Political prisoners in the United States

History of political imprisonment in the United States

Criminology and penology

Theory

* Anomie
* Biosocial criminology
* Broken windows
* Collective efficacy
* Crime analysis
* Criminalization
* Differential association
* Deviance
* Expressive function of law
* Labeling theory
* Psychopathy
* Rational choice
* Risk and actuarial criminology
* Social control
* Social learning
* Strain
* Subculture
* Symbolic interactionism
* Victimology
* Secondary victimisation
* Victim blaming

Types of crime

* Against
* Humanity
* Person
* State
* Class
* Blue-collar
* White-collar
* Cold case
* Perfect
* Corporate
* Hate
* Immigrant
* International
* Juvenile
* Organized
* Political
* Public-order
* State
* State-corporate
* Transnational
* Victimless
* War
* Narcotic slavery

Methods

* Comparative
* Profiling
* Ethnography
* Uniform Crime Reports
* Crime mapping
* reform
* sentencing
* Crime statistics
* Positivist school
* Qualitative
* Quantitative
* BJS
* NIBRS

Penology

|  Crime prevention

* Corrections
* Denunciation
* Deterrence
* Incapacitation
* Sentence
* Trial
* Prison
* Prisoner
* Solitary confinement
* Punishment
* Rehabilitation
* Recidivism
* Zero tolerance

Criminal justice

* Participatory
* Restorative
* Retributive
* Right to an effective remedy
* Utilitarian
* Transformative
* Prison reform
* abolition
* open
* Prisoner abuse
* Prisoners' rights
* Victims' rights

Schools

* Anarchist
* Chicago
* Classical
* Conflict
* Critical
* Environmental
* Feminist
* Integrative
* Italian
* Law and order
* Marxist
* Neo-classical
* Populist
* Positivist
* Postmodernist
* Realism
* Left
* Right

Subfields

* American
* Anthropological
* Biosocial criminology
* Conflict
* Criminology
* Culture
* Cyber
* Demography
* Development
* Environmental
* Experimental
* Organizational
* Political
* Public
* Radical criminology

Browse

* Index
* Journals
* Organizations
* People

* v
* t
* e

Throughout its history and into the present, the United States has held political prisoners, people whose detention is based substantially on political motives.

Prominent US political prisoners have included anti-war socialists, civil rights movement activists, conscientious objectors, and War on Terrorism detainees.

## History

[edit]

"Political prisoner" is an inherently vague term which is most commonly applied to people persecuted for their political beliefs or for their "threat" to the government.[1]

Imprisonment for mere expression of political beliefs is rare in the modern United States, because free speech and free expression are well-established in law.[2] This was not always the case. For example, the Smith Act (1940) allowed trial and imprisonment of dozens of Communist Party USA leaders for advocating the overthrow of the United States government. This prosecution was only halted by Yates v. United States (1957).

Human rights groups such as Amnesty International argue that, despite these speech protections, US federal and state governments have repeatedly targeted people affiliated with dissident movements for "neutralization" by applying much harsher sentences for real or "framed" crimes, such as during COINTELPRO.

The US has recognized conscientious objection to military service since its founding.[3] However, the US only recognizes blanket objection to all wars, and does not recognize objection to specific wars, which is included in the UDHR's "right to refuse to kill".[4] Many prisoners have been objectors to specific wars (such as World War I, the Vietnam War, the Gulf War, or the Iraq War).

## Scope

[edit]

A 1989 pamphlet titled "Face Reality" from Freedom Now! features the faces of 48 alleged political prisoners[5]

There are no systematic estimates of the present or past scope of political prisoners in the United States. The number of political prisoners cannot be precisely determined.[6] However, Jane Taubner wrote in 1992 that "most of the individuals and organizations investigating the existence of political prisoners in the United States agree that there are a minimum of over 100 political prisoners in America".[6]

During a July 1978 interview with French newspaper Le Matin de Paris, Ambassador to the United Nations Andrew Young caused controversy when he said: "We still have hundreds of people that I would categorize as political prisoners in our prisons. Maybe even thousands, depending on how you categorize them."[7][8]

In 1988, Peggy Halsey, a senior member of the United Methodist Church General Board of Global Ministries,[a] wrote about inmates of the High Security Unit in FMC Lexington and claimed that "over 100 other inmates are recognized as political prisoners by their respective movements for social change".[6][9]

In 1990, various left-wing groups supported the Freedom Now! coalition[b] and organized a "Special International Tribunal" (or "1990 Tribunal")[c] on political prisoners in the US. The 1990 tribunal was inspired by the 1951 We Charge Genocide petition and modeled on the 1966 Russell Tribunal on Vietnam.[5] Freedom Now! alleged that there are "more than 100 people locked up in U.S. prisons because of their political actions or beliefs".[6][10] The 1990 Tribunal reached the verdict that political people "have been subjected to disproportionately lengthy prison sentences and to torture, cruel, inhumane and degrading treatment within the U.S. prison system."[11]

Left-wing groups have often argued that mass incarceration in the United States itself represents a form of political imprisonment, given that the "convict class" overwhelmingly come from working class and other marginalized backgrounds. This view was especially popular in some radical prison populations in the 1970s.[12]: 152

## Early notable alleged political prisoners

[edit]

The concepts of "political prisoner" and "prisoner of conscience" were underdeveloped until the post-World War II era, which saw the creation of intergovernmental and international human rights groups like the United Nations Commission on Human Rights (1946) and Amnesty International (1961). The prisoners below were arrested before or during this era:

Silent Sentinels picketing the White House

* Alice Paul (imprisoned 1917), a feminist, was incarcerated for peacefully picketing for women's suffrage. Paul explicitly described herself as a political prisoner in efforts that led to the 19th Amendment.[13] Other feminists arrested for picketing for women's suffrage led the 1919 Prison Special train tour.

Debs speaking in Canton, Ohio, in 1918, before his arrest for sedition

* Eugene Debs (imprisoned 1919–1921), an anti-war socialist, was convicted of 10 counts of sedition. On September 18, 1918, he was sentenced to ten years in prison and life disenfranchisement.[14][15] On April 13, 1919, Debs was imprisoned; protests of his imprisonment lead to the May Day riots of 1919. While in prison, he ran for president in the 1920 election, receiving 919,799 votes (3.4 percent) the highest number of votes for a Socialist Party presidential candidate in the United States.[16] On May Day 1919, protests of Debs's imprisonment led to the Cleveland May Day riots of 1919, after which the Socialist Party offices in Cleveland were looted and burned.
* Sacco and Vanzetti (imprisoned 1921–1927), both anarchists, were convicted and executed for murdering two people during an armed robbery. Kathlyn Gay includes them in a list of "political prisoners" and quotes Massachusetts Governor Michael Dukakis as saying "their trial and appeals were permeated by prejudice against foreigners and hostility toward unorthodox political views".[13]
* Angelo Herndon (imprisoned 1933–1937), an African-American labor organizer and member of the American Communist Party, was convicted of insurrection after leading a large peaceful demonstration of unemployed black and white workers in Atlanta.[17] The day after the demonstration, Angelo was arrested and was found in possession of communist publications. Fulton County Prosecutor John Hudson charged Angelo with "inciting an insurrection" under an 1861 slave statue that made the possession or distribution of seditious literature punishable by death. Hudson proclaimed that Herndon's trial was also a trial "of Lenin, Stalin, Trotsky and Kerensky, and every white person who believes that black and white should unite for the purpose of setting-up a Nigger Soviet Republic in the Black Belt". An all white jury found Angelo guilty and was sentenced to 18–20 years.[18] Angelo won an appeal and was released on bail in December 1934. The Georgia Supreme Court later upheld the original conviction and he had to return to prison in October 1935. In April 1937, the U.S. Supreme Court heard the case and ruled in favor of Angelo in a 5–4 decision, striking down the Georgia insurrection for violation of the First Amendment.[19]
* Julius and Ethel Rosenberg (imprisoned 1951–1953), spies for the Soviet Union, were the first Americans to be executed for espionage. Gay includes them in a list of political prisoners, in part because of their excessive sentence: "No other convicted spy — not even Rudolph Abel, the Soviet Union's chief spymaster in the United States — was executed by the United States during the entire Cold War".[13]

