Latest news with #politicalprisoner
Yahoo
a day ago
- General
- Yahoo
Tanzanian politician's lawyers ask UN to declare his detention arbitrary
Lawyers for Tanzania's jailed opposition leader Tundu Lissu filed a complaint on Friday to the United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention in a bid to ramp up international pressure for his release. Lissu, chairman of Tanzania's main opposition party and runner-up in the 2020 presidential election, was arrested last month and charged with treason, a capital offence, over comments he is alleged to have made calling on supporters to prevent national elections in October from going ahead. Tanzania's government spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment. While President Samia Suluhu Hassan has won plaudits for easing political repression, she has faced questions about unexplained abductions of government critics in recent months. Hassan, who will stand for re-election in October, has said her government respects human rights and ordered an investigation into the reported abductions. Lissu's international lawyer, Robert Amsterdam, said the confidential complaint to the UN working group, which issues opinions but has no enforcement power, was part of a wider pressure campaign. The European Parliament this month adopted a resolution denouncing Lissu's arrest as politically motivated, and Amsterdam said he would petition the US State Department to impose sanctions. "Right down to prosecutors, judges, police - all the people that are involved in this false show trial had better be aware that they should protect their US assets," Amsterdam told Reuters. Read more on RFI EnglishRead also:Kenya slammed as 'rogue state' over Ugandan opposition leader kidnapKenyan politician, lawyer for Tanzania opposition leader arrestedTension high in Tanzania ahead of opposition leader's 'treason' trial
The National
3 days ago
- General
- The National
Former Egyptian presidential hopeful Ahmed Tantawi released from prison after serving one-year sentence
Former Egyptian presidential hopeful Ahmed Tantawi has been released from prison after serving a one-year sentence for offences related to the 2023 presidential election, his lawyer said. 'Tantawi is now at his home' in the Nile Delta city of Kafr El Sheikh, said the lawyer, Khaled Ali. Mr Tantawi, a former member of parliament and vocal critic of President Abdel Fattah El Sisi, had sought to challenge the incumbent in the 2023 presidential vote. However, he and 22 of his campaign staff were convicted of 'circulating unauthorised election materials'. Rights lawyers said at the time that the charge was part of tactics employed by the authorities to prevent serious challengers from running against Mr El Sisi, who went on to win with a landslide 89.6 per cent of the vote. Mr Tantawi, 45, had accused authorities of stymying his effort to gather the 25,000 official endorsements required under the law to enter the race. In response, he allowed supporters to fill out 'popular endorsement forms' – copies of the official forms – an improvisation that prosecutors later branded electoral fraud. In the end, Mr Tantawi could not collect the required 25,000 endorsements, managing only 14,000, and he subsequently withdrew his candidature. The 2023 election gave Mr El Sisi a third, six-year term in office. Under the constitution, the Egyptian leader, who is 70, is now serving his final term. Mr Tantawi's release from prison on Wednesday night may not be the end of his legal troubles. Last month, he was questioned in connection with two other cases. Prosecutors accused him of 'inciting a terrorist act' and 'inciting a public gathering' for allegedly calling for demonstrations against the war in Gaza in October 2023. He has denied the accusations.
Forbes
4 days ago
- General
- Forbes
Fearless Leadership In The Face Of Tyranny: Lessons From Leopoldo López
Leopoldo López's body may have been imprisoned, but he was never silenced. His voice is a beacon, and his life is a blueprint for leading with humility, purpose, and gratitude. getty There are some conversations that shift your perspective—and others that completely shake you. My recent conversation with Leopoldo López did exactly that. As I listened to his story of resistance, resilience, and unwavering conviction, I couldn't help but reflect on what true leadership looks like—especially in a world where it's often overpromised and underdelivered. As an economist with degrees from Harvard and Kenyon College, he could have chosen a different path. Instead, he chose one of purpose. Leopoldo chose to be the voice of the people who elected him, and was persecuted for it. That decision would eventually cost him his freedom and nearly his life. By advocating for democracy in the face of a corrupt autocratic regime, he knew that he was putting his life at risk. And when the time came, he faced it head-on, voluntarily surrendering himself to save the lives of the people who elected him. That moment alone speaks volumes. Leopoldo wasn't playing a political game. He wasn't trying to win votes. He was standing for something bigger than himself. And in that act—turning himself in to face unjust charges—he reminded the world that real leadership is about conviction, not comfort. It's about standing in the fire and choosing principle over popularity. Throughout our conversation, I was struck by how calmly he described what most of us would consider unendurable: years in solitary confinement, knowing he was locked up for doing what was right. And yet, rather than breaking him, it amplified his mission. His solitude became a crucible. What emerged wasn't bitterness, but vision and, of all things, gratitude. Then he said something that absolutely blew my mind. In solitary confinement and at the height of his despair, he said this very matter-of-factly: 'I only pray for gratitude.' Yes! He was grateful for the bird that sat near the barred window of his cell. He was grateful for the scraps of food that were thrown at his feet, and he was even grateful for solitary confinement. He believes that people pray for one of three things. Some pray for things they want. Some pray to avoid things they don't want. And a few—like Leopoldo—pray for gratitude. That kind of grit, mental toughness, and leadership that we rarely see today. In healthcare, I have learned that resilience is a key leadership quality necessary to endure the ever-changing landscape. But Leopoldo reminded me that resilience isn't just about weathering adversity—it's about embracing it. It's about taking your pain, your isolation, your setbacks, and being grateful that they are there to fuel the mission. Even now, living in exile, separated from his country and many of his loved ones, Leopoldo still speaks of service. Of community. Of values. He still believes in building, not tearing down. That kind of leadership is rare. It's fearless. And it's needed now more than ever. Leopoldo's story reminded me why I started my podcast in the first place: to learn from those who choose to impact the world no matter what stands in their way. Leopoldo López's body may have been imprisoned, but he was never silenced. His voice is a beacon, and his life is a blueprint for leading with humility, purpose, and gratitude. If you haven't heard the episode yet, I invite you to listen with an open heart. His story might challenge you, but it will also inspire you to show up more fully in your own life. Because leadership isn't about titles or power or influence, it's about impact. And Leopoldo López is living proof.
