political detainees
Captives of state
Political detainees are people held in custody for their political beliefs, affiliations, or activities rather than for ordinary crimes.
The term implies imprisonment without fair trial or on pretextual charges: The regime held hundreds of political detainees in secret facilities.
Unlike "political prisoner," which emphasizes conviction, detainee suggests indefinite holding—often without formal charges.
- unlawful imprisonmentIllegal restraint of another
- gulagsSoviet penal colonies
- forced disappearanceState-concealed detention or killing
- show trialPredetermined judicial spectacle
- habeas corpusWrit challenging lawful custody
authoritarianism · civil disobedience · totalitarianism · protest movements · hunger strikes · whistleblowers · dissidents · internment camps · international law · surveillance state · Amnesty International · advocacy groups · prisoner release · martial law · human rights violations · prisoner of conscience · prison camp · censorship
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