Every year, on January 12, we honor the memory and legacy of those who defended Ukraine’s independence and freedom at the cost of their own liberty during various periods of its history.

A political prisoner is a person who is unjustly persecuted or deprived of freedom for political reasons, targeted for their beliefs, activities, or opposition and disloyalty to a regime. Political prisoners have committed no criminal offenses but have become victims of repression due to their stance.

In Ukraine, this day was established in 1975 at the initiative of political prisoner Vіacheslav Chornovil as a reminder of Soviet repression against Ukrainian dissidents. Unfortunately, despite the hopes of generations of Ukrainians for a free future, this day remains relevant today, as the Russian Federation, like its predecessors—the Soviet Union and the Russian Empire—continues its attempts to break the will and resistance of the freedom-loving representatives of the Ukrainian people. 

To suppress, silence, and eliminate—this is what the criminal Russian regime strives to do with the voices of Ukrainian patriots in the occupied territories. In some places, this process began with the start of the full-scale invasion, but the first Ukrainian political prisoners of the Kremlin appeared in 2014, with the occupation of Crimea. As of January 2024, at least 218 people are being unlawfully detained by the occupiers, 132 of whom are Crimean Tatars. Fabricated charges, concocted and often absurd cases, as well as moral and physical pressure, have become tools of suppression against any form of resistance or disobedience. History is repeating itself—during Soviet times, dissidents were similarly convicted of “anti-Soviet propaganda,” with accusations invented to silence them.

Yet the spirit of freedom remains unbroken. In the 1970s, it burned brightly in the hearts of the Sixtiers like Vasyl Stus and Mustafa Dzhemilev, and today it lives on through modern political prisoners such as Asan and Aziz Akhtemov, Iryna Danylovych, and Vladyslav Yesypenko. Their resilience proves that the occupiers cannot and will never succeed in breaking the will and spirit of the Ukrainian people.

This day reminds us that freedom is not simply given—it is fought for, and it must be protected. Today, just as decades ago, we have a duty to fight for the rights and freedoms of every person who has become a victim of the Russian regime. We believe that through our joint efforts, Ukraine will liberate every political prisoner, and Crimea will finally be freed from occupation.