King was arrested in 1963 for protesting the treatment of black people in Birmingham.[20]

* Martin Luther King Jr., a civil rights activist, was never imprisoned for an extended period of time, but he was arrested 29 times between 1956 and 1964.[21][22][23] He is often named as a prisoner of conscience for his nonviolent opposition to racial segregation in the United States.[24]
* Rosa Parks (arrested 1956), a civil rights activist, is commonly named as a prisoner of conscience for her civil disobedience to Montgomery bus segregation.[24] In the 1970s, Parks organized for the freedom of political prisoners in the United States, particularly cases involving issues of self-defense.[25] She helped found the Detroit chapter of the Joanne Little Defense Committee, supported other prisoner's defense committees, and supported the Wilmington Ten, RNA 11, and Gary Tyler.[26][27] When Angela Davis was acquitted, Parks introduced her to an audience of 12,000 as a "dear sister who has suffered so much persecution".[26][28]

## Prisoners highlighted by Amnesty International

[edit]

Main article: List of Amnesty International-designated prisoners of conscience

Amnesty International is an INGO founded to oppose violations of human rights. Amnesty International has named the following people and groups as prisoners of conscience or political prisoners in the United States:

Painting of Martin Sostre by Jerry Ross[29]

* Martin Sostre (imprisoned 1967–1976) was arrested at his bookstore for "narcotics, riot, arson, and assault", later proven to be fabricated as part of COINTELPRO.[30] Amnesty International wrote that Sostre "was falsely implicated because of his political activities".[31] Sostre's bookstore promoted Black nationalism, internationalism, and anarchism.
* Imari Obadele (imprisoned 1973–1978), as part of the RNA 11, was convicted of conspiracy to assault a federal agent.[32] Amnesty International wrote that it "appears that the real reason for Mr Obadele's imprisonment is his political activity as leader of a black independence movement".[33]
* The Wilmington Ten[d] (imprisoned 1976–1980) were convicted of arson and conspiracy for the firebombing of a white-owned business.[34][35] Amnesty International adopted the Ten because they were "denied a fair trial",[36] because "their prosecutions were politically motivated and that their convictions were the result of false testimony".[33]
* Charlotte Three[e] (imprisoned 1977–1979) were convicted of arson of a white-owned business.[35][37] Amnesty International adopted the Three for the same reasons as the Wilmington Ten.[33]
* US military conscientious objectors to the Gulf War: By September 1991, Amnesty International had adopted 25 prisoners of conscience who conscientiously objected to the Gulf War.[38] In their 1995 report, Amnesty gave the full number as 30 prisoners of conscience.[2] In particular, Amnesty International named George Morse (imprisoned 1991–1992)[39] and Yolanda Huet-Vaughn (imprisoned 1991–1992).[40]

Ehren Watada in uniform, before his OTH discharge for refusing to deploy to Operation Iraqi Freedom[41]

Amnesty International has identified multiple American conscientious objectors to the Iraq War who have either been imprisoned or are seeking refuge, notably in Canada, for their resistance. These individuals include:

* Camilo Mejía (imprisoned 2004–2005)[42]
* Abdullah William Webster (imprisoned 2004–2005)[43]
* Kevin Benderman (imprisoned 2005–2006)[44]
* Mark Wilkerson (imprisoned 2007)[45]
* Agustin Aguayo (imprisoned 2007)[46]
* Victor Agosto (imprisoned 2009)[4]
* Travis Bishop (imprisoned 2009)[47]
* Kimberly Rivera (imprisoned 2012–2013)[48]
* Jeremy Hinzman (seeking refuge in Canada)[49]
* Matthew Lowell (seeking refuge in Canada)[50]
* James Corey Glass (seeking refuge in Canada)[51]
* Dean Walcott (seeking refuge in Canada)[52]
* Ehren Watada (OTH discharged)[53]

Amnesty International has highlighted the following people and groups as recipients of extensive inhumane treatment and/or wrongful or "framed" convictions, who may be considered political prisoners:

* Geronimo Ji-Jaga Pratt (imprisoned 1972–1997), a prominent member of the Black Panther Party, was convicted of murder (now vacated).[54] In 1995, Amnesty International argued that evidence came to light after the trial that "Pratt had been targeted for 'neutralization' by COINTELPRO and suggested there had been misconduct by the FBI and state police in the prosecution of the case".[2]
* The Angola Three[f] were convicted of robbery and/or bank robbery, sent to Angola prison. While in prison, the Angola Three became prominent Black Panther Party members. They were later convicted of prison murders[55] and faced near-continuous solitary confinement for decades, in the "longest period of solitary confinement in American prison history".[56][57][58]
* Mumia Abu-Jamal (imprisoned 1981–present): Though Amnesty International concluded that his conviction proceedings violated the "minimum international standards that govern fair trial procedures and the use of the death penalty", but they did not describe Abu-Jamal as a political prisoner.[59] In August 1999, when Abu-Jamal began giving radio commentary live on Pacifica Network's Democracy Now! radio news, prison staff severed the connecting wires of his telephone in mid-performance.[60] The World Socialist Web Site described Abu-Jamal as a "political prisoner".[61]
* Gary Tyler (imprisoned 1975–2016) was convicted of first-degree murder as a sixteen-year old, despite no physical evidence.[62] In 1994, Amnesty International highlighted several major inconsistencies in the police investigation and ineffective assistance of counsel.[63] In 2007, Amnesty International said Tyler's trial was "fundamentally unfair".[64]
* Food Not Bombs: Amnesty International never formally named Keith McHenry or Robert Kahn as prisoners of conscience. However, in 1994, AI noted that "the law may have been used to harass and arrest these individuals because their activities" of "distributing free food to poor and homeless people and disseminating literature" are "unpopular with the City administration".[65] In 1996, AI suggested that Kahn "may be a prisoner of conscience".[66]
* Mazen Al-Najjar (imprisoned 1997–2000), on the basis of secret evidence, was detained indefinitely on suspicions of links to Palestinian terrorist groups.[67] If Al-Najjar was "being held purely for his non-violent political sympathies and background, then he would be considered a prisoner of conscience".[68]

## Prisoners considered by the Working Group on Arbitrary Detention

[edit]

The Working Group on Arbitrary Detention (WAGD) is a United Nations body which examines alleged cases of arbitrary imprisonment. Arbitrary imprisonment is substantially broader than political imprisonment, as it also includes all cases where non-arbitrary legal processes failed for non-political reasons. The WAGD has considered the detention of the following individuals to be arbitrary on multiple categories:

FBI wanted poster for Leonard Peltier[69]

* Leonard Peltier (imprisoned 1977–2025) was convicted on two counts of murder of FBI agents during a shootout on Pine Ridge Indian Reservation.[70] Amnesty International explicitly does not call Peltier a prisoner of conscience, but "believes that political factors may have influenced the way in which the case was prosecuted".[71] In 2005, the WAGD found that the "deprivation of Mr. Leonard Peltier is not arbitrary",[72] but in 2022 reversed that decision and found that Peltier's imprisonment was arbitrary on Category III (unfair trial) and Category V (discrimination) grounds.[73] Peltier was a prominent member of the American Indian Movement.
* Marcos Antonio Aguilar-Rodríguez (imprisoned 2011–2017) fled El Salvador to the United States in 2001, where he sought asylum. He was arrested for speeding, but was ultimately placed in custody of ICE, who sought to deport him.[74] The WAGD found that Aguilar-Rodríguez's imprisonment was arbitrary on Category II (human rights), Category IV (prolonged custody of migrants), and Category V (discrimination).[75]
* Fernando Aguirre-Urbina (imprisoned 2012–2019) was brought to the United States as an undocumented minor at age 3. He pled guilty to intent to distribute meth and marijuana, served 8 months, and was released to ICE detention for 7 years.[76] The WAGD found that Aguirre-Urbina's detention was arbitrary under all five categories.[77]