Telegraph
6 days ago
- Politics
- Telegraph
Lucy Connolly is in prison where she belongs. But free speech truly is under attack elsewhere
Last October, Lucy Connolly was jailed for 31 months for putting up a post on X. The dismissal of her appeal this week has provoked a chorus of complaints about the suppression of free speech by the courts. Her appeal was supported by the Free Speech Union. She has been portrayed as a free speech martyr and even as a political prisoner. I have been a vocal supporter of freedom of speech and a critic of the many ways in which it is currently under attack. But I shall not waste any sympathy on Mrs Connolly. What she did was a serious offence. After learning that three children had been murdered in a knife attack at a holiday club at Southport, and believing (wrongly) that the murderer was an immigrant, she wrote: 'Mass deportation now. Set fire to all the f-ing hotels full of the bastards for all I care.' English law has generally been on the side of freedom of expression. But it has always drawn the line at threatening language which is likely to provoke a breach of the peace. To be criminal, words had to be 'threatening', i.e. inflammatory and intended or likely to stir up hatred against vulnerable categories of people. This limitation on our freedom to write or say what we think is not new. It has been embodied in statute since 1936. At common law it is much older than that. It is perfectly rational. A person's rights always have to be qualified at the point when they conflict with the rights of others. You cannot use your right of free speech to expose other people to violence. If a rabble-rouser stood on a soap-box in front of a howling mob and urged them to head for the nearest immigration hostel and burn it down, this point would be obvious. Doing it on social media is worse because the reach of social media posts in much greater. Its algorithms thrust words like Mrs Connolly's under the noses of people who are already likely to agree. The internet can whip up a howling mob in minutes. Mrs Connolly soon regretted her post and deleted it three and a half hours later. But in the short time that it was up it was viewed 310,000 times and reposted 940 times. It was one of a number of wild statements on the internet following the Southport murders which provoked serious riots across England and violent attacks on mosques and immigration hostels. That was why her repentance did not count for much by way of mitigation. Protests about her fate risk discrediting the free speech movement and distracting attention from the real threats which the current state of our law poses to freedom of expression. The most serious threat to freedom of expression is not the public order offence for which Mrs. Connolly was convicted. It is the growing number of statutory provisions and police practices which attempt to suppress opinions that make other people cross but have no impact on public order. Over the past thirty years the Public Order Act 1986, which is the basic statutory code, has been amended to add ever broader kinds of 'hate crime' to the criminal calendar. Words may now be criminal if they are 'abusive' or 'insulting' even if they are not threatening and put no one in danger. This marks a significant move towards censorship. 'Non-crime hate incidents' are a further move in the same direction. They are not even criminal offences, but are simply incidents which the police are administratively directed to record. They will show up on enhanced criminal record checks and may stop people getting jobs. Yet there is no legal basis whatever for NCHIs. Action against them has simply been adopted as a practice by the police. Because they have no legal basis, they have no legal definition either. The vagueness of the whole concept means that in reality action depends on the discretion of individual police officers. This is not a proper function for a statutory public service. The job of the police is to enforce the criminal law, not to regulate behaviour which is perfectly lawful but loutish, offensive, politically incorrect or contrary to received opinion. The problem is made worse by the way that prosecutors and the police interpret 'hate crimes' and 'hate incidents'. They have agreed on a definition of their own devising, which covers anything 'perceived by the victim or any other person' to be motivated by hostility or prejudice. In other words, they have adopted a subjective definition dependent on the feelings of the victim and not on an objective assessment of the conduct of the perpetrator. Extraordinarily, the current guidance issued by the College of Policing declares that 'the victim does not have to justify or provide evidence of their belief, and police officers or staff should not directly challenge this perception. Evidence of the hostility is not required for an incident to be recorded as a hate crime or non-crime hate incident.' Thus the police have arrested Christian preachers for their street sermons and parents engaged in a dispute with their daughter's school. They have recorded as 'hate incidents' gender-critical tweets, tweets critical of the police, accidental damage done by schoolchildren to a copy of the Koran, and even speeches by ministers proposing restrictions on immigration. Harry Miller, who was visited by the police at his workplace and questioned about his gender-critical tweets, took the police to court. Their conduct, the judge said, offended against a 'cardinal democratic principle'. 'In this country,' he said, 'we have never had a Cheka, a Gestapo or a Stasi. We have never lived in an Orwellian society.' As a matter of history, the judge was right. The British state has not in the past penalised words, however objectionable or offensive, unless they were a threat to the peace. It should not be doing so now.
