US SR472

Designates October 30 as the "International Day of Political Prisoners" in the United States, commemorating the date Ukrainian and Russian prisoners of conscience in the Soviet Gulag first marked in 1974

Estimates approximately 1,000,000 political prisoners exist worldwide, including journalists, academics, opposition activists, dissidents, and human rights defenders detained without credible offenses

Identifies Belarus, China, Cuba, Egypt, Iran, Myanmar, Russia, Turkey, and Venezuela as authoritarian regimes engaged in systematic imprisonment of independent voices

Supports U.S. government efforts to condemn political imprisonment, hold responsible regimes accountable, raise international awareness, and secure prisoner releases through bilateral and multilateral negotiations

Notes the U.S. government secured release of several dozen political prisoners from Belarus, Russia, and Venezuela in 2024 and 2025