Rehabilitation of Former POCs
Release from wrongful detention is the first step in restoring a prisoner of conscience’s freedom. Former prisoners still face significant obstaclesin returning to societywithout a complete exoneration, including travel bans, frozen bank accounts, and limited employment opportunities. Former prisoners also often require physical and mental health care to combat years of painful experiences while detained.
Freedom Now advocates in domestic and international venues for governments to fully rehabilitate former prisoners of conscience.When possible, we facilitate financial support to former prisoners to assist in their rehabilitation.
In March 2023, we published Duty to Rehabilitate: Assessing Reparations of Former Political Prisoners in Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan, which highlights the deficiencies in the current rehabilitation frameworks in Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan that violate the right to reparations for former prisoners of conscience. Summaries of our findings and recommendations for each country can be found here:
Enforcing the Rule of Law
Donate Today and Help Free a Prisoner of Conscience
Can you imagine a doctor being imprisoned just for treating a patient, or a journalist detained simply for publishing an article critical of his government?