Releases in 2025 While criminalisation and arbitrary detention continue to be among the greatest risks faced by HRDs worldwide, and many are subjected to torture and ill-treatment while in detention, some eventually regain their freedom after varying periods of deprivation of liberty. Such releases are often made possible through the sustained efforts of a range of stakeholders to draw attention to the arbitrary nature of their detention and to secure their release through advocacy, legal action and diplomatic engagement. They underscore, once again, the importance of a collective strategy to counter censorship by detention. In 2025, SOS-Defenders documented HRD releases in 18 countries. 87 Total number of releases in 2025 11 Number of releases per country Belarus 22 Iran 15 Ethiopia 13 Afghanistan 12 Saudi Arabia 6 Guatemala 4 Cameroon 2 Tunisia 2 Turkey 2 Cambodia 1 Egypt 1 Jordan 1 Kenya 1 Russian Federation 1 Uganda 1 Ukraine 1 United Republic of Tanzania 1 Yemen 1 11. Of the 87 cases, 74 have been published and 13 are confidential. 12