A joint study by Queen Mary University of London and the activist group Defend Our Juries claims that tougher policing and legal measures in the UK are generating a new category of political prisoners. The report, set for release on Tuesday, says activists linked to climate and Gaza-related protests are increasingly facing long and frequent jail terms. It identifies 286 imprisonment cases involving such movements, totaling 136 years of sentences, with an average term of 28 weeks.

Researchers attribute the rise to expanded anti-protest laws, greater police powers, and civil injunctions limiting defendants’ ability to defend themselves in court. Professor David White of Queen Mary University described the punishments as politically targeted, arguing that pre-trial detention is being used as a tactic to suppress dissent. The report notes that in 60 percent of cases, time spent in custody before trial exceeded the final sentence.

The UK judiciary rejected the allegations, stating that judges act independently, basing decisions on evidence, law, and sentencing guidelines established by Parliament and the Sentencing Council.