Wrongful Detention

International law protects individuals from arbitrary detention, resulting from either an unjust trial process or a malicious prosecution. Despite these protections, repressive governments often use fabricated charges and vague laws to wrongfully detain civil society leaders, human rights activists, journalists, lawyers, and ordinary citizens. Victims of politically-motivated prosecution can face lengthy prison sentences in retaliation for exposing human rights abuses, uncovering corruption, and defending democratic norms.

Freedom Now works to end wrongful detention. We provide individual victims with legal and advocacy support, and we advocate for the repeal of repressive laws and policies that facilitate the practice.

Working with pro bono lawyers, we prepare and submit cases on behalf of wrongfully detained individuals (i.e. “prisoners of conscience” or “political prisoners”) to international human rights complaint bodies, such as the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention and the European Court of Human Rights.