2 August 2024 – We welcome the news that Vladimir Kara-Murza, Evan Gershkovich, Alsu Kurmasheva, Ilya Yashin, and other political prisoners have been released by the Russian authorities as a part of a multi-country prisoner swap deal. This deal ensured that these political prisoners were released from their unjust detention from Russia.
Kara-Murza, Gershkovich, and Kurmasheva are all journalists who were detained by the Russian authorities. Arrests of journalists by authoritarian states has become an increasing trend. The detention of journalists shows that authoritarian leaders are terrified of a free press, of transparency, and of the media shining a light on their activities.
Not only are attacks on journalism on the rise, but the number of political prisoners around the world is also on the rise. In Hong Kong alone, there are now over 1800 political prisoners. This is an outrageous figure and more must be done to pressure the Hong Kong authorities to release them.
Hong Kong is also holding a British citizen in detention, Jimmy Lai. A former newspaper owner and pro-democracy campaigner, he has been held for over three and half years for speaking out against the CCP and the Hong Kong authorities.
We welcome any efforts from democratic governments around the world, to work together and cooperate in any strategy to support one another to release political prisoners.
Mark Sabah, Director of the Committee for Freedom in Hong Kong (CFHK) Foundation said:
“I am delighted that Vladimir Kara-Murza and others have been released. No one should be held in detention on sham charges by a corrupt legal system. Their lives and the lives of their friends and family have been devastated by these outrageous show trials. The British Government should now re-double every possible effort to ensure that British citizen, Jimmy Lai, should be released from his own unjust imprisonment in Hong Kong.
The amount of work that has been done by the U.S. authorities and others to free the 16 prisoners from Russia, shows that simply sitting by, raising his name and hoping for the best, is not a credible strategy. We urge the British Government to ensure that Jimmy Lai is returned immediately to the United Kingdom.”
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