Prisoner of conscience

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Aung San Suu Kyi was an Amnesty International-recognized prisoner of conscience from 1989-1995, from 2000-2002, and from 2003-2010.[1]
File:Demonstration to demand release prisoners of conscience.jpg
A demonstration to demand the Chinese government release all prisoners of conscience

Prisoner of conscience (POC) is a term defined in Peter Benenson's 1961 article "The Forgotten Prisoners" often used by the human rights group Amnesty International. It can refer to anyone imprisoned because of their race, 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.

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".[2]

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.

Under British law, Amnesty International was classed as a political organisation and therefore excluded from tax-free charity status.[3] 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.[4]

Amnesty International has, since its founding, pressured governments to release those persons it considers to be prisoners of conscience.[5] 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.[6]

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.[7]

Current prisoners of conscience

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

References

  1. ^ "Burma releases pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi". BBC News. 13 November 2010. Retrieved 14 November 2010.
  2. ^ Peter Berenson (28 May 1961). "The Forgotten Prisoners". The Observer. Retrieved 28 May 2011.
  3. ^ Hopgood, Steven (2006). Keepers of the Flame: The Understanding Amnesty International. Cornell University Press. p. 70.
  4. ^ "About Us". Prisoners of Conscience Appeal Fund. Retrieved 22 April 2011.
  5. ^ "History of Organization". The Nobel Foundation. 1977. Retrieved 22 April 2011.
  6. ^ "Human Rights and the Dirty War in Mexico by Kate Doyle". National Security Archive. 11 May 2003. Retrieved 22 September 2009.
  7. ^ "Freed China prisoner reaches US". BBC News. 18 March 2005. Retrieved 22 May 2010.
  8. ^ "Blogger Imprisoned for Speaking Out". Amnesty International. 16 November 2011. Retrieved 7 March 2012.
  9. ^ "International Community Must Act on Azerbaijan Crackdown". Amnesty International. Retrieved 26 December 2011.
  10. ^ "Bahrain: Further Information: Woman Activist Re-arrested in Bahrain". Amnesty International. 13 February 2012. Retrieved 2 March 2012.
  11. ^ "Bahrain must release woman activist convicted for listening to 'revolutionary' music". Amnesty International. 30 January 2012. Retrieved 30 January 2012.
  12. ^ "Urgent Action: Canadian Sentenced After Protest" (PDF). Amnesty International. 24 January 2012. Retrieved 2 February 2012.
  13. ^ "Further Information on UA 79/11 (18 March 2011) and follow-ups (23 March 2011; 12 April 2011) – Prisoners of conscience/ Risk of Torture" (PDF). Amnesty International. 20 April 2011. Retrieved 18 April 2011.
  14. ^ "BANGLADESH: MEMORANDUM TO THE CARETAKER GOVERNMENT OF BANGLADESH AND POLITICAL PARTIES". Amnesty International. January 2008. Retrieved 18 April 2011.
  15. ^ "Jailed Belarusian Activist Faces Review For 'Closed Regime'" (in Belarusian). Radio Free Europe. 16 January 2012. Retrieved 16 January 2012.
  16. ^ "Amnesty International considered Ales Belyatsky prisoner of conscience". Radio Liberty. 12 August 2011. Retrieved 17 January 2012.
  17. ^ a b c d e f "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.
  18. ^ "Andrzej Poczobut więźniem sumienia Amnesty International". Amnesty International. 15 April 2011. Retrieved 25 April 2011.
  19. ^ "Burundi: Free Activist Who Spoke Out". Amnesty International. 9 February 2012. Retrieved 2 March 2012.
  20. ^ "Cameroonian man jailed for homosexuality". Amnesty International. 3 June 2011. Retrieved 7 June 2011.
  21. ^ "Equatorial Guinea: Human Rights Defender Falsely Arrested". Amnesty International. 2 March 2012. Retrieved 5 March 2012.
  22. ^ a b c d e "Annual Report: Equatorial Guinea 2010". Amnesty International. 28 May 2011. Retrieved 16 January 2012.
  23. ^ a b c d "Eritrea: Prisoners of conscience held for a decade must be released". Amnesty International. 15 September 2011. Retrieved 26 December 2011.
  24. ^ "Annual Report 2011". Amnesty International. 2011. Retrieved 28 May 2011.
  25. ^ "Ebrima Manneh". Amnesty International. Retrieved 17 April 2011.
  26. ^ "INDIA: CHHATTISGARH AUTHORITIES MUST IMMEDIATELY RELEASE PRISONER OF CONSCIENCE KARTAM JOGA". Amnesty International. 1 November 2010. Retrieved 17 April 2011.
  27. ^ "Indian human rights activist Binayak Sen to be released on bail". Amnesty International. 15 April 2011. Retrieved 17 April 2011.
  28. ^ "India: Release Soni Sori on International Women's Day". Amnesty International. 7 March 2012. Retrieved 7 March 2012.
  29. ^ a b c d e f g "Prisoners of Conscience". Amnesty International. Retrieved 18 April 2011.
  30. ^ "UA 05/10 Prisoner of conscience" (PDF). Amnesty International. 7 January 2010. Retrieved 18 April 2011. [dead link]
  31. ^ a b "Urgent Action: Increasing concerns for safety of Goudarzi". Amnesty International. 30 September 2011. Retrieved 1 January 2012.