Oil pollution in Lago Agrio, November 2007, which Donziger described in 1993 as "what honestly looked like an apocalyptic disaster"[78]

* Steven Donziger (imprisoned 2019–2022): Donziger, who had pursued a series of legal cases against Chevron Corporation, was placed under house arrest for contempt of court.[79] The WAGD found that Donziger's house arrest was arbitrary on Category I (no legal basis), Category III (unfair trial), and Category V (discrimination).[80]
* The Cuban Five[g] (imprisoned 2001–2014) were convicted of espionage on Cuban-American groups for the government of Cuba. The WAGD found that their imprisonment was arbitrary on Category III (unfair trial), due to extended solitary confinement (17 months), limited access to evidence (under CIPA), and biased jury selection (anti-Cuban-government sentiment in Miami).[81]
* Benamar Benatta (imprisoned 2001–2006) is a refugee from Algeria whose status was revoked soon after the September 11 attacks.[82] Despite having been cleared of suspicions of terrorist activities by the FBI, Benatta was held in detention for nearly five years.[82] The WAGD said that Benatta's treatment "could be described as torture" and found that his detention was arbitrary on Category I (no legal basis) and Category III (unfair trial).[83]
* Humberto Álvarez Machaín (imprisoned 1990–1992) was accused of participating in the drug cartel-linked torture of Kiki Camarena and abducted to the United States. Alvarez Machaín was acquitted in 1992.[84] The WAGD found that Alvarez Machaín's imprisonment was arbitrary on Category I (no legal basis).[85] Álvarez Machaín's abduction eventually led to the 1992 Supreme Court decision United States v. Alvarez-Machain.

## Later notable alleged political prisoners

[edit]

Because the term "political prisoner" is vague, there is disagreement on who should be included by that term.[1] The people below prominently described themselves (or were described by other prominent people) as political prisoners:

27 soldiers at Presidio stockades "mutiny" in sit-down protest to protest the murder of one of their own

* Presidio 27 (mostly imprisoned 1968–1970), conscripted soldiers during the Vietnam War, were convicted of mutiny for their sit-down protest after the killing of another stockade prisoner by military police. In 1968, three prisoners fled to Canada. One, Keith Mather, was caught and imprisoned from 1980 to 1985. His lawyer called him "the last prisoner of conscience from the Vietnam War".[86]
* Fred Hampton (imprisoned 1969), a local chairman of the Black Panther Party, was convicted of assaulting a Good Humor ice cream van driver, stealing $71 worth of ice cream bars, and giving them to kids on the street.[87][88] In a memoir, Frank B. Wilderson III places this incident in the context of COINTELPRO efforts to disrupt the Black Panthers of Chicago by the "leveling of trumped-up charges".[89] In 1969, Hampton was killed in his sleep by Cook County police officers. Civil rights activists Roy Wilkins and Ramsey Clark, styled as "The Commission of Inquiry into the Black Panthers and the Police", alleged that the Chicago police had killed Hampton without justification or provocation and had violated the Panthers' constitutional rights against unreasonable search and seizure.[90] "The Commission" further alleged that the Chicago Police Department had imposed a summary punishment on the Panthers.[91]
* Angela Davis (imprisoned 1970–1972): Davis, a Marxist and activist, assisted the Soledad brothers, three inmates who were accused of killing a prison guard at Soledad Prison,[92] in purchasing several of the firearms they would use in the attack, and was found to have been corresponding with one of the inmates involved.[93][94] Since California considers "all persons concerned in the commission of a crime, ... whether they directly commit the act constituting the offense, or aid and abet in its commission, ... are principals in any crime so committed", Davis was charged with "aggravated kidnapping and first degree murder in the death of Judge Harold Haley", and Marin County Superior Court Judge Peter Allen Smith issued a warrant for her arrest. On August 18, four days after the warrant was issued, the FBI director J. Edgar Hoover listed Davis on the FBI's Ten Most Wanted Fugitive List.[95] Soon after, Davis became a fugitive and fled California, but FBI Agents found her on October 13, 1970.[96]
* Richard Wershe Jr. (imprisoned 1987–2021) was an FBI informant who was convicted of possession of over 650 grams of cocaine.[97] The film White Boy describes Wershe as a "political prisoner" who received harsh sentences for informing on several Detroit representatives.[98][99]
* Lyndon LaRouche (imprisoned 1988–1994): LaRouche was convicted of conspiracy to commit mail fraud.[100] LaRouche's attorney called the conviction politically motivated, while the judge in question said the idea that LaRouche's organization was a sufficient threat to warrant this "just defies human experience."[100] The LaRouche movement, which mixes far-left and far-right rhetoric, and which The New York Times calls "cult-like",[101] has claimed that LaRouche is a political prisoner and appealed to the United Nations Commission on Human Rights for relief;[102] the WAGD did not consider his case.

Chelsea Manning said she gave WikiLeaks video of the "Collateral Murder" July 12, 2007, Baghdad airstrike in early 2010.[103][104]

* Fred Hampton Jr. (imprisoned 1991–2001): An activist like his father, was convicted of aggravated arson during the 1992 Los Angeles riots, a six-day period of protests and outrage in response to the acquittal of four LAPD officers who were charged with excessive force in the beating of Rodney King during an arrest.[105]
* Chelsea Manning (imprisoned 2010–2017) was convicted of leaking classified information on US military activities to WikiLeaks.[106]
* Edward Snowden (charged in 2013, never imprisoned) was charged on June 14, 2013, for leaking highly classified information from the National Security Agency (NSA), which showed that NSA had a global & domestic spy network.
* Paul Manafort (imprisoned 2019–2020) describes himself as a "political prisoner" for his conviction in the Mueller special counsel investigation.[107]
* People sentenced to prison for alleged involvement with the January 6 United States Capitol attack have been called political prisoners by InfoWars and Tucker Carlson, as well as several Republican members of Congress.[108] Citing poor conditions, 34 prisoners published a letter that requested a transfer to Guantanamo Bay[109] in which 7 signers called themselves "political prisoners".[110]
* Enrique Tarrio, chairman of the Proud Boys neo-fascist militant organization, was sentenced on September 5, 2023, to 22 years in prison for seditious conspiracy. Tarrio created the Proud Boys' "Ministry of Self Defense", which coordinated attacks on January 6 Capitol attack and celebrated them afterward, with Tarrio writing: "Make no mistake. We did this."[111][112] Congresspeople including Matt Gaetz, Marjorie Taylor Greene and Louie Gohmert have argued that Tarrio is a political prisoner.[113][114][115] On January 20, 2025, Tarrio was pardoned by President Trump. Tarrio said he wanted "retribution" against those responsible for his incarceration.[116][117]
* Stop Cop City (charged 2023): In March 2023, Amnesty International co-signed a letter which said that "application of the domestic terrorism statute" against 19 of the 35 arrested March 2023 protestors "is an escalatory intimidation tactic and a draconian step that seems intended to chill First Amendment protected activity".[118]
* Mahmoud Khalil (arrested 2025), a pro-Palestine activist studying at Columbia University, was detained at his home on March 8, 2024.[119] Fourteen US Congresspeople signed a letter calling him a political prisoner, including Rashida Tlaib, Ilhan Omar, Summer Lee, and Delia Ramirez.[120]

## See also

[edit]

* Prisoners' rights and the Prisoners Rights Union
* MKUltra, COINTELPRO, and the Church Committee
* Political abuse of psychiatry, including 5150 (involuntary psychiatric hold)
* Communications Management Unit (CMU)
* Prison abolition movement and Anarchist Black Cross
* Rasul v. Bush and the Center for Constitutional Rights
* National Lawyers Guild
* International Labor Defense and National Committee for the Defense of Political Prisoners
* Partisan Defense Committee
* Prison Radio
* 1970 Folsom Prison strike and Attica Prison riot
* Political Repression in Modern America

## Endnotes

[edit]

