The State Department said in a statement that the people mentioned in the #WithoutJustCause initiative represent political prisoners held by governments in all regions of the world.

Many are subjected to torture, gender-based violence, inhumane conditions, enforced disappearances or other forms of ill-treatment.

Some are behind bars for peaceful protest, exposing corruption or critical reporting.

"Some governments abuse their legal systems to prosecute peaceful protesters or government critics on trumped-up charges such as 'terrorism', 'extremism', 'cybercrime', 'fake news' or 'hooliganism.'

Many verdicts are handed down by courts deprived of independence, at trials closed to other observers," the US State Department said in a statement.

The initiative will include diplomatic engagement and public diplomacy in Washington, which is also conducted by US embassies abroad.

"The United States calls for the immediate release of all political prisoners and invites everyone who believes in the universality of human rights and basic freedoms to support this initiative," the State Department concluded.

Two Belarusian political prisoners are mentioned on the initiative's page:

and

.

"The harsh and arrogant Lukashenka regime in Belarus has more than 1,400 political prisoners, which is part of a large-scale suppression of human rights after the falsified presidential elections in August 2020.

Among the political prisoners is Ihar Losik, a respected journalist and consultant of Radio Svaboda," the initiative's page says.

It also mentions the detention of Igor's wife

.

She faces charges of extremism for an interview with an independent media outlet.

"We call on the Lukashenka regime to stop persecuting Igor Losik's family and allow them to be reunited with him immediately," the US State Department said in a statement.

Maria Kalesnikova's profile states that she is one of the many brave Belarusian women who courageously defend human rights and peacefully strive for democratic transformations in Belarus at the cost of great personal losses.

Among other things, it is reported about the recent hospitalization of a police prisoner.

The project page also presents the stories of political prisoners from Russia, Egypt, Venezuela, Syria, Tajikistan, Vietnam, Iran, Turkmenistan, Azerbaijan, the DPRK, the People's Republic of China, and Cuba.