  32. ^ "Abdollah Momeni, prisoner of conscience". Amnesty International. Retrieved 18 April 2011. [dead link]
  33. ^ "Urgent Action: Prisoner taken from cell at risk of torture". Amnesty International. 11 March 2011. Retrieved 7 January 2012.
  34. ^ Banks, Adelle M. (2011-09-28). "Iranian Pastor Youcef Nadarkhani's potential execution rallies U.S. Christians". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on 2011-10-07. Retrieved 2011-10-05. Religious freedom advocates rallied Wednesday (Sept. 28) around an Iranian pastor who is facing execution because he has refused to recant his Christian faith in the overwhelmingly Muslim country. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  35. ^ "MANSOUR OSSANLU, PRISONER OF CONSCIENCE". Amnesty International. Retrieved 18 April 2011.
  36. ^ "About the Prometheus Project". American Repertory Theater. 15 February 2011. Retrieved 16 May 2011.
  37. ^ "Further information on UA 197/10 (9 September 2010)" (PDF). Amnesty International. 19 January 2011. Retrieved 18 April 2011. [dead link]
  38. ^ "Heshmatollah Tabarzadi (m), aged 53, journalist" (PDF). Amnesty International. 6 April 2011. Retrieved 18 April 2011.
  39. ^ "Amnesty: Leftist writer Qatamesh a prisoner of conscience". Amnesty International. 12 November 2010. Retrieved 17 April 2011.
  40. ^ "Kyrgyzstan: Further Information: Prisoner of Conscience on Brink of Death: Azimzhan Askarov". Amnesty International. 12 November 2010. Retrieved 17 April 2011.
  41. ^ "Free Moroccan journalist Rachid Nini". Amnesty International. 10 June 2011. Retrieved 26 December 2011.
  42. ^ "Document – North Korea: Summary of Amnesty International's Concerns (section 2.2 Shin Sook Ja and her daughters)". Amnesty International. January 1994. Retrieved 27 September 2011.
  43. ^ Gillian Wong (23 Decemeber 2011). "China sentences rights activist Chen Wei to nine years in jail". The Independent. Retrieved 7 January 2012. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  44. ^ "CHINA: TIBETAN FILM-MAKER MAY FACE UNFAIR TRIAL, DHONDUP WANGCHEN". Amnesty International. 17 July 2009. Retrieved 22 May 2011.
  45. ^ "Uighur teacher extradited to China on politically motivated 'terror' charges". Amnesty International. 15 June 2011. Retrieved 27 December 2011.
  46. ^ "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.
  47. ^ "CHINA: TORTURE FEARS FOR TIBETAN PRISONER: JIGME GYATSO". Amnesty International. 10 January 2011. Retrieved 18 April 2011.
  48. ^ "FREE PRISONER OF CONSCIENCE NOBEL PEACE PRIZE WINNER LIU XIAOBO" (PDF). Amnesty International. Retrieved 18 April 2011. [dead link]
  49. ^ "MAO HENGFENG: HUMAN RIGHTS DEFENDER". Amnesty International. Retrieved 18 April 2011.
  50. ^ a b "Russian businessmen declared prisoners of conscience after convictions are upheld". Amnesty International. 24 May 2011. Retrieved 24 May 2011.
  51. ^ "Opposition Leader Held for Protest Attempt" (PDF). Amnesty International. 13 December 2011. Retrieved 26 December 2011.
  52. ^ "Saudi Arabia: Trial of Riyadh protester 'utterly unwarranted'". Amnesty International. 2012-02-22. Archived from the original on 2012-02-24. Retrieved 2012-02-24. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help); Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  53. ^ "Death penalty fear for Tweeter facing forcible return to Saudi Arabia from Malaysia". Amnesty International. 2012-02-10. Archived from the original on 2012-02-10. Retrieved 2012-02-10.
  54. ^ "Saudi Arabia: Man might face death penalty for tweets: Hamza Kashgari". Amnesty International. 2012-02-13. Archived from the original on 2012-02-24. Retrieved 2012-02-24. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help); Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  55. ^ "Further information on UA 266/10 (23 December 2010) – Prisoner of conscience/Unfair trial" (PDF). Amnesty International. 27 January 2011. Retrieved 17 April 2011. [dead link]
  56. ^ "Release Syrian prisoner of conscience 'Ali al-'Abdullah". Amnesty International. 4 February 2011. Retrieved 26 December 2011.
  57. ^ "Urgent Action- Health Concerns for Detained Syrian Activist - Shibal Ibrahim". Amnesty International. 24 January 2012. Retrieved 28 January 2012.
  58. ^ "Syria: activists forced into hiding by threats". Amnesty International. 6 May 2011. Retrieved 7 May 2011.
  59. ^ Pravit Rojanaphruk (14 May 2011). "Amnesty International names Thailand's first 'prisoner of conscience'". The Nation. Retrieved 14 May 2011.
  60. ^ "Turkey: Turkish Human Rights Defender Imprisoned". Amnesty International. 24 February 2012. Retrieved 2 March 2012.
  61. ^ "Prominent Vietnamese activist jailed over democracy calls". Amnesty International. 5 April 2011. Retrieved 17 April 2011.
  62. ^ "Urgent Action : Le Cong Dinh, human rights lawyer: arrested". Retrieved 2009-06-21.
  63. ^ "VIETNAMESE AUTHORITIES MUST RELEASE DR. NGUYEN DAN QUE". Amnesty International. 28 February 2011. Retrieved 17 April 2011.
  64. ^ "VIET NAM: FURTHER INFORMATION: CATHOLIC PRIEST RISKS BEING RETURNED TO PRISON: FATHER NGUYEN VAN LY". Amnesty International. 9 February 2011. Retrieved 17 April 2011.

External links

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