Additional Name(s): Bùi Văn Trung
Gender: Male
Perpetrator: Vietnam
Ethnic Group: Kinh
Religion or Belief: Buddhist – Hoa Hao
Health Concerns: Pain in eyes and head
Reports of Torture: No
Reports of Medical Neglect: Yes
Appeal: Rejected
Sentence: 6 Years' Imprisonment
Date of Detainment: June/26/2017
Date of Sentencing: February/9/2018
Date of Release: June/26/2023
Current Status: Released
Religious Leader: Yes
Most Recent Type of Abuse: Imprisonment
Reason for Persecution: Religious Activity Religious Belief
Nature of Charges: Public Disorder
Bui Van Trung was imprisoned for his religious identity and activity.
On June 26, 2017, authorities arrested Trung following a state crackdown on a Hoa Hao Buddhist event in April 2017. He was charged with "causing public disorder" (Art. 245/1999 VCC).
On February 9, 2018, Trung was sentenced to six years in prison.
On May 24, 2018, Trung's appeal was denied.
On June 26, 2023, Trung was released following the end of his sentence.
There are reports that mistreatment from prison guards has led to Trung having chronic pain in his eyes and head.
Trung was previously arrested in October 2012 and served four years in prison.
Trung has a wife and at least two children.
Related Cases: Bui Van Tham, Bui Thi Bich Tuyen, Nguyen Hoang Nam, Le Thi Hong Hanh
USCIRF Commissioner Frederick Davie, Tweet, July 6, 2023
"Bui Van Trung" The 88 Project
"List of POCs" NOW! Campaign
"Hoa Hao Buddhist Family, Friends Handed Prison Terms in Vietnam" Radio Free Asia (RFA)
"Religious Prisoners in Vietnam" Boat People SOS (BPSOS)
Additional Name(s): Ruhiddin Fahrutdinov, Ruhiddin Fazlitdinovich Fahrutdinov
Gender: Male
Perpetrator: Uzbekistan
Religion or Belief: Muslim – Sunni
Health Concerns: Tuberculosis
Reports of Torture: Yes
Reports of Medical Neglect: Yes
Sentence: 17 Years' Imprisonment
Date of Detainment: November//2005
Date of Sentencing: September/15/
Date of Release: August/27/2020
Current Status: Released
Religious Leader: Yes
Most Recent Type of Abuse: Imprisonment
Reason for Persecution: Religious Activity Religious Figure & Religious Leadership Role
Nature of Charges: Banned Organization Extremism Spreading Propaganda & False or Misleading Ideas, Information, or Materials Treason & Sedition
Ruhiddin Fahriddinov was imprisoned for his religious activity.
In November 2005, Kazakh authorities detained and deported Fahriddinov, a scholar and independent imam, to Uzbekistan. Fahriddinov fled to Kazakhstan from Uzbekistan in 1998 following a crackdown on independent imams. Fahriddinov was reportedly tortured in both Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan while detained. Uzbek authorities accused Fahriddinov recruiting and sending young people to terrorist training camps outside the country and for managing the finances of extremist religious sects and the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan.
There are conflicting reports about the court involved in Fahriddinov's case, charges, and date of sentencing. Forum 18 reports that the the Tashkent City Criminal Court on September 15, 2006, sentenced Fahrutdinov to 17 years in prison for “attempting to overthrow the constitutional order” (Art. 159 UCC), “illegal formation of public associations or religious organizations” (Art. 216 UCC), “preparation or distribution of materials containing a threat to public security or public order” (Art. 244-1 UCC), and "creation, management, and participation in religious extremist, separatist, fundamentalist, or other banned organizations" (Art. 244-2 UCC). Human Rights Watch reports that the Chirchik Criminal Court in Tashkent on September 15, 2007, sentenced him to 17 years in prison on ten counts, which were not specified. Human Rights Watch reported that Fahriddinov had been originally charged with 22 offenses, including " terrorism, sabotage, organization of illegal religious groups, activity against the constitution, and the dissemination of materials that threaten state security."
Fahriddinov was reportedly tortured while imprisoned.
Fahriddinov's health deteriorated while imprisoned. Fahriddinov was reportedly held for nine months in an isolation cell, where he contracted tuberculosis.
Fahriddinov's family, including his wife and step-daughter, have been arrested, with his wife being sentenced to prison for their connection to Fahriddinov. Fahriddinov's wife also alleged that a police officer raped the couple's 6-year old daughter.
On August 27, 2020, Fahriddinov was released from prison after he was granted amnesty.
USCIRF Report: Uzbekistan’s Religious and Political Prisoners October 2021
"Uzbekistan: Prisoner requests meeting with sister "maybe for last time'" Forum 18
USCIRF Commissioner Nadine Maenza, Tweet, August 27, 2020
"Uzbekistan Releases Former Tashkent Imam After 15 Years In Prison" Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL)
"Uzbekistan: Release and Rehabilitate Political Prisoners" Human Rights Watch
"'Until the Very End': Politically Motivated Imprisonment in Uzbekistan" Human Rights Watch
"Uzbekistan: Sentenced for Wahhabism – or independence?" Forum 18
Sep 26, 2019
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 26, 2019
USCIRF Urges U.S. Policymakers to Remain Engaged on Religious Freedom in Turkey
Calls on Turkish Government to Cease Interference in Religious Elections
WASHINGTON, DC – Turkish authorities have issued guidelines for the election of a new patriarch for the Armenian Apostolic Church. The guidelines reportedly include a new condition that would preclude clerics serving outside of Turkey from participating in the election and severely restrict the number of individuals eligible to stand for election. The election for patriarch is scheduled to take place on December 11, 2019.
In response, U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) Chair Tony Perkins said, “The Turkish government has increasingly interfered in the internal affairs of religious communities by placing gratuitous conditions on electoral processes for religious leaders.” Perkins urged U.S. policymakers to raise the importance of this election with the Turkish government.
“This latest interference is just one of many that has deprived the Armenian Apostolic Church of its right to choose its spiritual leadership for almost a decade,” said USCIRF Vice Chair Gayle Manchin.
On June 27, 2019, USCIRF held a hearing on the Turkish government’s interference in religious freedom. Witnesses at the hearing— including former religious prisoner of conscience Pastor Andrew Brunson, Cato Institute senior fellow Mustafa Akyol, Johns Hopkins professor Lisel Hintz, and former Turkish Parliament member Aykan Erdemir—testified to the need for elections free of government interference. They also offered analysis and policy recommendations related to anti-Semitic hate speech, the legal recognition of Alevis and their houses of worship, increased fear among Christian and other religious minority communities, religious property seizures, and the impact of the Turkish government’s foreign policy on religious minorities.
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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 threats to 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] or Kellie Boyle at [email protected] or +1-703-898-6554.