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Belarus Releases 52 Political Prisoners After Meeting With U.S. Officials in Minsk

Belarusian state media reported that citizens of Lithuania, Poland, Latvia, France, Germany and Britain were among the prisoners released.

Russian Political Prisoner Dies in Belarusian Jail

Andrei Podnebenny is thought to be the ninth political prisoner to have died in Belarus since 2020, according to the rights group Viasna.

Russia Has 1,500 Political Prisoners. Their Art Is Now on Display in Europe.

Rights advocates collected artwork made by political prisoners for the Prisoners of Conscience installation at Artists Against the Kremlin.

Navalny’s Widow Urges Trump and Putin to Strike Prisoner Swap Deal in Alaska

Navalnaya has called for the freeing of Russian political activists and journalists as well as Ukrainian citizens trapped in the Russian penal system. ...

opinion Lilia Chanysheva

A Letter to Those Who Can Save Political Prisoners in Russia

The worst thing for prisoners is to be forgotten. Because in that case, the chances of release become very slim.

Russian Prisons Restrict Inmates' Access to Foreign Books and Language Materials – Reports

Inmates across Russia have reported bans on works by foreign authors, language study materials and even mainstream novels.

opinion Denis Mikhailov

The Kremlin Finally Acknowledged Russia Holds Political Prisoners. That’s a Big Step.

Moscow used to say that political prisoners were common criminals. But the acknowledgement that they exist has an ulterior motive.

A Russian Photographer Shared Public Info on Soviet Bunkers. He’s Now in Prison for Treason.

Grigory Skvortsov, a photographer from Perm known for his striking images of industrial landscapes, was sentenced to 16 years in prison.

Belarus Opposition Leader Tsikhanouski Freed From Jail

His wife Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya said the United States helped broker the deal and thanked U.S. President Donald Trump personally.

Belgorod Court Sentences Activist Who Helped Ukrainian Refugees to 22 Years in Prison

Nadezhda Rossinskaya’s Army of Beauties volunteer initiative claims to have helped 25,000 people in occupied Ukraine between 2022 and 2023.

Silence or Jail: Teens Targeted in Russia’s Wartime Political Crackdown

Schoolchildren who voice anti-war views are increasingly pressured, from teachers reporting them to the authorities and interrogations to being jailed...

Jailed Reporter Ponomarenko Launches Second Hunger Strike Over Prison Conditions

Maria Ponomarenko started the hunger strike on Sunday after prison authorities refused to install a privacy screen for the toilet in her isolation cell...

Far East Court Rules to Keep Anti-Putin Shaman in High-Security Psychiatric Facility

Alexander Gabyshev was arrested in 2019, months after announcing he would travel to Moscow by foot to “exorcize” Vladimir Putin.

Alla Gutnikova: ‘Dictatorships End, Walls Fall and Prisons Burn’

The ex-DOXA editor discusses resistance, repression and her difficult journey to freedom.

Jailed Journalist Ponomarenko Receives New Sentence for Alleged Assault on Prison Guards

Maria Ponomarenko was first convicted in 2023 for publishing reports on Russia’s bombing of a theater in Mariupol, Ukraine.

Journalist Ponomarenko’s Last Word in Court: ‘I've Never Seen as Much Violence as I Have in Jail’

Maria Ponomarenko, who was imprisoned for posts about the Russian bombing of a theater in Mariupol, Ukraine, accused the penitentiary system of abuse and...

Russia’s First Imprisoned War Critic Gorinov Added to ‘Terrorist and Extremist’ List

Alexei Gorinov, a former Moscow councilor, was sentenced to seven years in prison in July 2022 for spreading “fake news” about the military.

Activists, Artists to Stage Charity Performance for Young Russian Political Prisoners

“Foreign Agent Mulder” is described as an evening of music, film, literature and conversation to raise awareness of and support for young political...

Far East Court Overturns Release of Anti-Putin Shaman From Psychiatric Facility

Prosecutors had appealed a lower court’s December ruling to move Alexander Gabyshev to a less restrictive hospital, his lawyer said.

Russian Prosecutors Seek New Sentence for Imprisoned Journalist Ponomarenko

State prosecutors are seeking a two-year prison sentence for Siberian journalist and activist Maria Ponomarenko on charges of assaulting prison guards...

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