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Democracy Programs

Press Releases
McCain Institute Celebrates Release of Political Prisoner Jesús Armas
WASHINGTON, D.C. (February 9, 2026) – The McCain Institute celebrates the release of McCain Global Leader and Venezuelan opposition leader…
Op-Ed
ICYMI: McCain Institute’s Pedro Pizano and Sarah Moriarty Op-Ed in the Washington Post: “The U.S. finally has a tool to deter hostage-taking”
WASHINGTON D.C. (February 4, 2026) – In a new op-ed published by The Washington Post, John McCain Freedom for Political…
Blog
Blog: Sixteen Were Freed. More Than 1,600 Remain — and They Will Shape Russia’s Future 
Sixteen political prisoners are free — a rare flash of light in an otherwise dark era for Russia. Their release…
Press Releases
McCain Institute Welcomes Release of Maria Kalesnikava and 122 Political Prisoners in Belarus
WASHINGTON, D.C. (Dec. 18, 2025) — The McCain Institute at Arizona State University applauds the release of Maria Kalesnikava and…
Blog
Don’t Get Sucked into Putin’s Ukraine Corruption Propaganda
On November 11, Ukraine’s National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) revealed one of the largest embezzlement schemes in the country’s post-1991 history. Based on…
Press Releases
New McCain Institute Report: “Fortifying Democracy in Eastern Europe”
WASHINGTON, D.C. (December 11, 2025) – The McCain Institute at Arizona State University (ASU) today released a report titled, “Fortifying…
Press Releases
McCain Institute Calls for the Release of Jesús Armas One Year After Unlawful Detention
WASHINGTON, D.C. (December 10, 2025) – Today, on International Human Rights Day, the McCain Institute calls on Venezuela to release Jesús Alexander…
Blog
Children Behind Bars: The Plight of Juvenile Political Prisoners
At age fifteen, Russian teenager Arseny Turbin did not understand what he had done wrong. How could he? After all,…
Press Releases
McCain Institute Leads Joint Statement on International Day of Political Prisoners
WASHINGTON, D.C. (October 30, 2025) – In recognition of the International Day of Political Prisoners on October 30, the McCain…
Press Releases
McCain Institute & Human Rights Organizations Submit Case of Abducted Ukrainian Children to UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention
WASHINGTON, D.C. (October 24, 2025) — The McCain Institute at Arizona State University, together with the Foley Foundation, the Global Magnitsky…
Op-Ed
ICYMI: McCain Institute’s Laura Thornton’s Op-Ed in Just Security: “After Another Sham Election in Georgia, the Country’s Citizens Persist”
WASHINGTON, D.C. (October 8, 2025) – McCain Institute Senior Director of Global Democracy Programs Laura Thornton highlights the deepening democratic decline…
Op-Ed
ICYMI: McCain Institute’s Jennifer Lundy in DC Journal: “Why Moldova’s Struggle Against Russian Influence Matters for America” 
WASHINGTON, D.C. (September 29, 2025) – In a new op-ed, “Why Moldova’s struggle against Russian influence matters for America,” McCain…
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