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Stella Nyanzi Uganda

Ugandan women’s rights activist Dr. Stella Nyanzi’s conviction was overturned on the basis of violations identified by a TrialWatch report submitted to a Ugandan appeals court.

Dr. Nyanzi was prosecuted for posting a poem critical of the Ugandan President on Facebook in a trial which TrialWatch monitored and graded a “D”.

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Uganda: Stella Nyanzi’s Conviction Overturned

Our Impact - Women’s Rights Activist Freed in Uganda

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Ugandan women’s rights activist Dr. Stella Nyanzi’s conviction was overturned on the basis of violations identified by a TrialWatch report submitted to a Ugandan appeals court.

Dr. Nyanzi was prosecuted for posting a poem critical of the Ugandan President on Facebook in a trial which TrialWatch monitored and graded a “D”.

[Thanks to TrialWatch] my case was immediately elevated. And the prosecutors… the magistrate… they should have been on alert to know that someone else other than themselves was monitoring the process and going to give a grade.

Stella Nyanzi Women’s Rights Activist
Nicholas Opiyo holding a prize Uganda

In Uganda, TrialWatch helped secure the dropping of charges against Nicholas Opiyo, a prominent human rights lawyer. Mr. Opiyo was charged with money laundering – an example of how sometimes the charges brought can be a smokescreen for the true motivation of the trial.

TrialWatch reviewed the charge sheet and issued a statement raising concerns about the lack of...

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Uganda: Charges Dropped Against Human Rights Lawyer

In Uganda, TrialWatch helped secure the dropping of charges against Nicholas Opiyo, a prominent human rights lawyer. Mr. Opiyo was charged with money laundering – an example of how sometimes the charges brought could be a smokescreen for the true motivation of the trial.

TrialWatch reviewed the charge sheet and issued a statement raising concerns about the lack of detail given about the evidence and charges, calling on the authorities to ensure that any prosecution was well-founded on evidence and not an effort to stifle Mr. Opiyo’s work.

Responding to this pressure, prosecutors dropped the charges.

Jounalist Askhat Zheksebaev Kyrgyzstan

Askhat Zheksebaev, a 47-year-old opposition activist from Kazakhstan, was convicted and sentenced to five years in prison for peaceful social media posts and private messages in support of an opposition party. His sentence was later commuted to a suspended sentence but he was banned from public activism, had his assets frozen, and was subject to severe restrictions on movement....

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Kyrgyzstan: Rights Activist Freed to Seek Asylum

Askhat Zheksebaev, a 47-year-old opposition activist from Kazakhstan, was convicted and sentenced to five years in prison for peaceful social media posts and private messages in support of an opposition party. His sentence was later commuted to a suspended sentence but he was banned from public activism, had his assets frozen, and was subject to severe restrictions on movement. He subsequently fled to Kyrgyzstan, where he was arrested and detained.

After, TrialWatch published a Fairness Report on Zheksebaev’s trial , giving it a D, and sent a communication to the Kyrgyz government about the potential consequences he might face on returning to Kazakhstan, a Kyrgyz court released him so that he could seek asylum.

Before Zheksebaev fled the Kazakh authorities had a stranglehold on all aspects of his life, severely restricting his travel, his access to bank accounts, and his posts on social media.

Stephanie Farrior TrialWatch Expert