10 political prisoners who became leaders
What to do with those pesky political opponents? How can we rid ourselves of their opinions and dampen support for their cause before an uprising breaks out? Before the people realize what is at stake and take up arms. What would a true tyrant do if someone doesn’t follow the rules? Put them in jail, of course. Take the wind out of their sails by putting them in a cell and keeping their rebellion contained, away from the public eye where their antics cannot make the current regime look weak.
Fortunately, for anyone who values freedom, it is not always so easy, because true leaders have the gift of finding a way out of difficult situations. Perhaps the best-known example is Nelson Mandela.
Here are ten other political prisoners who rose through the ranks to become leaders in their own right.
Related: Ten cruel and violent political feuds from American history
10 Aung San Suu Kyi
Suu Kyi’s story is one of legendary greatness. Her father, also a politician, was murdered when she was two, leaving her mother to care for her. Later, Suu Kyi married and had children before returning to Burma (now Myanmar) to care for her ailing mother. That was when Suu Kyi became involved in the politics of the time and took part in a non-violent protest against U Ne Win’s rule.
Suu Kyi was placed under house arrest by the military government of the newly formed Union of Myanmar. During that time she received a Nobel Prize and her husband passed away. Despite enormous political pressure and the threat of violence, she stuck to her political ambitions, eventually leading the country to its first free elections and a victory for Suu Kyi and the National League for Democracy.
At one point, after winning the election, Suu Kyi held four ministerial positions in the new government, eventually relinquishing two. She was also appointed State Counselor (similar to Prime Minister), a position higher than the President.[1]
9 Jawaharlal Nehru
An anti-colonialist, Nehru was arrested and imprisoned nine times for a total of over nine years during his various stints in the ring. After spending time in Europe, he returned to India, where he became an early proponent of a free India and emerged as the leader of the intellectual youth. The colonialists did not make it easy for him.
In 1929, he was elected chairman of the Lahore session of the Indian National Congress, where Indian independence was at the forefront of policy before being imprisoned several times between 1930 and 1935. In 1940 he was arrested again for protesting against India’s entry into the war. war and a final time in 1942 for his longest continuous period of incarceration.
Nearly five years after serving his last sentence, Nehru became the first Prime Minister of an independent India.[2]
8 Vaclav Havel
For a man who spent much of his 40s in prison, released and then thrown back, Vaclav has managed, against all odds, to leave quite an impressive legacy. After the fall of communism and the Soviet Union, Czechoslovakia needed a man who had seen it all to take control. That was exactly what Havel was.
A playwright, poet and dissident who, after an anti-government demonstration broke out in Prague, became the face of the Civic Forum, a coalition of non-communist opposition groups pushing for change.
Havel, who was crucial to the negotiations for what became known as the ‘Velvet Revolution’ (a bloodless pact between coalition groups), was elected interim president of Czechoslovakia in December 1989 and then re-elected president in July 1990, making him became the country’s first non-communist president. leader since 1948.[3]
7 Anwar Ibrahim
Before reaching the top, Ibrahim had spent nearly a decade in prison on what some might consider trumped-up charges. The first term – six years – was in 1999 for corruption. While in prison, he was given another nine-year sentence for the crime of sodomy in the predominantly Muslim country (a law that has now been repealed).
To understand Ibrahim’s story, you must understand his relationship with longtime Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir bin Mohamad. The relationship was good until they disagreed over the implementation of economic recovery measures during the Asian financial crises. Ibrahim was fired and convicted shortly afterwards.
Flash forward to May 2018 and 92-year-old Mahathir promised that if he were re-elected prime minister, he would seek a royal pardon for Ibrahim, which he did. Sultan Mohammed V agreed to the request. Ibrahim was released five days later, resumed his life in politics, winning a seat in parliament in 2018 and prime minister in 2022.[4]
6 Ho Chi Minh
Born into a poor family during the time of French colonial rule, Ho began his political career in France as an active socialist, organizing the Vietnamese living there into a movement that earned him some social recognition among the right people.
An ardent fan of Leninist Russia and its socialist policies, Ho made several trips to Moscow and trusted them to hide him from the powers in charge at the time. They wanted French rule to continue in the various regions of Vietnam.