1. ^ Full title: Executive Secretary of the Ministries with Women and Families in Crisis National Program Division of the United Methodist Church General Board of Global Ministries
2. ^ Full organization name: "Freedom Now! The Campaign for Amnesty and Human Rights of Political Prisoners in the U.S."
3. ^ Full tribunal name: "Special International Tribunal on the Violation of Human Rights of Political Prisoners and Prisoners of War in United States Prisons and Jails"
4. ^ Full list: Benjamin Chavis, Connie Tindall, Marvin Patrick, Wayne Moore, Reginald Epps, Jerry Jacobs, James McKoy, Willie Earl Vereen, William Wright, Jr., Ann Shepard.
5. ^ Full list: Thomas James Reddy, James Grant, and Charles Parker
6. ^ (Robert Hillary King (imprisoned 1972–2001), Herman Wallace (imprisoned 1972–2013), Albert Woodfox (imprisoned 1972–2016)
7. ^ Full list: Antonio Guerrero Rodriguez, Fernando González Llort, Gerardo Hernández Nordelo, Ramón Labanino Salazar, René González Sehwerert

## References

[edit]

1. ^ a b Forsythe, David P. (Spring 1976). "Political Prisoners: The Law and Politics of Protection". Vanderbilt Journal of Transnational Law. 9 (2). Archived from the original on February 28, 2023. "A government may regard a person as a threat to its security and detain him under a law that has nothing to do with security, such as income tax laws, or immigration laws. United States former Attorney General Richard Kleindienst has said: "There is enough play at the joints of our existing criminal law-enough flexibility-so that if we really felt that we had to pick up the leaders of a violent uprising, we could. We could find something to charge them with and we would be able to hold them that way for a while." Hence, many political prisoners are detained under non-security laws. [....] There is an analytical "fuzziness" because reasonable men can honestly differ on the subject. Perhaps the classic example of difficulty is determining whether conscientious objectors are political prisoners under any approach. Also, many legal prosecutions can be viewed as persecution in defense of excessive governmental claims to security, depending upon one's point of view as to the normal extent of human rights. A case in point concerns differing views on the permissibility of joining an opposition political party. Finally, any violation of law may be said to threaten the security of a government if such violation becomes widespread throughout society."
2. ^ a b c "United States of America: Human rights violations: a summary of Amnesty International's concerns". Amnesty International. March 1, 1995. Archived (PDF) from the original on February 21, 2023. "The right to freedom of thought and expression is well-established in US law. Nevertheless, Amnesty International has worked on behalf of prisoners of conscience in the USA, most recently in 1991–1992 when it campaigned for the release of more than 30 military personnel imprisoned for their conscientious objection to the Gulf War."
3. ^ Churchill, Robert Paul (1996). "Conscientious Objection". In Donald K. Wells (ed.). An Encyclopedia of War and Ethics. Greenwood Press. pp. 99–102\. ISBN 0313291160.
4. ^ a b "USA: War objectors' freedom of conscience must be respected". Amnesty International. August 6, 2009. Archived from the original on February 23, 2023. "US law recognizes the right to conscientious objection only on grounds of opposition to all war in any form. Thus, soldiers who object to serving in a particular war currently have no way of legally registering for exemption on this ground. Some have their applications for conscientious objection refused; others, knowing such applications to be futile, go "absent without leave"."
5. ^ a b Meyer, Matt (2008). Let Freedom Ring: A Collection of Documents from the Movements to Free U.S. Political Prisoners (PDF). Kersplebedeb. ISBN 978-1-60486-035-1. Archived (PDF) from the original on February 22, 2023.
6. ^ a b c d Taubner, Jane (1992). "Political Prisoners in the United States". New England Journal on Criminal and Civil Confinement. 18 (1&2): 63–90.
7. ^ DeRoche, Andrew (2003). Andrew Young: Civil Rights Ambassador. Rowman & Littlefield. ISBN 0-8420-2956-7. "In a July 10 interview with the French paper Le Matin, the am- bassador again offered a very detailed and impressive analysis of African affairs. He discussed an incredible range of conflicts, from the ubiquitous Southern Rhodesian war to the relatively obscure French intervention in Chad. Overall, he was optimistic about the Carter administration's foreign policy. When discussing the Soviet Union and its treatment of dissident Jews, however, he commented, "We still have hundreds of people that I would categorize as political prisoners in our prisons." He was referring mainly to the arrests of civil rights activists like himself in the 1960s and the jailings of people for protesting the Vietnam War. He added that most of these demonstrators attained freedom quickly and that the legal system of the United States was preferable to those of other countries. Nonetheless, his one sentence about "political prisoners" in the midst of a lengthy and overwhelmingly pro-American interview sparked intense controversy in Washington."
8. ^ "July 24, 1978 Vol. 124, Part 17 — Bound Edition (House pages)". Congressional Record. July 24, 1978. Archived (PDF) from the original on February 22, 2023. "Y: Yes, but judging Scharansky is one thing that is probably an act of defiance and independence on their part but they wm continue to negotiate arms limitationsand there's no tell1ng what's liable to happen. We still have hundreds of people that I would categorize as political prisoners in our prisons. Maybe even thousands, depending on how you categorize them. During the war in Vietnam, whenever there was domestic pressure, most of these young people who went to jail for conscience were political prisoners. Where they had good legal assistance most of the time they got free. Our political system, especially our court system, does have a great deal more flexibility in it, but you still have to fight for it."
9. ^ Halsey, Peggy (March 21, 1988). "Undue Process". Christianity in Crisis. 48 (4): 81–84.
10. ^ "Face Reality". Freedom Now!. 1989. Archived from the original on February 22, 2023.
11. ^ "Verdict of the Special International Tribunal on the Violation of Human Rights of Political Prisoners and Prisoners of War in United States Prisons and Jails". Special International Tribunal on the Violation of Human Rights of Political Prisoners and Prisoners of War in United States Prisons and Jails. December 10, 1990. Archived (PDF) from the original on January 25, 2021.
12. ^ Burton-Rose, Daniel (2011). Guerrilla USA: The George Jackson Brigade and the anti-capitalist underground of the 1970s. University of California Press. ISBN 978-0-520-26428-1. "Convicts at San Quentin and elsewhere were eager to be given a new role to play in the culture and became easy converts to the revolution. It was true that regardless of their crimes they were in some sense political prisoners, as the radicals were quick to point out to them. Few who were not poor were in prison. The balance of justice was heavily weighted against the underclass. Consequently, numbers of San Quentin's "convict class" had become avid disciples of the Left and students of Marxism-Leninism, ready consumers of the radical literature that poured into the prison after Penal Code 2600 in 1968 and earnest pupils in the covert educational programs of the Black Guerrilla Family, the Black Panthers, La Nuestra Familia, SATE, EMPLEO, or the Indian Cultural Group. Even the hundreds of more conservative convicts who rejected Marxism and revolutionary ideology adopted limited aspects of class analysis. And they, too, yearned for a new cultural role for the prisoner as they came together in 1970 in a systemwide convict unionization movement."
13. ^ a b c Gay, Kathlyn (2012). American Dissidents: An Encyclopedia of Activists, Subversives, and Prisoners of Conscience, Volume 2: K-Z. ABC-CLIO. ISBN 978-1-59884-764-2.
14. ^ Zinn, Howard (January 1999). "Eugene V. Debs and the Idea of Socialism". The Progressive. Archived from the original on July 15, 2018.
15. ^ "Eugene V. Debs". TIME. October 12, 2007. Archived from the original on October 12, 2007.
16. ^ Kennedy, David (2006). The American Pageant. Boston: Houghton Mifflin. p. 716.`{{cite book}}`: CS1 maint: publisher location (link)
17. ^ Martin, Charles H. (1976). The Angelo Herndon Case and Southern Justice. LSU Press.
18. ^ "Angelo Herndon papers".
19. ^ Vile, John R. "Herndon v. Lowry".
20. ^ "Martin Luther King mugshot April 12 1963". The Times-Picayune/The New Orleans Advocate. April 16, 2013. Archived from the original on June 17, 2013.
21. ^ King, Coretta Scott (2012). "The Meaning of The King Holiday". King Center for Nonviolent Social Change. Archived from the original on January 20, 2012.
22. ^ "5 ½ Things You Might Not Know About Martin Luther King, Jr". Boise State University. January 20, 2020. Archived from the original on February 22, 2023.
23. ^ "Martin Luther King, Jr. – Arrests". The Martin Luther King, Jr. Research and Education Institute at Stanford University. Archived from the original on February 23, 2023.
24. ^ a b Greene, Helen; Gabbidon, Shaun (April 14, 2009). "Political Prisoners". Encyclopedia of Race and Crime. SAGE Publications. pp. 636–639\. ISBN 978-1-4522-6609-1.
25. ^ Theoharis, Jeanne (February 4, 2023). "Rosa Parks Was a Radical". Jacobin. Archived from the original on February 4, 2023.
26. ^ a b Theoharis, Jeanne (2013). The rebellious life of Mrs. Rosa Parks. Beacon Press. ISBN 9780807050477.
27. ^ "The Rebellious Life of Mrs. Rosa Parks". Rosa Parks' Biography. May 18, 2016. Archived from the original on March 14, 2017. Retrieved September 11, 2016.
28. ^ Oppedahl, John (June 19, 1972). "12,000 Hail Angela Davis". Detroit Free Press. pp. 3A, 8A.
29. ^ Ross, Jerry (May 5, 2020). "Portrait of Martin Sostre". Burchfield Penney Art Center.
