The termdissident was used in theEastern Bloc, particularly in theSoviet Union, in the period followingJoseph Stalin's death until thefall of communism. It was attached to citizens who criticized the practices or the authority of thecommunist party. Writers for the non-censored, non-conformistsamizdat literature were criticized in the official newspapers. Soon, many of those who were dissatisfied with Eastern Bloc regimes began to self-identify as dissidents.[4] This radically changed the meaning of the term: instead of being used in reference to an individual who opposes society, it came to refer to an individual whose non-conformism was perceived to be for the good of the society.[5][6][7] In Hungary, the worddisszidens was used in contemporary language for a person who had left for theWest without permission (i.e. a defector), by illegally crossing the border or travelling abroad with a passport, but not returning and (sometimes) applying forasylum abroad. Such persons' citizenship was usually revoked, and their left behind property (if there was any to their name) would revert to the state.
Soviet dissidents were people who disagreed with certain features in the embodiment ofSoviet ideology and who were willing to speak out against them.[8] The termdissident was used in theSoviet Union in the period followingJoseph Stalin's death until thefall of communism.[4] It was used to refer to small groups ofmarginalized intellectuals whose modest challenges to theSoviet regime met protection and encouragement from correspondents.[9] Following the etymology of the term, a dissident is considered to "sit apart" from the regime.[10] As dissenters began self-identifying asdissidents, the term came to refer to an individual whose non-conformism was perceived to be for the good of a society.[5][6][7]
Political opposition in the USSR was barely visible and, with rare exceptions, of little consequence.[11] Instead, an important element of dissident activity in the Soviet Union was informing society (both inside the Soviet Union and in foreign countries) about violation of laws and of human rights. Over time, the dissident movement created vivid awareness of Soviet Communist abuses.[12]
Soviet dissidents who criticized the state faced possible legal sanctions under the Soviet Criminal Code[13] and faced the choice ofexile, themental hospital, orpenal servitude.[14]Anti-Soviet political behavior, in particular, being outspoken in opposition to the authorities, demonstrating for reform, or even writing books – was defined as being simultaneously a criminal act (e.g., violation of Articles 70 or 190–1), a symptom (e.g., "delusion of reformism"), and a diagnosis (e.g., "sluggish schizophrenia").[15]
Czechoslovak dissidents became significant after the1948 Communist coup and especially after theWarsaw Pact invasion, which ended the liberalizing moment of thePrague spring and led to much of the elite being removed from political and intellectual positions. In the ensuing era ofnormalization, the unlikely dissident union of former Communists,counter-cultural youth andChristians formed a so-calledunderground or 'parallel' culture. This underground createdCharter 77 and related movements, eventually meeting success in theVelvet Revolution, in which the formerly imprisoned writer and Charter 77 spokespersonVáclav Havel became a key political leader.
The termdissident has become the primary term to describeIrish republicans who politically continue to opposeGood Friday Agreement of 1998 and reject the outcome of thereferendums on it. These political parties also have paramilitary wings which espouse violent methods to achieve aUnited Ireland.
Mark Smith was a mid-level British diplomat, who resigned as a counter-terrorism official at the British embassy in Dublin.[18] He was protesting against the sale of British weapons to Israel and said that "the state of Israel is perpetrating war crimes in plain sight".
Stacy Gilbert, who served in the State Department's Bureau of Population, Refugees and Migration resigned in protest because of a report that she contributed to was falsified by the Biden administration.[19] She said that the report falsely stated that Israel was not blocking humanitarian aid to Gaza.
Dissidents and activists were among the earliest adopters ofencrypted communications technology such asTor and thedark web, turning to the technology as ways to resist totalitarian regimes, avoid censorship and control and protect privacy.[20][21][22]
Tor was widely used by protestors against theMubarak regime in Egypt in 2011. Tor allowed Egyptian dissidents to communicate anonymously and securely, while sharing sensitive information. Also,Syrian rebels widely used Tor in order to share with the world all of the horrors that they witnessed in their country.[23] Moreover, anti-government dissidents in Lebanon, Mauritania, as well as other nations affected by theArab Spring, widely used Tor in order to stay safe while exchanging their ideas and agendas.[24]
Various other human rights activists from Saudi Arabia have been either silenced or punished. This also happens if the individual lives outside the country. If a dissident is not a Saudi citizen, they will probably facedeportation.
