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Bush Institute Special Series:

The Struggle for Freedom

A monthly series about democracy and human rights activists abroad and why supporting them is the right thing for Americans to do, strategically as well as morally.

Series Chapters
Chapter 1

Overview

Read the article Five political prisoners struggling for their freedom.
Apr 25, 2023

Five political prisoners struggling for their freedom

The consolidation of power is paramount for authoritarian leaders, and it often comes at the expense of the rights and dignity of citizens. Dissidents who speak out can expect to be exiled, jailed, or killed under these regimes. According to the U.S. government, there are more than one million political prisoners in the world today.
Read the article The Struggle For Freedom .
Crowd in Ukraine.
Nov 18, 2022

The Struggle For Freedom

By: Ellen Bork
Welcome to The Struggle for Freedom, a monthly series about democracy and human rights activists abroad and why supporting them is the right thing for Americans to do, strategically as well as morally.
Chapter 2

Africa

Read the article The Struggle for Freedom: Jacob Ngarivhume jailed in advance of anti-corruption protest – and Zimbabwe’s disputed elections .
Sep 28, 2023

The Struggle for Freedom: Jacob Ngarivhume jailed in advance of anti-corruption protest – and Zimbabwe’s disputed elections 

By: Ellen Bork
Jacob Ngarivhume, the leader of the small political party Transform Zimbabwe, was swept up in a preemptive crackdown that headed off a nationwide anti-corruption protest planned for July 31, 2020.  
Chapter 3

Asia

Read the article The Struggle for Freedom UPDATE: Jimmy Lai’s national security trial postponed again.
Sep 7, 2023

The Struggle for Freedom UPDATE: Jimmy Lai’s national security trial postponed again

By: Ellen Bork
A Hong Kong court has once again postponed Jimmy Lai’s trial on national security charges, likely delaying it to December from September. The imprisoned publisher of the shuttered Apple Daily newspaper was previously scheduled to be tried in December 2022. The latest postponement is a serious blow for the nearly 76-year-old Lai, who has been prison for nearly three years.
Read the article The Struggle for Freedom: Lin Htet Naing (“James”) seeks to build the foundation for a post-military Burma.
Aug 9, 2023

The Struggle for Freedom: Lin Htet Naing (“James”) seeks to build the foundation for a post-military Burma

By: Ellen Bork
Burmese democracy leader Lin Htet Naing, who goes by the name James, emerged from several months of hiding in June 2022, stepping out with one of his two small sons in Rangoon, Burma’s former capital and commercial center. A short while later, James’s wife, Phyoe Phyoe Aung, also a prominent democracy leader, received a phone call telling her James had been arrested.
Chapter 4

Central and Latin America

Chapter 5

Europe

Read the article The West must help Vladimir Kara-Murza achieve freedom.
May 3, 2023

The West must help Vladimir Kara-Murza achieve freedom

Featuring: Ellen Bork
Vladimir Kara-Murza was recently sentenced to 25 years in a Russian penal colony for his criticism of Russia’s war in Ukraine. The Bush Institute continues to speak out against Kara-Murza's unjust detention and advocate for his freedom.    
Chapter 6

Middle East

Read the article The Struggle for Freedom: Iranian human rights activist Narges Mohammadi advocates for ‘Women, Life, and Freedom’ from prison .
Apr 12, 2023

The Struggle for Freedom: Iranian human rights activist Narges Mohammadi advocates for ‘Women, Life, and Freedom’ from prison

By: Ellen Bork
When protests spread throughout Iran last September after the death of Mahsa Amini, a young, Kurdish Iranian woman arrested and beaten for improperly wearing her headscarf, Narges Mohammadi reported on the regime’s crackdown from a unique vantage point: Iran’s notorious Evin prison.
Chapter 7

Policy Recommendations