30. ^ Churchill, Ward; Wall, Jim Vander (2002). Agents of Repression: The FBI's Secret Wars Against the Black Panther Party and the American Indian Movement. South End Press. p. 61\. ISBN 978-0-89608-646-3.
31. ^ "Amnesty International Annual Report 1974-1975". Amnesty International. 1975. Archived (PDF) from the original on January 11, 2023. "Much attention has been given throughout the year to the case of Martin Sostre, sentenced to a possible 40 years' imprisonment in 1968 for the alleged sale of narcotics. The only witness of the alleged sale has since recanted his testimony, and AI believes that Mr Sostre was falsely implicated because of his political activities. He was one of the prisoners featured during Prisoner of Conscience Week in October 1974."
32. ^ Obadele, Imari (October 1978). "Open Letter to U.S. President Jimmy Carter from RNA President Imari Abubakari Obadele, I". The Black Scholar. 10 (2): 53–67\. doi:10.1080/00064246.1978.11412683. JSTOR 41163666.
33. ^ a b c "Amnesty International Annual Report 1979". Amnesty International. 1979. Archived (PDF) from the original on October 25, 2022.
34. ^ "This Month in North Carolina History | February 1971 – The Wilmington Ten". North Carolina Collection. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Louis Round Wilson Library. February 2, 2006. Archived from the original on February 5, 2006. Retrieved March 5, 2005.
35. ^ a b Susan, Fraker; Smith, Vern; Lee, Elliot (July 31, 1978). "US Political Prisoners?". Archived from the original on February 21, 2023.
36. ^ "Amnesty International Annual Report 1978". Amnesty International. 1978. Archived (PDF) from the original on February 14, 2022.
37. ^ Schutz, J. Christopher (January 1999). "The Burning of America: Race, Radicalism, and the "Charlotte Three" Trial in 1970s North Carolina". The North Carolina Historical Review. 71 (1): 43–65\. JSTOR 23522170.
38. ^ "Advice to editors: USA: Summary of Amnesty International's concerns". Amnesty International. September 19, 1991. Archived from the original on February 21, 2023. "In the USA, some 25 armed forces personnel who have been imprisoned over the past nine months on charges stemming from their refusal on conscientious grounds to participate in military service related to the Gulf War have been taken up by the organization as prisoners of conscience."
39. ^ "AI News Release: United States of America: Amnesty International takes up conscientious objector as prisoner of conscience". Amnesty International. February 7, 1991. Archived from the original on February 21, 2023.
40. ^ "UA 304/91 – United States of America: prisoner of conscience / conscientious objector: Captain Yolanda Huet-Vaughn". Amnesty International. September 8, 1991. Archived from the original on February 21, 2023.
41. ^ Bernton, Hal (June 7, 2006). "Officer at Fort Lewis calls Iraq war illegal, refuses order to go". The Seattle Times. Archived from the original on September 24, 2006.
42. ^ "USA: Prisoner of Conscience, Staff Sergeant Camilo Mejia Castillo". Amnesty International. June 2, 2004. Archived from the original on February 21, 2023.
43. ^ "USA: Prisoner of conscience: Abdullah William Webster". Amnesty International. September 16, 2004. Archived from the original on February 21, 2023.
44. ^ "USA: Prisoner of conscience, Kevin Benderman". Amnesty International. August 8, 2005. Archived from the original on February 23, 2023.
45. ^ "USA: Prisoner of conscience: Mark Lee Wilkerson (m)". Amnesty International. March 28, 2007. Archived from the original on February 23, 2023.
46. ^ "UA 60/07 Prisoner of conscience: USA Agustín Aguayo". Amnesty International. March 8, 2007. Archived from the original on January 14, 2016.
47. ^ "USA: Soldier imprisoned as conscientious objector: Travis Bishop". Amnesty International. August 24, 2009. Archived from the original on February 23, 2023.
48. ^ "Canada: US woman possible prisoner of conscience: Kimberly Rivera". Amnesty International. September 13, 2012. Archived from the original on February 21, 2023.
49. ^ "USA: Jeremy Hinzman – Conscientious objector seeking refuge in Canada". Amnesty International. May 12, 2005. Archived from the original on February 23, 2023.
50. ^ "Canada: Possible prisoner of conscience: Matthew Lowell (m)". Amnesty International. October 24, 2008. Archived from the original on February 23, 2023.
51. ^ "Canada: Prisoner of Conscience: James Corey Glass (m)". Amnesty International. July 8, 2008. Archived from the original on February 23, 2023.
52. ^ "Canada: Prisoner of Conscience: Dean William Walcott". Amnesty International. January 23, 2009. Archived from the original on February 23, 2023.
53. ^ "USA: War objector's freedom of conscience must be respected". Amnesty International. February 2, 2007. Archived from the original on February 23, 2023.
54. ^ "Last Man Standing: The Tragedy and Triumph of Geronimo ji-Jaga Pratt". Democracy Now!. October 5, 2000. Archived from the original on December 12, 2007.
55. ^ Goodman, Amy; Moynihan, Denis. "Herman Wallace, Free At Last". Democracy Now!. Archived from the original on December 20, 2015.
56. ^ "How has Albert Woodfox survived 40 years in solitary confinement?". Amnesty International. December 13, 2015. Archived from the original on February 23, 2023.
57. ^ Trimel, Suzanne (July 10, 2013). "Amnesty International Appeals for Release of Terminally Ill 'Angola 3' Prisoner, After 40 Years in Solitary Confinement". Amnesty International. Archived from the original on February 21, 2023.
58. ^ James, Erwin (March 10, 2010). "37 years of solitary confinement: the Angola three". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved December 12, 2017.
59. ^ "A Life in the Balance: The Case of Mumia Abu-Jamal". Amnesty International. February 17, 2000. Archived from the original on December 1, 2008.
60. ^ Burroughs, Todd Steven (September 1, 2004). "Mumia's voice: confined to Pennsylvania's death row, Mumia Abu-Jamal remains at the center of debate as he continues to write and options to appeal his police murder conviction dwindle". Black Issues Book Review. Archived from the original on February 22, 2023.
61. ^ Halyard, Helen (April 21, 1999). "Live from Death Row: Political prisoner Mumia Abu-Jamal speaks from prison". World Socialist Web Site. Archived from the original on January 27, 2013.
62. ^ "The Case of Gary Tyler: Despite Witness Recantations and No Physical Evidence, Louisiana Prisoner Remains Jailed After 32 Years". Democracy Now!. March 1, 2007. Archived from the original on December 11, 2007.
63. ^ "United States of America: The case of Gary Tyler, Louisiana". Amnesty International. November 1, 1994. Archived (PDF) from the original on February 21, 2023.
64. ^ "USA (Louisiana): Unfair Trial: Gary Tyler (m)". Amnesty International. November 16, 2007. Archived (PDF) from the original on February 25, 2023.
65. ^ "USA: Amnesty International seeks further information on "Food Not Bombs" activists arrested in San Francisco, USA". Amnesty International. October 28, 1994. Archived (PDF) from the original on February 21, 2023.
66. ^ "USA (California): Amnesty International concerned about imprisonment of community activist". Amnesty International. June 17, 1996. Archived (PDF) from the original on February 21, 2023.
67. ^ "Justice Not Served for the Muslim Community". Democracy Now!. December 17, 2001. Archived from the original on December 12, 2007.
68. ^ "USA: Letter to the USA Government". Amnesty International. July 23, 2000. Archived (PDF) from the original on February 22, 2023.
69. ^ "The Hunt for Leonard Peltier FBI Wanted Poster (Dec. 3, 1975)". January 26, 2012. Archived from the original on June 3, 2012.
70. ^ "As Clinton Contemplates Clemency for Leonard Peltier, a Debate Between the FBI and Defense Attorneys". Democracy Now!. December 11, 2000. Archived from the original on December 11, 2007.
71. ^ "USA: Appeal for the release of Leonard Peltier". Amnesty International. July 14, 1999. Archived (PDF) from the original on February 23, 2023.
72. ^ "Opinions adopted by the Working Group on Arbitrary Detention E/CN.4/2006/7/ADD.1". United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention. October 19, 2005. Archived from the original on February 25, 2023. "Mr. Peltier was given an opportunity to raise all the complaints listed in the communication before the national appellate courts, which, in well-reasoned decisions, dismissed them. Therefore, the Working Group, noting that it is not mandated to be a substitute for national appellate courts, renders the following opinion: The deprivation of Mr. Leonard Peltier is not arbitrary." Alt URL
73. ^ "Opinion No. 7/2022 concerning Leonard Peltier (United States of America) A/HRC/WGAD/2022/7" (PDF). United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention. April 8, 2022. Archived (PDF) from the original on February 23, 2023. "The deprivation of liberty of Leonard Peltier, being in contravention of articles 2, 7 and 9 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and articles 2 (1), 9 and 26 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, is arbitrary and falls within categories III and V."
74. ^ "Marcos Antonio Aguilar-Rodriguez (United States of America)". Action4Justice. Archived from the original on July 2, 2022.
75. ^ "Opinion No. 72/2017 concerning Marcos Antonio Aguilar-Rodríguez (United States of America) A/HRC/WGAD/2017/72". United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention. December 28, 2017. "The deprivation of liberty of Marcos Antonio Aguilar-Rodríguez, being in contravention of articles 2, 3, 7, 8, 9 and 14 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and of articles 2, 9, 16 and 26 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, was arbitrary and fell within categories II, IV and V." Alt URL
76. ^ Alvarado, Monsy (December 19, 2019). "Deaths in custody. Sexual violence. Hunger strikes. What we uncovered inside ICE facilities across the US". USA Today. Archived from the original on December 20, 2019.
