Nuno Pontes

Nuno Pontes is a researcher and activist specialising in prisons, human rights and the politics of dehumanisation, with over 40 years of direct and indirect experience in the field. Having grown up in Portugal and experienced both the oppression of fascism and the exhilaration of the democratic revolution, Nuno developed a lifelong commitment to activism.

Nuno was incarcerated in the United States. Throughout his incarceration, alongside many other advocacy initiatives, he was a founding member of the Human Rights Coalition, an NGO advocating for prisoners’ rights across the United States. Following his release, he drew on his prison experience to found or contribute to several Portuguese NGOs, including GIP (Grupo de Intervenção nas Prisões), ANPDES (Associação Nacional para o Desenvolvimento da Economia Social), CONFIAR, an NGO supporting prisoners and people recently released from prison, the Interdisciplinary Human Rights Centre; and the European Prison Observatory, which conducts research on prison conditions and related issues across the EU. Nuno is also the founder of There To Know, a research consultancy specialising in prison and human rights issues.