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Glossary of Detention Status

  • Death in prison: This status applies to a prisoner who passed away or was killed in prison.
  • Death outside prison: This status applies to a prisoner who was released from prison and then subsequently passed away. We might not be able to collect all data regarding death outside prison.
  • Detained, under house arrest: This status applies to a political prisoner who is under house arrest.
  • Executed: This status applies to a prisoner who was executed.
  • In prison, sentence confirmed: This status applies to a political prisoner whose sentence has been confirmed by the Appeals Court or the Supreme Court or has not applied for an appeal.
  • In prison, convicted by court: This status applies to a political prisoner who has been convicted by a court and is currently imprisoned.
  • In prison, details unclear: This status applies to a political prisoner who has been detained, but the legal procedural status of their case is not clear to IPA researchers.
  • In prison, pre-trial detention: This status applies to a political prisoner who has been arrested and is in pre-trial detention.
  • In prison, temporary daily furlough: This status applies to a political prisoner who is imprisoned, but allowed to leave prison during the day.
  • Released, sentence confirmed: This status applies to a political prisoner who has been convicted by the Appeals Court or the Supreme Court or has not applied for an appeal, but who is not in custody because their punishment has not yet been executed.
  • Released, convicted by court: This status applies to a political prisoner who has been convicted by a trial court, but who is not in custody because their punishment has not yet been executed.
  • Released, details unclear: This status applies to a prisoner who has either been released from prison but there are no details on their legal status, a prisoner who has escaped prison, or a prisoner who has left the country. If there is no information on a detainee’s continued detention after a reasonable period of time, IPA assumes they have been released.
  • Released, electronically tagged: This status applies to a political prisoner who has been released on the condition of being electronically monitored (known as “tagging”) for a certain period of time, most commonly until the completion of the original prison term.
  • Released, on bail: This status applies to a political prisoner who has been arrested and/or held in pre-trial detention, and then subsequently released on bail.
  • Released, on furlough: This status applies to a prisoner who has been released on furlough. It is important to note that when a prisoner goes on short-term furlough, the news of the prisoner's return to prison is usually not published. As such, their status remains "in prison" on the IPA.
  • Released, sentence complete: This status applies to either a prisoner who has completed their sentence and has been released from detention, or a prisoner who has completed their prison term and been sent to exile, or has been sentenced to a suspended sentence.