77. ^ "Opinion No. 49/2020 concerning Fernando Aguirre-Urbina (United States of America) A/HRC/WGAD/2020/49". United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention. October 2, 2020. "The deprivation of liberty of Fernando Aguirre-Urbina, being in contravention of articles 3, 8, 9, 10 and 14 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and articles 9, 14 (1) and 26 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, is arbitrary and falls within categories I, II, III, IV and V." Alt URL
78. ^ Krauss, Clifford (July 30, 2013). "Lawyer Who Beat Chevron in Ecuador Faces Trial of His Own". The New York Times. Archived from the original on June 7, 2020.
79. ^ Malo, Sebastien (September 30, 2021). "Donziger asks judge to heed U.N. experts' finding of 'arbitrary' detention". Reuters. Archived from the original on September 30, 2021.
80. ^ "Opinion No. 24/2021 concerning Steven Donziger (United States of America) A/HRC/WGAD/2021/24" (PDF). United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention. October 1, 2021. Archived (PDF) from the original on February 23, 2023. "The deprivation of liberty of Steven Donziger, being in contravention of articles 2, 3, 7, 10 and 11 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and articles 2 (1), 9, 14 and 26 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, is arbitrary and falls within categories I, III and V."
81. ^ "Opinions adopted by the Working Group on Arbitrary Detention E/CN.4/2006/7/ADD.1". United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention. October 19, 2005. Archived from the original on February 25, 2023. "The deprivation of liberty of Mr. Antonio Herreros Rodríguez, Mr. Fernando González Llort, Mr. Gerardo Hernández Nordelo, Mr. Ramón Labaniño Salazar and Mr. René González Schweret is arbitrary, being in contravention of article 14 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and corresponds to category III of the categories applicable to the examination of the cases submitted to the Working Group." Alt URL
82. ^ a b "Algerian held in U.S. nearly 5 years wants Canada's role probed". Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. April 18, 2007. Archived from the original on April 22, 2007.
83. ^ "Opinions adopted by the Working Group on Arbitrary Detention E/CN.4/2005/6/Add.1". United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention. November 19, 2004. Archived from the original on February 25, 2023. "The deprivation of liberty of Benamar Benatta is arbitrary, being in contravention of articles 9 and 14 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, and falls within categories I and III of the categories applicable to the consideration of cases submitted to the Working Group." Alt URL
84. ^ Zaid, Mark S. (Spring 1997). "Military might versus sovereign right: the kidnapping of Dr. Humberto Alvarez-Machain and the resulting fallout" (PDF). Houston Journal of International Law. Archived from the original on September 19, 2020.
85. ^ "Report of the Working Group on Arbitrary Detention E/CN.4/1994/27". United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention. December 17, 1993. Archived from the original on February 27, 2023. "The detention of Humberto Alvarez Machaín is declared to be arbitrary, being in contravention of article 9 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and article 9 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and principle 2 of the Body of Principles adopted by the General Assembly in resolution 43/173, and falling within category I of the principles applicable in the consideration of cases submitted to the Working Group." Alt URL
86. ^ "Vietnam War's "Last Prisoner of Conscience" Prepares for Freedom". Associated Press. April 9, 1985. Archived from the original on April 9, 2023.
87. ^ Ali, Rasha (February 13, 2021). "Fact-checking 'Judas and the Black Messiah': Was Fred Hampton drugged or arrested over ice cream?". USA Today. Archived from the original on March 22, 2021.
88. ^ "The People v. Hampton". Justia. Archived from the original on October 25, 2016.
89. ^ Wilderson, Frank (2015). Incognegro — A Memoir of Exile and Apartheid. Duke University Press. p. 304\. ISBN 978-0-8223-5993-7.
90. ^ Ryan, Yvonne (November 19, 2013). Roy Wilkins: The Quiet Revolutionary and the NAACP. University Press of Kentucky. ISBN 9780813143804. Alt URL
91. ^ Wilkins, Roy; Clark, Ramsey (1973). Search and Destroy: A Report by the Commission of Inquiry into the Black Panthers and the Police (PDF). Metropolitan Applied Research Center. p. 249\. Archived (PDF) from the original on January 30, 2013.
92. ^ "Angela Davis - Life, Education & Books". Biography. April 23, 2021. Retrieved February 28, 2023.
93. ^ White, Deborah G.; Mia Bay; Waldo E. Martin (2013). Freedom on My Mind: A History of African Americans, with Documents. Boston: Bedford/St. Martins. ISBN 978-0-312-19729-2. OCLC 795173920.
94. ^ Times, Earl Caldwell Special to The New York (April 18, 1972). "A Shotgun That Miss Davis Purchased Is Linked to the Fatal Shooting of judge". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved February 28, 2023.
95. ^ Davis (Angela) (March 31, 2019). "Legal Defense Collection". Archived from the original on March 31, 2019. Retrieved February 28, 2023.
96. ^ "F.B.I. Seizes Angela Davis in Motel Here". archive.nytimes.com. Retrieved February 28, 2023.
97. ^ Dietz, Kevin (September 6, 2016). "Did prominent Detroit officer ask hitman to kill 'White Boy' Rick?". ClickOnDetroit. Archived from the original on August 3, 2020.
98. ^ "White Boy". Transition Studios. 2017. Archived from the original on October 7, 2022.
99. ^ Erick, M (June 8, 2017). "Longtime 'White Boy Rick' writers say he's a political prisoner". Fox 2 Detroit. Archived from the original on July 6, 2022.
100. ^ a b "LaRouche Gets 15 Years for Cheating His Backers, IRS: 6 Aides Also Get Prison Terms, Fines". Los Angeles Times. Associated Press. January 27, 1989. Archived from the original on March 8, 2021.
101. ^ Severo, Richard (February 13, 2019). "Lyndon LaRouche, Cult Figure Who Ran for President 8 Times, Dies at 96". The New York Times. Archived from the original on February 14, 2019.
102. ^ "Why Lyndon LaRouche is a political prisoner" (PDF). Executive Intelligence Review (founded by Lyndon LaRouche). July 19, 1991. Archived (PDF) from the original on May 23, 2013.
103. ^ "Open Secrets: WikiLeaks, War and American Diplomacy [Unedited version]". The New York Times. January 2011. Archived from the original on April 18, 2018.
104. ^ "Open Secrets: WikiLeaks, War and American Diplomacy [Edited version]". The New York Times. January 2011. Archived from the original on January 27, 2011.
105. ^ "18 YEARS FOR SON OF HAMPTON - Chicago Tribune". Chicago Tribune. October 21, 2018. Archived from the original on October 21, 2018. Retrieved April 7, 2023.
106. ^ Goodman, Amy; González, Juan (March 27, 2018). ""We Cannot Wait for Change"—Freed Whistleblower Chelsea Manning on Iraq, Prison & Running for Senate". Democracy Now!. Archived from the original on March 27, 2018.
107. ^ Green, Lloyd (August 13, 2022). "Political Prisoner review: Paul Manafort stays loyal to Trump – but still spills a few beans". The Guardian. Archived from the original on February 22, 2023.
108. ^ Owen, Tess (August 2, 2021). "How the GOP Is Turning Capitol Rioters Into 'Political Prisoners'". Vice News. Archived from the original on February 22, 2023.
109. ^ Ramirez, Nikki (October 3, 2022). "Jan. 6 Rioters Are Asking for a Transfer to … Guantanamo Bay". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on February 22, 2023.
110. ^ Morss, Robert (September 30, 2022). "Case 1:21-cr-00117-TFH Document 168-3" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on February 22, 2023.
111. ^ Kunzelman, Michael; Whitehurst, Lindsay (May 4, 2023). "Ex-Proud Boys leader Tarrio guilty of Jan. 6 sedition plot". Associated Press News. Archived from the original on May 4, 2023. Retrieved May 4, 2023.
112. ^ Cheney, Kyle (May 4, 2023). "Proud Boys leader found guilty of seditious conspiracy for driving Jan. 6 attack". Politico. Archived from the original on May 6, 2023. Retrieved May 5, 2023.
113. ^ "Proud Boys Are Still Violent, Despite Legal Woes". Southern Poverty Law Center. Retrieved September 7, 2023.
114. ^ Feuer, Alan (September 5, 2023). "Ex-Leader of Proud Boys Sentenced to 22 Years in Jan. 6 Sedition Case". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved September 8, 2023.
115. ^ Lonas, Lexi (July 29, 2021). "Gaetz, Greene and Gohmert turned away from jail to visit Jan. 6 defendants". The Hill. Retrieved September 8, 2023.
116. ^ Feuer, Alan (January 20, 2025). "Trump Pardons Jan. 6 Rioters and Signs Order on TikTok". The New York Times. Retrieved January 20, 2025. "The lawyer for Enrique Tarrio, the former leader of the Proud Boys who is serving a 22-year sentence on a seditious conspiracy conviction connected to Jan. 6, said Tarrio is currently being processed for release from a federal prison in Louisiana. Even though Trump has not yet formally granted clemency to Jan. 6 defendants, the lawyer, Nayib Hassan, said Tarrio could be out of prison by as early as Monday night."
117. ^ Carless, Will (January 24, 2025). "Proud Boys' Enrique Tarrio tells all: Wants accusers to 'feel the heat', weighs sheriff run". The Arizona Republic. Retrieved January 25, 2025.
118. ^ "66 Organizations Urge that Domestic Terrorism Charges Against Defend the Atlanta Forest Protesters Be Dropped". Defending Rights & Dissent. March 6, 2023. Archived (PDF) from the original on March 8, 2023.
119. ^ "Judge says Palestinian activist Mahmoud Khalil can't be deported from U.S. as protesters call for his release". CNBC News. March 10, 2025. Archived from the original on March 12, 2025.
120. ^ Burgis, Ben (March 13, 2025). "Free Speech Means Free Mahmoud Khalil". Jacobin. "Tlaib and thirteen other Democratic lawmakers (Ilhan Ohmar, Mark Pocan, Nydia Velázquez, Delia Ramirez, Jasmine Crockett, Summer Lee, Ayanna Pressley, Lateefah Simon, Gwen Moore, Nikema Williams, Al Green, André Carson, and James McGovern) signed an open letter calling Khalil a "political prisoner" and calling for his immediate release. The failure of the great bulk of mainstream Democrats to join them is shameful."