The Fact Finding Panel (FFP), an independent jury of British parliamentary members and international attorneys, was tasked with reviewing the detention of former Crown Prince of Saudi ArabiaMohammed bin Nayef andPrince Ahmed bin Abdulaziz. In mid-December 2020, the panel published a report stating its findings, which claimed that the collective detention ofpolitical prisoners by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is a violation of the country's international legal obligations, as the authorities are holding the detainees without charge and not allowing them a chance to challenge their imprisonment. The imprisonment has also risked the safety of the detainees by posing fatal risks to their health by keeping them behind bars without providing proper medical aid amid the ongoingCOVID-19 pandemic.[26]
Another monarchy of theMiddle East,Bahrain, is known for violating the rights of peaceful critics of the government, including political activists andhuman rights defenders. A report released byAmnesty International in 2017 revealed that the country opted for several repressive tactics, including arbitrary detention, torture and harassment between June 2016 and June 2017 to crush the dissidents. Severalhuman rights organizations and international leaders have consistently denounced Bahrain's poor human rights records.[27][28]
TheHuman Rights Watch World Report 2021 also highlighted that Bahrain continued its repressive actions against the dissidents, including acts against online activities, peaceful critics and opposition activists.[29] In January 2021, forty cross-partyMPs of theUK wrote a letter to the vice-chancellor of an educational institution, theUniversity of Huddersfield, stating that it was at risk of “indirect implication in human rights abuse”. The university was running a master's course, MSc in security science, for the officers of Bahrain's Royal Academy of Policing, the building which was also being used for torturing dissidents.[30]
In March 2023, Bahrain hosted a meeting of the Inter-Parliamentary Union. However, on 8 March 2023, officials cancelled the entry visas issued to theHRW officials on 30 January 2023 to attend the 146th Congress of the IPU. Bahraini authorities have imposed restrictions on expression, association and assembly in violation of the country's international human rights obligations.[32]
On 31 March 2023, three men, Jalal Al-Kassab, Redha Rajab and Mohammed Rajab, were sentenced to prison for a year and faced a fine in Bahrain. They were prosecuted under a law criminalizing the "ridicule" of all books recognized as religious in Bahrain, including theQuran and theBible. The men were members of a Bahraini religious and cultural society that promotes open discussion of Islamic issues. Human rights groups claimed that they were indicted for exercising theirfreedom of expression.[33]
The UAE has been accused of imprisoning critics. Like many other Middle Eastern countries, it does not allow criticism of the government. Many Emirati dissidents have been languishing in jail, some of them for a decade.[41]
On 10 July 2024, 53 human right defendants and political dissidents were convicted by the Abu Dhabi Federal Court for establishing an independent advocacy group “Justice and Dignity Committee” in 2010, which the UAE considers as a terrorist organisation. The court sentenced 43 defendants were sentenced to life in prison, five to 15 years and another five to 10 years in prison, following an unfair mass trial. On 4 March 2025, all appeals by the convicted people got rejected by the UAE, implying that no future appeals for the case will be accepted in the UAE court. Joey Shea, UAE researcher at Human Right Watch said the UAE’s decision exposes the shortcomings of its justice system in handling political dissent.[42]
On 8 January 2025, the Emirati authorities announced to include 11 political dissidents and their families, along with 8 companies to its terrorism list, alleging them of having connections with Muslim Brotherhood. Registered in the UK, all 8 companies were currently previously owned by exiled Emirati dissidents or their relatives. Only 2 of the 11 individuals were convicted or accused of terrorist offense, but under questionable circumstances as per the Emirates Detainees Advocacy Centre (EDAC). Human Rights Watch called for immediate removal of the terrorism designation, saying that listing 19 individuals and companies as “terrorists” without any due process is a mockery of rule of law. It also stated that the U.K. government should intervene to defend British businesses against the allegations of UAE authorities.[43]
A March 2023 report byHRW stated that Egyptian authorities systematically refused to issue or renew ID cards for dozens of foreign dissidents, journalists and human rights activists over the past few years. The denial was possibly intended to pressure them to return to near-certain persecution in Egypt. By arbitrarily denying citizens valid passports and other overseas identification documents, Egyptian authorities violated both the constitution and international human rights law.[44]
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