The U.K. government sanctioned Monday six individuals tied to the 25-year sentence of Vladimir Kara-Murza, a Russian-British journalist and political activist, who was imprisoned for speaking out against Vladimir Putin’s regime and his invasion of Ukraine.

Russian opposition leaderAlexei Navalny has been imprisoned for nearly 800 days in one of Russia’s most dreadful prison colonies when a documentary on his poisoning and political activitieswon the Oscar as an outstanding documentary feature.

About 300 people marched on Monday through Kyrgyzstan’s capital of Bishkek, demanding the release of activists who protested against a land swap with Uzbekistan in which Kyrgyzstan lost a man-made lake in return for land elsewhere along the undefined border, OCCRP member center Kloop reported.

The Inter-American Court of Human Rights (IACHR)urged Nicaraguan authorities to free 45 political prisoners detained during what has been described as a time of deep social, political, and human rights crisis that erupted in early 2018.

A spokesperson of incarcerated Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny said on Tuesday that police in Dagestan, Sankt Petersburg and Voronezh have detained several of his associates, members of the so-called Team Navalny, over the past two days.

Prosecutors at Spain’s Supreme Court announced on Monday that they will investigate whether former King Juan Carlos I was bribed by Saudi Arabia to facilitate the construction of a bullet train by a Spanish railway company.

Pakistan’s opposition leader failed to appear in court on Friday to explain how he and his family have amassed billions of dollars during his political career, citing the danger of coronavirus for a cancer survivor such as himself.  

In a bid to stop COVID-19 from spreading through its prisons, Turkey plans to release tens of thousands of criminals including gangsters and attempted murderers – but no journalists or political prisoners will be freed, according to activists who condemned the move on Thursday.

After a wave of arrests targeting members of opposition parties and activists, human rights groups have accused Azerbaijan of using the coronavirus crisis as an excuse to harass the opposition.

Around the world, governments are facing difficult decisions about how to address the spread of COVID-19 throughout their overcrowded correctional facilities, with many electing to or considering the option of releasing large portions of their non-violent inmates. 

Torture is widespread in police cells and prisons across Russia. A new analysis of court rulings shows what the perpetrators pay — if they pay at all.

Credit: Edin Pasovic / OCCRP

The Italian government Thursday urged Azerbaijani authorities to revoke the travel ban placed on investigative reporter Khadija Ismayilova, an OCCRP partner.

Three imprisoned journalists in Azerbaijan—Khadija Ismayilova, Gilal Mamedov, and Parviz Gashimli—demanded amnesty from the government, according to their lawyers as reported on the Caucasian Knot and Meydan TV.

Almost two years after receiving a presidential pardon from Russian President Vladimir Putin, former oil billionaire Mikhail Khodorkovsky has been summoned to Moscow for questioning in a criminal case, reported Bloomberg.

Imprisoned investigative journalist Khadija Ismayilova has won a Swedish press prize dedicated to heroism.

Emin MilliAuthorities in Azerbaijani have detained the brother-in-law of activist-turned-journalist Emin Milli.

The US State Department has put out a statement condemning the imprisonment of human rights lawyer Intigam Aliyev and calling for his release and all others jailed for "exercising their fundamental freedoms".