## External links

[edit]

* Publications tagged as "prisoners of conscience" and "United States" by Amnesty International
* Opinions adopted by the Working Group on Arbitrary Detention
* Search for documents from the United Nations OHCHR
* Political Prisoners collection in The Freedom Archives
* Political Prisoners by Location by Anarchist Black Cross

* v
* t
* e

Incarceration

Science|

* Criminology
* Penology
* Prison healthcare
* Australia
* Punishment
* Stanford prison experiment

Prisoners|

* Convict
* Criminal
* Detainee
* Hostage
* Political prisoner
* Prisoner of conscience
* Prisoner of war
* Slave

Prisons|

| Types|

* Black site
* Corrective labor colony
* Debtors'
* Extermination camp
* Farm
* Internment
* Island
* Labor camp
* Battalion
* Chain gang
* Military
* Penal colony
* Prisoner-of-war camp
* Private
* Ship
* Youth detention center

|

Security levels|

* House arrest
* Administrative detention
* Open
* Maximum security
* Supermax
* Death row

Components|

* Cell
* Cemetery
* Commissary
* Food
* Library
* Nursery
* Officer
* Sally port
* Trusty system
* Warden

Escape|

* Prison escapes
* Helicopter
* Prisoner-of-war escapes

Culture|

* Art
* Film
* Gang
* United States
* Literature
* American
* Ring
* Slang
* Tattooing

Social issues|

* Abuse
* United States
* Contemplative programs
* Education
* Informants
* LGBTQ
* Mentally ill people in the United States
* Mobile phones
* Pay-to-stay
* Prison overcrowding
* United States
* Private prisons
* United States
* Protective custody
* Rape
* United States
* Religion
* United States
* Riots
* Sexuality
* Social hierarchy
* Solitary confinement
* Strikes
* Suicide
* Violence
* Women in prison
* United States

Organizations|

* Association for the Protection and Assistance of the Convicted (Brazil)
* Black and Pink
* Florida Justice Institute
* International Network of Prison Ministries
* Justice Action
* Justice Defenders
* Mount Tamalpais College
* POA
* Prison abolition movement
* Prison Advice and Care Trust
* Prison-Ashram Project
* Prison Fellowship
* Prison Fellowship International
* Prison Legal News
* Prison Officers' Association (Ireland)
* The Prison Phoenix Trust
* Prison Radio
* Prison Reform Trust
* WriteAPrisoner.com

Leaving prison|

* Rehabilitation
* Work release

Lists|

* Countries by incarceration rate
* Prisons
* Films featuring prisons

By country|

* Australia
* Chile
* China
* Estonia
* Germany
* Iceland
* India
* Ireland, Republic of
* Jamaica
* Japan
* New Zealand
* North Korea
* Norway
* Peru
* Russia
* Soviet Union
* Gulag
* Turkey
* Ukraine
* United Kingdom and British overseas territories
* Bermuda
* England and Wales
* Northern Ireland
* Scotland
* United States

