Additional Name(s): Irek Nasimovich Mukhametov, Мухаметов Ирек Насимович

Gender: Male

Perpetrator: Russia

Religion or Belief: Muslim – Sunni

Reports of Torture: No

Reports of Medical Neglect: No

Sentence: 18 Years' Imprisonment

Date of Detainment: October/17/2017

Date of Sentencing: April/26/2019

Current Status: Not Released

Religious Leader: No

Most Recent Type of Abuse: Imprisonment

Reason for Persecution: Attending a Religious Gathering or Meeting Discussing Religion & Religious Texts Religious Activity Religious Association Religious Belief

Nature of Charges: Banned Organization Terrorism

Irek Mukhametov

Extra Bio Info:

Irek Mukhametov is imprisoned for his religious belief and activity. 

On October 17, 2017, authorities arrested Mukhametov after accusing him of being a member of the banned Hizb ut-Tahrir organization. Prosecutors accused him of organizing in Hizb ut-Tahrir meetings, studying the organization's literature, and seeking to attract new members for the organization.

On April 26, 2019, the Volga District Military Court sentenced Mukhametov to 18 years in prison and one year of restricted freedom for "organizing the activities of an organization…recognized as terrorist" (Art. 205.5-1 RCC).

Mukhametov is married with one child.

Related Cases: Anas Gimazetdinov, Emil Shangareyev, Rinat Khannanov, Azat Zagiyev

Publicly Available Information:

Additional Name(s): Batyr Radikovich Mukhametov, Мухаметов Батыр Радикович

Gender: Male

Perpetrator: Russia

Religion or Belief: Muslim – Sunni

Reports of Torture: No

Reports of Medical Neglect: No

Sentence: 16 Years, 6 Months' Imprisonment

Date of Detainment: February/9/2017

Date of Sentencing: October/18/2019

Current Status: Not Released

Religious Leader: No

Most Recent Type of Abuse: Imprisonment

Reason for Persecution: Attending a Religious Gathering or Meeting Discussing Religion & Religious Texts Religious Activity Religious Association Religious Belief

Nature of Charges: Banned Organization Terrorism

Batyr Mukhametov

Extra Bio Info:

Batyr Mukhametov is imprisoned for his religious belief and activity. 

On February 9, 2017, authorities arrested Mukhametov for allegedly being a member of the banned Hizb ut-Tahrir organization. Mukhametov and his colleagues are said to have held meetings, discussed the organization's ideology, and sought to attract new supporters, all of which are ordinary religious activities.

On February 21, 2019, the Volga District Military Court sentenced Mukhametov to 16 years in prison for “participating in the activities of an organization…recognized as terrorist” (Art. 205.5-2 RCC).

On October 18, 2019, Mukhametov's charges were reclassified as "organizing the activities of an organization…recognized as terrorist" (Art. 205.5-1 RCC), and he was resentenced to 16 years and six months in prison.

Mukhametov is married with one child.

Related Cases: Bulat Rakhmanov, Radik Valiakhmetov, Ural Galiyev, Timur Gadiyev, Mikhail Toptygin, Yaroslav Timofeyev, Ruslan Rakhmatullin, Artyom Naumov, Vadim Davletbayev, Ruslan Zainullin, Ural Abdrakhimov

Publicly Available Information:

Feb 11, 2021

USCIRF Condemns Houthis for Summoning 19 Baha’is to Stand Trial on Spurious Charges

Washington, DC – The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) today condemned Houthi authorities for summoning 19 members of Yemen’s Baha’i community to stand trial on spurious charges and risk lengthy prison sentences. The Houthis have persecuted Baha’is and other religious minorities in Yemen for years solely because of their beliefs.

“We unequivocally condemn the Houthis’ latest targeting of Yemen's Baha'i community,” said USCIRF Chair Gayle Manchin. “This reckless endangerment of people's lives flagrantly violates freedom of religion or belief. The U.S. government must make clear to the Houthis and their supporters that it will not tolerate the systematic oppression of religious minorities."

Since coming to power in Yemen in 2015, the Houthis have been persecuting religious minorities. In July 2020, they agreed as part of a UN-backed campaign to release six jailed Baha’is on the condition they be deported from Yemen, including religious prisoner of conscience Hamid bin Haydara. The Houthis have since declared the six as “fugitives” despite having agreed to their release.

“It is imperative that the United States hold the Houthi authorities accountable for their ceaseless persecution of Baha’is on the basis of their faith,” said USCIRF Commissioner Johnnie Moore. “The U.S. government and the international community must also make clear to the movement’s backers in Iran that the export of intolerance and religious persecution is a nonstarter. In fact, we must have a zero-tolerance policy with regard to Houthi terrorism and those who enable it.”

In its 2020 Annual Report, USCIRF recommended the State Department designate the Houthis an “Entity of Particular Concern,” or EPC, for systematic, ongoing, and egregious religious freedom violations. In December 2020, the State Department re-designated the Houthis as an EPC.

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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].

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