When France was defeated by Germany during the early years of World War II, Minh saw an opportunity to further his cause and founded the Viet Nam Doc Lap Dong Minh Hoi (League for the Independence of Vietnam). The organization was forced to seek help from China’s leaders at the time, who distrusted Ho Chi Minh as a communist, and he was arrested before spending eighteen months in a Chinese prison.
With the elimination of the Viet Minh’s two strongest opponents (Japan by the US and France by the Germans), the road was paved. He collaborated with the US against Japan, and after Japan’s defeat, Ho Chi Minh declared Vietnam independent.[5]
5 Kim Dae Jung
Born in 1924, Kim came from the humblest of beginnings and a daring escape from the communists during the early days of the Korean War. But it was not until the 1950s that he became a beacon of democratic hope when he gained a reputation as one of South Korea’s most charismatic and naturally sympathetic politicians.
But years of criticism of a communist government can only lead to heavy prison sentences or worse. Kim was in and out of jail and under house arrest numerous times, but it was when President Park Chung-hee had Kim arrested on charges of conspiracy and sedition that he was finally sentenced to death. Spared from the death penalty by Park’s successor, Kim was allowed to leave for the US, which in fact also served as an exile from South Korea.
It was only in 1997, after several attempts to become president, that he achieved victory and also won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2000.[6]
4 Lech Walesa
When Walesa lost his job for his participation in the 1970 food riots, the seed was planted. Walesa’s mind was made up and his political views were virtually written in the stars.
Walesa was known for his role in the formation of what was known as the Solidarity Union. But after Solidarity was banned and martial law was declared in Poland, Solidarity’s leaders, including Walesa, were arrested and detained for almost a year. Walesa was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1983, much to the anger of the Polish government.
After public pressure, solidarity was restored and free elections were held. Solidarity won an overwhelming majority of seats in the Senate. Walesa ran for president in 1990 and won Poland’s first direct presidential elections with a large majority.[7]
3 Adolf Hitler
When you read about political prisoners, you expect that Hitler’s victims, and not the Führer himself, are the unfortunate prisoners. But not many people know that when Hitler came to power, he also spent time behind bars. In what was known as the Beer Hall Putsch, Hitler and his henchmen attempted a coup in Munich, which was foiled by the then government.
Hitler was accused of high treason, convicted and sentenced to five years in prison, ultimately being imprisoned for less than a year, just enough time to complete his autobiography my camp and formalize his manifesto.
It was after his release from prison that his infamous rise to power began, with many citing his imprisonment as an event that galvanized support for his growing Nazi movement.[8]
2 Joseph Stalin
Before Stalin became one of the most infamous leaders in Russia’s history, he, like most others on this list, had to be bent and shaped by his circumstances. As Josef Vissarionovich Dzhugashvili, he did not adopt the name Stalin, or Man of Steel, until around the age of thirty, when he began to take his own destiny into his own hands.
Strongly influenced by the German philosopher Karl Marx, he became an underground political player, organizing workers’ demonstrations and strikes. It was here where Stalin became involved in various illegal and illegal activities, including robbing banks and then using the proceeds to finance the Bolshevik Party.
Between 1902 and 1913, Stalin was arrested and imprisoned or exiled to Siberia numerous times. While in exile in Switzerland, he was appointed to the first Central Committee of the Bolshevik Party, which three years later overthrew the then government, seized power and appointed Lenin as their leader, with Stalin in his wake. The rest is history.[9]
1 Eugene V. Debs
A five-time socialist candidate for president, Debs was known as an outspoken leader of the labor movement that originated in the booming manufacturing and industrial sectors of the prosperous post-World War I United States.
An early proponent of socialism in a world that demanded long hours and little pay, Debs proved to be an unpopular man with the powers that be. After leading a rally that clashed with government forces, Debs was sentenced to six months in prison for contempt of court. It was in prison that the socialist rhetoric that would later form the basis of his political voice was honed. In 1898, Debs served on the Board of Directors of the newly formed Social Democratic Party of America (SDP), also called the Social Democratic Party of the United States.
After his release, Debs ran four consecutive losing presidential campaigns as a candidate for the Socialist Party, but was thrown back into prison in 1918 for violating the Espionage Act and calling out American involvement in World War I. He received a million votes in his fifth and final campaign for president while escaping from prison. Debs was released from prison a year later.[10]