Gender: Female

Current Location: Vakil Abad Prison

Perpetrator: Iran

Religion or Belief: Bahá`í

Sentence: 1 Year's Imprisonment

Date of Detainment: February//2024

Date of Sentencing: October//2023

Current Status: Not Released

Most Recent Type of Abuse: Imprisonment

Reason for Persecution: Religious Activity Religious Belief

Nature of Charges: Banned Organization

Noushin Mesbah

Extra Bio Info:

Noushin Mesbah is imprisoned for her religious belief and activity. 

In October 2023, Branch 1 of the Mashhad Revolution Court sentenced Mesbah to one year in prison on charges of "membership in a group with the intent of disrupting the country's security" in relation to her Baha'i faith. 

In February 2024, it was reported that Mesbah reported to Vakil Abad Prison to begin serving her sentence.

Gender: Male

Perpetrator: Uzbekistan

Religion or Belief: Muslim – Sunni

Reports of Torture: Yes

Date of Detainment: November/14/2023

Current Status: Not Released

Most Recent Type of Abuse: Detainment

Reason for Persecution: Religious Activity Transnational Repression

Nature of Charges: Extremism

Muhsinjon Ahmedov

Extra Bio Info:

Muhsinjon Ahmedov is detained for his religious activity. 

On October 20, 2023, French authorities again detained Ahmedov, this time keeping him in a deportation center before eventually deporting him. While in the center, prison guards reportedly choked him with a cloth.

On November 14, 2023, France denied Ahmedov asylum and deported him to Uzbekistan under an expedited process based on extremism charges from Uzbek authorities for his peaceful religious activities. If found guilty, Ahmedov could face up to 20 years in prison.

On December 7, 2023, France's top administrative court ruled that the deportation was illegal and that Ahmedov should receive state compensation and be returned to France. 

In 2015, Ahmedov fled Uzbekistan after facing false extremism charges following an unlawful detainment that included torture. In 2019, Ahmedov settled in France, where, in 2020, he helped rescue an elderly man and received a medal from the local mayor for his heroism. Despite advocacy from community members in France, French authorities put Ahmedov on a list of individuals that threaten national security, kept him under surveillance, and detained him for three months. 

Gender: Male

Perpetrator: Vietnam

Ethnic Group: Ede

Religion or Belief: Christian – Unspecified/Other

Sentence: 4 Years, 6 Months' Imprisonment

Date of Detainment: May/18/2023

Date of Sentencing: January/26/2024

Current Status: Not Released

Most Recent Type of Abuse: Imprisonment

Reason for Persecution: Attending a Religious Gathering or Meeting Praying Religious Activity Religious Association Religious Belief Religious Identity Resisting State Interference into Religious Affairs

Nature of Charges: Subversion

Nay Y Blang

Extra Bio Info:

Nay Y Blang is imprisoned for his religious belief and activity. 

On May 18, 2023, Vietnamese authorities arrested Blang on accusations including “abusing democratic freedoms” (Art. 331/2015 VCC) for his affiliation with the unrecognized and unregistered Central Highlands Evangelical Church of Christ and holding in-home religious meetings for fellow members. 

On January 26, 2024, the People's Court of Phu Yen province sentenced Blang to four years and six months in prison. 

Blang was previously imprisoned for his peaceful religious activity. In 2005, Blang was sentenced to five years and six months in prison for "undermining the unity policy." Upon his release from prison in 2010, authorities sent Blang to an "educational facility" for 24 months for “abusing the rights to democratic freedom and freedom of belief to entice and incite others to violate the law, interests of the State, legitimate rights and interests of organizations and individuals.”