Daily Mail
22-05-2025
- Politics
- Daily Mail
Supporters of British-Egyptian activist jailed in Cairo hit out at Keir Starmer at 'lack of concrete progress' after PM pledged to do everything to get him released
More than 100 Parliamentarians have signed a letter calling for the PM to take urgent action to secure the release of a British man who has been a political prisoner in Egypt for a decade. Alaa Abd el Fattah, 43, who has dual citizenship, has been imprisoned in Wadi El Natrun prison in Cairo after being arrested for his activist work in support of democracy and human rights in the country. His supporters this week hit out at Sir Keir Starmer for a 'lack of concrete progress' as his plight was brought up in the Commons again on Wednesday, after the PM previously promised to do everything possible to secure his release. Mr Abd el Fattah was jailed on terrorism charges in 2019 following a social media post about torture which saw him repost a claim that a fellow prisoner had died. He has been in prison for the best part of the last decade after his arrest in the aftermath of a military coup in 2013. His family had hoped he would be released at the end of his five-year sentence in September 2024, but unusually, the Egyptian government has kept him incarcerated, refusing to count his time on remand as part of his sentence. During his detention he has regularly been on hunger strike, often joined by his mother Laila Soueif, 68, who lives in the UK. The family's supporters are now piling the pressure on Starmer to intervene and secure Mr Abd el Fattah's release, citing serious concerns over the health of Ms Soueif, who has been on hunger strike since September, and Mr Abd el Fattah, who has been on hunger strike for more than 80 days. The letter states: 'We write with mounting concern about the lack of concrete progress on Alaa's case, more than two months after your call with President Sisi. 'Time is in desperately short supply in this case. Alaa has been acutely unwell in prison, experiencing vomiting, stomach pains, dizziness and blurred vision. 'Meanwhile, Laila's health continues to deteriorate. She has not eaten proper food for more than seven months. 'Prime Minister, we remain gravely concerned about the implications for Alaa's family if the path to resolve his case and secure his release cannot be found very soon. 'There is also no doubt in our minds that if the health of Laila or Alaa is further damaged by this ordeal, this would have serious long-term implications for the British-Egyptian bilateral relationship. 'We urge you to deploy every tool at your Government's disposal at this vital stage. We offer our support to your efforts on behalf of Alaa and his family in any way needed.' It was organised by the All Party Parliamentary Group on Arbitrary Detention and Hostage Affairs, which is currently chaired by the SNP's Brendan O'Hara. MPs who signed the letter included Diane Abbott, Iain Duncan Smith, Layla Moran, Jeremy Corbyn and Nadia Whittome. Ms Soueif's loved ones said in April that they were concerned she was 'dying in slow motion' after being on hunger strike for more than 200 days. She was admitted to St Thomas' hospital in London in February and received a glucose drip which is thought to have saved her life, and she was discharged after agreeing to consume 300 calories per day. Her nephew Omar Robert Hamilton said at the time: 'Three hundred calories a day is not enough to sustain life, her muscles are being eaten away. It's like she is dying in slow motion.' She is said to be so weak that she can no longer stand upright. The mother carries out a daily 'sit-in' where she sits outside Downing Street holding signs and photos of her son. Starmer spoke with the Egyptian President on February 28 and 'pressed for his release', Downing Street said. Foreign Secretary David Lammy then also spoke to his counterpart on April 9. Independent MP John McDonnell raised Mr Abd el Fattah's case during PMQs on Wednesday: 'I want to thank the Prime Minister for fulfilling his promise to contact President Sisi of Egypt to secure Alaa's release. 'But unfortunately, months on now, and Alaa remains in prison, and Laila, this week, has started her hunger strike again. Can I appeal to him to speak directly again to President Sisi to secure Alaa's release?' Sir Keir replied: 'Can I thank him for raising this, not just today, but on the many occasions that he has, it is incredibly important that we do everything we can.
