Prisoner of Conscience (POC) is a term coined by Amnesty International, the global human rights group. Prisoner of Conscience refers to anyone imprisoned because of their race, religion, color, language, sexual orientation, or belief (so long as they have not used or advocated violence).
Amnesty International has, since its founding, pressured governments (such as China, Syria, or the State of Israel) to release such Prisoners of Conscience.