Rote Hilfe (Red Aid), International Committee for Solidarity with Political Prisoners (UPOTUDAK), Prisoners' Voice Platform (TSP), Palestinian Prisoners Solidarity Network (SAMIDOUN) and World Revolutionary Political Prisoners International Coordinating Committee for Freedom and Solidarity, issued a joint statement to mark 18 March, Political Prisoners' Day.

The Red Aid Organization, founded by the Comintern in 1920, declared 18 March, the day of the founding of the Paris Commune in 1923, the International Day of Solidarity with Political Prisoners. On this day, actions and events will be organized in many European cities such as Brussels, Berlin, Zurich and Nuremberg, to demand freedom for political prisoners.

Pointing out that hundreds of thousands of people around the world have been imprisoned and suffered heavy torture for defending and fighting for rights, the statement said that an army of political prisoners has formed.

Pointing out that there are over 1600 ill prisoners, 600 of whom were seriously ill, in the world’s jails, the statement underlined that 59 political prisoners lost their lives in the last two years alone.

Stand up for political prisoners

The organisations said: “We demand the release of ill prisoners as soon as possible so they can be treated. We call on the social opposition forces in Europe to stand by political and ill prisoners and demand their release.”