Political Imprisonment Quotes

It was a transition of power, not by the ballot box…. The people who lost the election are now in power. The people who won the election are now in jail.

By the age of 24, I found myself convicted in prison in Egypt, being blacklisted from three countries in the world for attempting to overthrow their governments, being subjected to torture in Egyptian jails, and sentenced to five years as a prisoner of conscience.

Political leaders in Belarus are routinely repressed, and their voices are muffled: Tsikhanouskaya was running for president because her husband, Siarhei Tsikhanouski, was arrested before he could start his own presidential campaign.

When the Bangladesh war happened, people in Pakistan who did not support it were called unpatriotic. My father was in the jail at that time, and a lot of those who knew my family used to call us children of a traitor.

Everyone is trapped in Guantanamo Bay. The prisoners are trapped of course, but so are the Guards and the staff. Even President Obama who wants to close it down is trapped.

Our entire family is replete with sentiments of patriotism. Uncle Swarna Singh left for his heavenly abode in jail in 1910, two or three years after my birth. Uncle Ajit Singh is leading the life of an exile in foreign countries.

It's just not normal when one after another opposition politician ends up in jail.

I was shocked when I heard that Farghadani had been sentenced to 12 years and nine months in prison on spurious charges, as Amnesty International notes, of 'spreading propaganda against the system,' 'insulting members of the parliament through paintings' and 'insulting the Supreme Leader' with her cartoon.

Turkey jails more journalists than any other country in the world—more than China, more than Iran

Even here in America, we felt the cool, refreshing breeze of freedom when Nelson Mandela took the seat of Presidency in his country where formerly he was not even allowed to vote. We were enlarged by tears of pride as we saw Nelson Mandela's former prison guards invited, courteously, by him to watch from the front rows his inauguration.

When my father was arrested, we didn't know where they had him. My mother found him at the house of torture. It was called Villa Triste.

I am not a politician in prison, I am a political prisoner who uses jail to denounce Spain's human rights violations.

The American incarceration of Sheikh Rahman was a hot-button issue for al Qaeda for many years.

For every man who lives without freedom, the rest of us must face the guilt.

After I got arrested the Filipino government unshackled me. I knew first-hand how they violated my rights and I could speak about that from experience.

I'm a political detainee and will be a political prisoner …. I myself have in a certain sense asked for this detention and this sentence, because I've always refused to change my opinion, for which I would be willing to give my life and not just remain in prison.

Jesus would be framed and in jail if he was living today.

From my family alone, Qaddafi had imprisoned five men.

I think of myself, an Iranian/American artist, and wonder what would I want if I'm ever imprisoned by the Iranian government for the work that I make? I answer: I would hope that the United States government comes to my rescue.

My arrest in Egypt happened in 2002, and I was convicted to five years as a political prisoner.

I think that compared to other politicians who have been put in jail in the past, compared to the human-rights activists in history who have had to face political prosecution, the activists in Hong Kong nowadays are already quite lucky compared to that.

We're nowhere near democracy. I've been released, that's all.

Our action will have to be very violent in order to crush a strong and well-organized enemy [the Republicans] as soon as possible. Hence, all leaders of political parties, societies or unions not pledged to our movement will be imprisoned. Such people will be administered exemplary punishment [usually shot] so that movements of rebellion or strikes will be strangles.

I was in the most restricted prison in China, the most tough. The design of the prison is modeled for internal crimes of the Communist party, so it's like a mafia family's law. It's independent to the law this nation openly applies. It's the place they take you before they give you over to the judicial system. You stay there for a year or two and they make you really suffer to confess everything.

Eugene V. Debs has always been one of my heroes.