August 2024 saw one of the most complex prisoner exchanges between the United States, Germany, Russia, and other countries. It also brought the return of several well-known wrongfully imprisoned individuals, including Evan Gershkovich, Vladimir Kara-Murza, Alsu Kermasheva, Paul Whelan, and more.

The experience of political prisoners, however, often goes unseen by the general public. In the second half of this two-part interview, GJIA discusses the brutal tactics against political prisoners employed by authoritarians, as well as the role of civil society, lawyers, and the democratic international community in supporting and advocating for their release. Katie LaRoque, Deputy Director for Policy and Advocacy at Freedom House, also shares how listeners can help political prisoners, who all too often fear being forgotten by the world.

This two-part discussion includes topics about incarceration, the treatment of prisoners, and family separation, which may be difficult for some listeners.

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