George W. Bush's portraits of political prisoners to be published in March

Former President George W. Bush will publish a new collection of oil paintings depicting political prisoners and dissidents, his third book of artwork, the Crown imprint of Penguin Random House has announced.

Titled "The Call of Freedom: Portraits of Political Prisoners and Dissidents," the book is scheduled for release on March 9. It will be published alongside an exhibition of Bush's paintings at the George W. Bush Presidential Center in Dallas.

The collection brings together 44 paintings, each accompanied by a biographical sketch of its subject. Among those portrayed are Mahsa Amini, the Iranian woman whose death in 2022 while in the custody of Iranian authorities sparked nationwide protests, and Rolando José Álvarez Lagos, an imprisoned Nicaraguan bishop. Natan Sharansky, a former Soviet dissident, has written the foreword.

In the book, Bush writes that the project, together with the work of the Bush Institute, offers him a way to convey that the United States cares deeply about people seeking freedom. He adds that the stories should serve as a reminder that those living in liberty have a duty to stand with those who do not.

The publication highlights human rights themes, though Bush's own presidential record has drawn frequent criticism, including over the CIA's use of waterboarding and the abuse of Iraqis at the Abu Ghraib prison.

Bush began painting after leaving office in 2009. His earlier art books include "Portraits of Courage: A Commander in Chief's Tribute to America's Warriors" and "Out of Many, One: Portraits of America's Immigrants."