WASHINGTON, D.C., October 20, 2026 — The National Endowment for Democracy (NED) and partner organizations today announced the formation of the October 30 Coalition and released a joint statement to rally support for political prisoners and champion their freedom. The coalition will mark the International Day of Political Prisoners with the Roll Call for Freedom, a public ceremony on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial on Friday, October 30, at 5 p.m.
The coalition brings together organizations working across regions to secure the release of people imprisoned for peacefully exercising their fundamental freedoms and to support their families. Its launch reflects a shared commitment to make October 30 an annual focus for international action, backed by cooperation throughout the year.
“Behind every political prisoner’s name is a person with a family, a community, and a future that imprisonment has put on hold,” said NED President and CEO Damon Wilson. “The people working for their release have shown what sustained advocacy can achieve. This coalition will help connect those efforts across borders and keep these cases on the international agenda.”
The joint statement highlights the importance of sustained international attention to individual political prisoners, efforts to secure their release, and accountability for abuses. It also underscores the vital role of organizations providing legal and humanitarian assistance to prisoners and their families.
The October 30 Coalition consists of the 30 October Foundation, Free Russia Foundation, Free Them One by One, Freedom House, the Human Rights Foundation, the Lantos Foundation, the McCain Institute, the National Endowment for Democracy, the Raoul Wallenberg Centre for Human Rights, and World Liberty Congress. To mark the commemoration, the Coalition is bringing to Washington many of the leading grassroots organizations, former political prisoners, and families of those still imprisoned from around the world.
The International Day of Political Prisoners traces its origins to October 30, 1974, when political prisoners in Soviet labor camps held a hunger strike to protest their treatment and demand recognition of their status. Political imprisonment affects communities across the world. Journalists are jailed for their reporting, lawyers for defending their clients, religious leaders for practicing their faith, and citizens for criticizing their governments. Detention separates families and deprives communities of people who help expose abuses and hold those in power accountable.
The ceremony is part of a series of coalition gatherings in Washington on October 29–30, including a reception at NED honoring those who helped secure the release of political prisoners and a workshop supporting frontline advocates. Beyond the observance, the coalition will help organizations share knowledge and coordinate international advocacy, with former prisoners and affected families helping shape its work.
Read the joint statement: https://www.ned.org/october-30-joint-statement/
Roll Call for Freedom event details and registration: https://www.ned.org/events/roll-call-for-freedom/
Organizations interested in joining the October 30 Coalition or supporting its work are invited to contact Ian at IanM@ned.org.
About the National Endowment for Democracy
NED is a private, nonprofit foundation dedicated to advancing freedom and democracy worldwide. Established in 1983 as part of President Reagan’s vision to foster an “infrastructure of democracy” with a bipartisan Congressional mandate, NED supports grassroots leaders striving for the freedom to think, speak, worship, engage politically, and support their families without fear. It mobilizes key pillars of American democracy, from political parties to business and labor, to support their counterparts abroad through the Core institutes that form the NED family: the International Republican Institute, the National Democratic Institute, the Center for International Private Enterprise, and the Solidarity Center.
