Hear from four of the brave men and women who benefitted from your support and kindness in 2024, in the areas we are most active.
Zholia*
Zholia*, an Afghan activist and mother, worked tirelessly to promote peace between the Taliban and Afghan leadership as a key figure at the High Peace Council of Afghanistan. After the fall of Kabul, Zholia lost her job and her three daughters – who had dreamt of going to university and finding fulfilling careers – were removed from school simply because they were girls.
Zholia refused to stay silent in the face of of increasing restrictions and founded the Spontaneous Movement of Afghan Women in 2021. The group organized peaceful street protests across Kabul, demanding equal rights for women, despite the grave risks.
Last year, she was kidnapped by Taliban forces for her activism and endured three months of brutal torture in their custody.
Now unable to work due to Taliban restrictions, Zholia’s family must survive on her husband’s single wage. It is not enough to afford even basic amenities. Thanks to the support of donors like yourself, we were able to give a grant to the family which covers six months of living expenses, including food, rent and utilities. Zholia can now focus on continuing her activism online while in hiding.

‘Three years later, while the world’s attention may have turned elsewhere, the horrors have not stopped for Afghan women and girls, but nor has their conviction to stand against the oppression.
Alison Davidian, UN Women Country Representative in Aghanistan
Hassan*
Hassan* is an architect from Iran. In 2020, alongside thousands of others, he decided to take part in peaceful protests to fight against the repression of women and to call for free elections.
After being diagnosed with Leukaemia in 2021, Hassan was told to seek treatment in the UK. Leaving behind his family members – and having to undergo chemotherapy alone – was not the worst of Hassan’s worries. He found out that he had been identified from the protests, and was accused of being a British spy by the Ministry of Intelligence.
Hassan was tried in absentia , and was sentenced to three and a half years in prison and 74 lashes for his participation in the protests.
Though we are happy to say that Hassan completed his cancer treatment two years later, he still cannot return to Iran:
‘If I return to Iran, I will be imprisoned and persecuted…the last time I met my family was three years ago when I left them behind at the airport…’
Hassan is eager to integrate into the UK and has decided to re-qualify as an architect in the UK, thanks to the support of a bursary grant:

‘Completing my re-qualification programme will not only enable me to pursue my dream career, but also reunite with my daughter.’
Hassan*
Sayeda
Sayeda was born in Pakistan to a very conservative Muslim family. She was abandoned at just three days old – solely because she was born a girl – and spent the rest of her childhood in foster care. Sayeda grew up determined to help others. She moved to Ukraine in 2016 to study medicine and became active on social media for criticising religious extremism and being a proud atheist.
Unfortunately, Sayeda’s birth family are notorious religious zealots. They discovered her views and deemed her atheism a dishonour. For this, they wished to kill her.
After sending death threats to Sayeda’s new home in Germany, the family kidnapped her while she visited Pakistan. She suffered severe torture at their hands which left her with visible burns across her body.
Though she was able to escape back to Germany, Sayeda still lives under the constant threat of honour killing. Despite this, she remains committed to her studies and her activism. She reached out to PoC this year, struggling to make ends meet as a refugee student in Germany.
We awarded her with a grant in March to cover the cost of study supplies, rent and medical care so she can recover from the torture in safety.

‘According to the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan, over 470 cases of honour killings were reported in Pakistan last year. But Human Rights Watch estimate that around 1,000 women are killed in the name of honour every year.’
The Diplomat, 2022
Walter
Walter is a human rights lawyer from Zimbabwe. He was featured in our 2023/24 Impact Report – you can read more about his story by clicking the link to our report here
‘Following my refusal to obey unlawful instructions by the Prosecutor-General to persecute political activists, I was forced to resign…Later, as defence counsel, I represented numerous political activists in Zimbabwe’s courts.’
‘For this, I was abducted by state security agents. This led to my decision to seek exile in the UK, where I continue to advocate for human rights’.
Now living in Scotland, Walter has been volunteering for PoC and has helped to produce valuable materials for other human rights defenders. For example, he has helped us to produce our new ‘Toolkit’ – a resource for prisoners of conscience who require urgent support and have not yet reached a country of safety.
Most recently, Walter has been working on a project to foster resilience and agency amongst prisoners of conscience living in exile in collaboration with the Scottish Human Rights Defender Fellowship Programme and other partners.
Your kindness has helped us to support Walter and his family as he continues to look for full-time employment

‘I would like to express my deep gratitude for your gesture of pure kindness…including a grant to reunite my family. We had been separated for 12 months before reuniting again in the UK. It was such a moving and emotional experience. Thank you PoC’
Walter
The courage of people like Zholia, Hassan, Sayeda and Walter is the reason we exist, and it’s their stories that inspire our action.
Thank you for standing with us in 2024 and making sure that no one facing persecution for defending human rights must stand alone.