Additional Name(s): همایون ژاوه
Gender: Male
Perpetrator: Iran
Religion or Belief: Christian – Unspecified/Other
Health Concerns: Parkinson’s disease
Reports of Torture: No
Reports of Medical Neglect: No
Appeal: Rejected
Sentence: 2 Years' Imprisonment
Date of Detainment: August/13/2022
Date of Sentencing: November//2020
Date of Release: May//2023
Current Status: Released
Religious Leader: No
Most Recent Type of Abuse: Imprisonment
Reason for Persecution: Practicing Religion as a Convert Religious Activity
Nature of Charges: Banned Organization
Homayoun Zhaveh
Extra Bio Info:
Homayoun Zhaveh was imprisoned for practicing his religion as a convert.
In June 2019, authorities arrested Zhaveh and his wife, Sara Ahmadi, as they were on vacation with some friends. Zhaveh's wife was accused of leading a house-church and Zhaveh was accused of being a member of it.
In August 2019, Zhaveh was reportedly released on bail.
In November 2020, Zhaveh was sentenced to two years in prison for "membership in organizations that aim to disrupt national security" (Art. 499 IPC).
In December 2020, Zhaveh's sentence was upheld.
In June 2021, Zhaveh was informed that the Supreme Court had rejected his appeal for retrial.
On August 13, 2022, authorities detained Zhaveh after and sent him to Evin prison, possibly to begin serving his sentence.
In May 2023, it was reported that both Zhaveh and his wife were acquitted and released from their combined ten-year prison sentence.
Related Cases: Sara Ahmadi
Publicly Available Information:
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Photo attributed to Article 18
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"Parkinson's sufferer and wife acquitted, released from prison" Article 18
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"Iranian Christian with Parkinson’s disease and wife detained" Article 18
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"بازداشت دو نوکیش مسیحی، پس از حضور در شعبه اجرای احکام" Article 18
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"Homayoun Zhaveh" United for Iran
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"Iranian Christian convert with Parkinson’s disease faces prison" Article 18
Aug 12, 2022
USCIRF Welcomes President Joe Biden’s Appointment of Mohamed Hag Magid to U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom
Washington, DC – President Joseph R. Biden announced on August 10, 2022, the appointment of Mohamed Hag Magid to the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF).
USCIRF welcomes Mohamed Magid and looks forward to his valuable expertise and insight that his years of experience working on international religious freedom bring to the Commission.
Mohamed Magid is the Executive Religious Director of All Dulles Area Muslim Society Center in Sterling, Virginia. He is the Chairman of International Interfaith Peace Corps, serves as a member of the Muslim Jewish Council, and is a Co-President of Religions for Peace. He was part of the Marrakesh Declaration initiative that aims to protect religious minorities in majority Muslim countries. Magid is also the Co-Founder of the Multi-faith Neighbors Network, which focuses on building bridges between Muslim, Evangelical Christian, and Jewish communities.
For years, Magid has focused on promoting freedom of religion or belief, preventing violence against women, and preventing violence and hate in our societies. Magid works with the United Nations Development Programme in training imams to deal with violence and extremism against religious minorities in East and West Africa.
USCIRF Commissioners are appointed by the President and leadership of both political parties in the Senate and House of Representatives. With Commissioner Magid’s appointment, USCIRF now has a full complement of nine Commissioners.
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The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) is an independent, bipartisan federal government entity established by the U.S. Congress to monitor, analyze, and report on religious freedom abroad. USCIRF makes foreign policy recommendations to the President, the Secretary of State, and Congress intended to deter religious persecution and promote freedom of religion and belief. To interview a commissioner, please contact USCIRF at [email protected].
Aug 11, 2022
Malaysia maintains a unique dual legal system divided into civil and religious courts. In recent decades, the influence of these religious courts, which are based on the Shaf’i school of Sunni Islamic jurisprudence, have grown, adversely impacting religious freedom. Since 2014, USCIRF has been reporting on Malaysia and most recently in 2022 recommended that the U.S. State Department place Malaysia on its Special Watch List (SWL) for religious freedom violations.
USCIRF Policy Analyst Patrick Greenwalt joins us today to provide an overview of Malaysia’s legal system and discuss some high-profile cases directly related to freedom of religion or belief.