On 9 June 2020, Nabeel Rajab was conditionally released from prison. The human rights defender had been imprisoned since June 2016. On 21 February 2018, the Criminal Court of Bahrain sentenced him to five years’ imprisonment, after he had already spent two years in prison regarding media interviews he gave in 2015 and 2016.
On 31 December 2018, the Bahraini Supreme Court upheld a 5-year sentence against Nabeel Rajab.
On 25 January 2024, the Court of Final Appeal, Hong Kong’s top court, overturned the December 2022 ruling by the High Court acquitting woman human rights defender Chow Hang-tung of “inciting others to participate in an unauthorised assembly” in the 2021 vigil to commemorate the victims of the military crackdown on pro-democracy protesters in Beijing in 1989.
On 21 October 2023, woman human rights defender Chen Jianfang left prison and returned home after completing a 4.5 year sentence.
On 5 February 2024, father of woman human rights defender and journalist Iryna Danylovych, Bronislav Danylovych, reported that she continued to suffer from severe headaches and migraines, and ear pains resulting from prolonged ear infection. Despite her health conditions, Iryna can’t access medication in the Penal Colony #7 in Zelenokumsk in the Stavropol Region of Russia.
On 6 June 2023, the Istanbul 35th Heavy Criminal Court acquitted four human rights defenders of all charges at the second hearing in the retrial of the Büyükada Case, also known as the #Istanbul10. The retrial took place after the Court of Cassation’s ruling to overturn the human rights defenders’ sentences on 22 November 2022.
On 6 June 2023, the Istanbul 35th Heavy Criminal Court acquitted four human rights defenders of all charges at the second hearing in the retrial of the Büyükada Case, also known as the #Istanbul10. The retrial took place after the Court of Cassation’s ruling to overturn the human rights defenders’ sentences on 22 November 2022.
On 23 October 2023, the Tbilisi City Court published a justification regarding its judgment against human rights defender and lawyer Eduard Marikashvilli concerning his participation in a peaceful public protest on 2 June 2023.
On 24 June 2021, human rights defender Raci Bilici appeared before the Diyarbakir 5th Heavy Penal Court for his first retrial hearing, following the Court of Appeal overturning his conviction. The hearing which was scheduled to be held on 27 May 2021 was postponed by the Court.
On 13 August 2021, the Wenyuhe Court in Beijing's Chaoyang District sentenced human rights defenders Cai Wei and Chen Mei to one year and three months' imprisonment, for "picking quarrels and provoking trouble". On 15 August 2021, they were released on time served in pre-trial detention since April 2020.
On 13 August 2021, the Wenyuhe Court in Beijing's Chaoyang District sentenced human rights defenders Cai Wei and Chen Mei to one year and three months' imprisonment, for "picking quarrels and provoking trouble". On 15 August 2021, they were released on time served in pre-trial detention since April 2020.
On 12 April 2022, human rights defender Ibrahim Ezz El-Din was released after nearly three years in detention. Ibrahim Ezz El-Din’s release was part of a number of pardons of human rights defenders issued by President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi and was not related to his previous release order issued by the Criminal Court of Cairo on 27 December 2020, which was never implemented.
On 2 January 2021, the State Public Prosecutor ordered the detention of human rights defender Ibrahim Ezz El-Din for an additional 15 days.
On 24 November 2023, the Shandong Provincial High Court announced its decision to uphold the first-instance verdict and sentence against human rights defender Ding Jiaxi. In April 2023, the Linshu County Court in Shandong province found Ding Jiaxi guilty of “subversion of State power” and sentenced him to 12 years in prison.
On 12 March 2020, following several hearings of her case, the Military Court of First Instance in Tunis convicted woman human rights defender Najet Laabidi of "attributing to a public official (…) illegal acts related to her job without proof” and fined her with the equivalent of 2.5 euros.
On 6 June 2023, the Istanbul 35th Heavy Criminal Court acquitted four human rights defenders of all charges at the second hearing in the retrial of the Büyükada Case, also known as the #Istanbul10. The retrial took place after the Court of Cassation’s ruling to overturn the human rights defenders’ sentences on 22 November 2022.
On 6 June 2023, the Istanbul 35th Heavy Criminal Court acquitted four human rights defenders of all charges at the second hearing in the retrial of the Büyükada Case, also known as the #Istanbul10. The retrial took place after the Court of Cassation’s ruling to overturn the human rights defenders’ sentences on 22 November 2022.
Journalist and human rights defender Siddique Kappan remains incarcerated as of 15 December 2022, under money laundering charges. In September 2022, the human rights defender was granted bail by the Supreme Court of India in the case against him under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA).
On 15 April 2021, human rights defender Muhammad Ismail was released on bail after spending more than two months in detention. The human rights defender was granted bail by the Anti-terrorism court in Peshawar three days prior, on 12 April 2021.
On 15 February 2021, the Anti-Terrorism Court in Peshawar denied the bail application submitted by human rights defender Muhammad Ismail, despite his post COVID-19 health situation.
The health condition of human rights defender Ibrahim Metwally Hegazy has continually deteriorated since he was first held in preventative detention and its subsequent renewals. The most recent of his renewals was on 6 September 2020, when the human rights defender was charged with ‘taking a leadership of a group’ which he formed in prison during his period of preventive detention.
On 9 May 2016, six human rights defenders including four land rights activists were arrested as they travelled to a demonstration outside Prey Sar prison in the capital Phnom Penh. All six human rights defenders were released on the same day.