* Imprisonment and detention
* Commons

* v
* t
* e

United States

History|

| By period|

* 1776–1789
* 1789–1815
* 1815–1849
* 1849–1865
* 1865–1917
* 1917–1945
* 1945–1964
* 1964–1980
* 1980–1991
* 1991–2016
* 2016–present

|

By event|

* Pre-colonial era
* Colonial era
* Stamp Act Congress
* Thirteen Colonies
* Continental Congress
* Continental Association
* United Colonies
* military history
* Founding Fathers
* Halifax Resolves
* Lee Resolution
* Declaration of Independence
* American Revolution
* War
* Treaty of Paris
* Articles of Confederation
* Perpetual Union
* Confederation period
* American frontier
* Constitution
* drafting and ratification
* Bill of Rights
* Federalist Era
* War of 1812
* Territorial evolution
* Mexican–American War
* Civil War
* Reconstruction era
* Indian Wars
* Native genocide
* Gilded Age
* Progressive Era
* Women's suffrage
* Civil rights movement
* 1865–1896
* 1896–1954
* 1954–1968
* Spanish–American War
* Imperialism
* World War I
* Roaring Twenties
* Great Depression
* World War II
* home front
* American Century
* Cold War
* Korean War
* Space Race
* Feminist Movement
* LGBTQ Movement
* Vietnam War
* Post-Cold War (1991–2016)
* September 11 attacks
* War on Terror
* War in Afghanistan
* Iraq War
* Great Recession
* COVID-19 pandemic

By topic|

* Outline of U.S. history
* Demographic
* Discoveries
* Economic
* Inventions
* Military
* Postal
* Technological and industrial

Geography|

* Territory
* Contiguous United States
* counties
* federal district
* federal enclaves
* Indian reservations
* insular zones
* minor outlying islands
* populated places
* states
* Earthquakes
* Extreme points
* Islands
* Mountains
* peaks
* ranges
* Appalachian
* Rocky
* Sierra Nevada
* National Park Service
* National Parks
* Regions
* East Coast
* West Coast
* Great Plains
* Gulf
* Mid-Atlantic
* Midwestern
* New England
* Pacific
* Central
* Eastern
* Northern
* Northeastern
* Northwestern
* Southern
* Southeastern
* Southwestern
* Western
* Longest rivers
* Arkansas
* Colorado
* Columbia
* Mississippi
* Missouri
* Red (South)
* Rio Grande
* Yukon
* Time
* Water supply and sanitation
* World Heritage Sites

Politics|

| Federal|

| Executive|

* President of the United States
* powers
* Executive Office
* Vice President
* Cabinet
* Executive departments
* Independent agencies
* Intelligence Community
* Director of National Intelligence
* Central Intelligence Agency
* National Security Agency
* National Reconnaissance Office
* Law enforcement
* ATF
* CBP
* Diplomatic Security
* DEA
* FBI
* ICE
* Marshals
* Secret Service
* TSA
* Inspector generals
* Civil service
* Public policy

|

Legislative|

* House of Representatives
* current members
* Speaker
* Senate
* current members
* President pro tempore
* President
* Capitol Police
* Library of Congress
* Congressional Budget Office
* Government Accountability Office
* Government Publishing Office

Judicial|

* Supreme Court
* Chief Justice
* Associate Justices
* list
* Courts of appeals
* list of judges
* District courts/Territorial courts
* list of courts
* list of judges
* Other tribunals
* U.S. attorney

Law|

* Bill of Rights
* civil liberties
* Code of Federal Regulations
* Constitution
* federalism
* preemption
* separation of powers
* civil rights
* United States Code

Uniformed|

* Armed Forces
* Army
* Marine Corps
* Navy
* Air Force
* Space Force
* Coast Guard
* National Guard
* NOAA Corps
* Public Health Service Corps

State,
Federal District,
and Territorial|

| Executive|

* Governor
* list
* Lieutenant governor
* list
* Secretary of state
* Attorney general
* Treasurer
* Auditor/Comptroller
* Agriculture commissioner
* Insurance commissioner
* Public utilities commission
* State police
* list

|

Legislative|

* List of legislatures
* List of legislators

Judicial|

* Supreme courts
* Chief justices
* District attorney
* list

Law|

* State constitutions
* Statutory codes
* Uniform act
* Comparison of governments

Tribal|

* Tribal sovereignty
* Native American recognition in the United States
* Federally recognized tribes
* Federally recognized Alaska Native tribes
* State-recognized tribes
* Indian reservation
* list
* Hawaiian home land

Local|

| County|

* List of counties and county equivalents
* County executive
* Sheriff
* Clerk

|

Cities|

* Consolidated city-county
* Independent city
* Coterminous municipality
* Charter
* Mayor–council government
* Council–manager government
* City commission government
* Mayor
* City manager
* City council

Minor divisions|

* Township
* Town meeting

Special district|

* School district
* list

* Corruption
* Democratic backsliding
* Elections
* Electoral College
* Red states and blue states
* Foreign relations
* foreign policy
* Imperial presidency
* Ideologies
* Anti-Americanism
* exceptionalism
* nationalism
* Parties
* Democratic
* Republican
* Third parties
* Scandals

Economy|

* By sector
* Agriculture
* Banking
* Communications
* Companies
* Energy
* Insurance
* Manufacturing
* Mining
* Science and technology
* Tourism
* Trade
* by state
* Currency
* Exports
* Federal budget
* Greenhouse gas emissions by the United States
* Federal Reserve System
* Financial position
* Labor unions
* Public debt
* Social welfare programs
* Taxation
* Unemployment
* Wall Street

Transport|

* Aviation
* Driving
* Public transportation
* Rail transportation
* Transportation policy
* Transportation safety
* Trucking industry

Society|

| Culture|

* Americana
* Architecture
* Cinema
* Crime
* Cuisine
* Dance
* Demographics
* Economic issues
* affluence
* eviction
* homeownership
* household income
* income inequality
* middle class
* personal income
* poverty
* standard of living
* wealth
* working class
* Education
* attainment
* literacy
* Family
* Fashion
* Flag
* list
* Folklore
* Holidays
* Federal holidays
* Homelessness
* Housing
* Human rights
* Languages
* American English
* Indigenous languages
* ASL
* Literature
* Media
* journalism
* internet
* newspapers
* radio
* television
* Music
* Names
* National anthem
* National symbols
* Columbia
* Mount Rushmore
* Statue of Liberty
* Uncle Sam
* People
* Philosophy
* Political ideologies
* Race
* Religion
* Sexuality
* Social class
* Society
* Sports
* history
* Theater
* Transportation
* Video games
* Visual art

|

Social class|

* Affluence
* American Dream
* Educational attainment
* Homelessness
* Homeownership
* Household income
* Income inequality
* Middle class
* Personal income
* Poverty
* Standard of living

Health|

* Aging
* Healthcare
* Abortion
* Birth control
* Prenatal care
* Hospice care
* Immigrant health care
* Rationing
* Health care finance
* Health insurance costs
* Health care prices
* Prescription drug prices
* Disability
* Health insurance
* Food safety
* Physician shortage
* Poverty and health
* Race and health
* Obesity
* Medical deserts
* Women's reproductive health
* Life expectancy

Issues|

* Capital punishment
* Crime
* incarceration
* Criticism of government
* Discrimination
* affirmative action
* antisemitism
* intersex rights
* Islamophobia
* LGBTQ rights
* racism
* Native American
* African American
* Energy policy
* Environmental issues
* Environmental movement
* Climate change
* Gun politics
* Mass shootings
* Hunger
* Smoking
* Human rights
* Immigration
* illegal
* National security
* Terrorism
* Opioid epidemic
* Separation of church and state
* Xenophobia

* Outline
* Index

Category
*[v]: View this template
*[t]: Discuss this template
*[e]: Edit this template