this story and asking the government of Burma to #SetThemFree!…