RNW opens dossier on political prisoners

Radio Netherlands Worldwide is opening a dossier on political prisoners in cooperation with IDTV. The dossier initially focuses on eight stories of human rights activists and their families. All have been incarcerated or 'disappeared' without a trace because they fought for the rights of others.

Their detention constitutes a violation of international agreements on human rights. Regimes kill two birds with one stone by arresting human rights activists. In doing so they silence both the individual activist as well as the people they are fighting for.

Eight videos
The eight video stories form the basis of Radio Netherlands Worldwide's multimedia dossier on political prisoners in seven languages. Why are they imprisoned and under what conditions? How do human rights organisations such as Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch use social-networking sites such as Twitter and Facebook to lobby for the release of political prisoners? And are these methods effective in comparison to 'quiet diplomacy'? How much coverage do political prisoners receive in the 'traditional' media?

Shared fate
Human Rights Watch's advocacy director Reed Brody explains why he feels the attention paid to political prisoners is justified:

"People should care because these are human beings, because we are part of a common humanity, because our fate is intertwined. I think there are pragmatic reasons as well. Countries which are open and democratic are less likely to create refugees; to live in poverty that requires our attention; to start wars; to breed terrorists. I think we all have an interest in living in a stable and peaceful world. And governments which respect the rights of their people, which listen to their people, and which allow the possibility of democratic change, are more likely to guarantee the kind of a world that we all want to live in."

Loved ones
Who are these people? IDTV produced eight videos of the relatives of eight political prisoners for Radio Netherlands Worldwide. How does the persecution of their loved ones, with whom some of them have not had contact for years, affect them?

The eight political prisoners are from different countries and have diverse backgrounds. Bloggers Emin Milli and Adnan Hajzada from Azerbaijan are in prison for criticising their government on the internet.

Political activism
Gao Zhisheng from China is a well-known human rights activist who has been imprisoned a number of times for his work. Nothing has been heard from him since he was detained in February 2009, until he was traced earlier this week living in northern China. He had been released six months earlier, but appears to have withdrawn from political activism.

Carmelo Agámez Berrio, who lobbies for the rights of farmers in Colombia, was arrested in February 2008. International attempts to secure his release have so far been in vain.

This also holds true for the Cuban human rights activists Víctor Rolando Arroyo Carmona and Angel Moya Acosta, who have been behind bars since 2003.

Disappeared
The Eritrean journalist Dawit Isaak returned to his homeland in 2001 after having lived in exile in Sweden. Six months later he was arrested. He has since 'disappeared' without a trace. His disappearance led to a storm of protest in Sweden, to no avail.

In Indonesia, Johan Teterissa was sentenced to life in prison together with the members of his dance company for performing a traditional Moluccan dance. Following international pressure the sentence was reduced to 15 years.

Fighting for rights
In Iran, Abdullah al-Mansouri, an activist for the country's Arab minority, is behind bars. Azam Farmanoy is counting the days in a cell in Uzbekistan. He was arrested for writing a letter about poor working conditions at an oil company.

With its web dossier on political prisoners, Radio Netherlands Worldwide hopes to offer a platform for stories about political prisoners, news about the latest developments and a discussion page on the topic.

The prisoners portrayed all come from areas where there is a lack of freedom of expression and the press. Radio Netherlands Worldwide is active in these regions, where it offers independent news and discussion forums. News and information concerning political prisoners is sorely needed.