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Political Prisoners Watch: Travel Bans [1]
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Date: 2025-07
The release of a political prisoner is cause for celebration—yet it does not always result in total freedom. Former political prisoners often face a host of post-release restrictions that hinder their return to prodemocracy activism, journalism, or human rights defense. A common constraint is the imposition of a domestic or international travel ban.
These state-imposed restrictions on free movement have severe impacts on a person’s life and can take a significant toll on their mental health. They also ensure that former political prisoners remain under the thumb of the regime that imprisoned them, facing pressure to remain silent given the constant threat of rearrest.
Travel bans as part of sentencing: Official and unofficial travel bans against activists, dissidents, and their family members are common in Saudi Arabia. In 2021, Salma al-Shehab, while visiting her family in the country, was summoned by Saudi authorities and detained after being questioned about her social media posts defending women’s rights. While a consequent 34-year prison sentence was reduced to 4 years, and she was released earlier this year, al-Shehab still faces 4 years of parole and when that expires, she will be subject to an 8-year travel ban as part of her sentence. The travel ban’s expiration is not guaranteed: women’s rights activist Loujain al-Hathloul has not been allowed to leave Saudi Arabia even though her court-ordered travel ban expired almost two years ago. Prior to her detention, al-Shehab had been studying dentistry in the United Kingdom; her academic and professional goals continue to be derailed.
Travel bans during legal proceedings: Turkish courts have imposed travel bans against journalists and other perceived government opponents with increasing frequency. Kurdish journalist and politician Sofya Alagaş, already under a travel ban following her release from pretrial detention two years ago, was handed a renewed ban in 2025; it was imposed after she was convicted of being a member of a terrorist organization based on her journalistic work for a pro-Kurdish news outlet. Alagaş has been allowed to remain free pending her appeal of the six-year sentence handed down. The use of travel bans in Turkey continues even after the Constitutional Court ruled in 2024 that a travel ban against author and human rights defender Nurcan Kaya during her trial violated her right to freedom of expression.
Domestic travel constraints: Vietnamese authorities have also imposed travel bans against rights defenders. Nguyễn Văn Hoá, an activist and journalist sentenced to seven years in prison for his reporting work, was released last year but is serving three years of house arrest. Nguyễn is confined within his commune, making it difficult to access education and health care, secure work, and see relatives. The impact of these constraints has taken a significant physical and emotional toll.
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[1] Url:
https://freedomhouse.org/article/political-prisoners-watch-travel-bans
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