Additional Name(s): Adela Elizabeth Espinoza Tercero

Gender: Female

Current Location: La Esperanza prison, Tipitapa, Nicaragua

Perpetrator: Nicaragua

Religion or Belief: Christian – Catholic

Date of Detainment: August/19/2023

Date of Release: September/5/2024

Current Status: Released

Religious Leader: No

Most Recent Type of Abuse: Imprisonment

Reason for Persecution: Religious Association

Nature of Charges: Drug Trafficking & Illicit Drug Use Spreading Propaganda & False or Misleading Ideas, Information, or Materials Treason & Sedition

Adela Tercero

Extra Bio Info:

Adela Tercero was detained in relation to a crackdown on religious institutions.

On August 19, 2023, police detained Tercero, who was a student leader at the Jesuit Central American University (UCA) in Managua. Tercero's detention occurred amidst a crackdown on Catholic institutions in Nicaragua, including the government arbitrarily cancelling UCA's legal status and confiscating its property. 

In October 2023, it was reported that Tercero had been charged with spreading false news and undermining national integrity and had been denied access to a lawyer in the first two legal proceedings of her trial. It was subsequently reported that Tercero had also been charged with possession of marijuana.

In November 2023, Tercero was found guilty of drug trafficking and not guilty of spreading false news and undermining national integrity.

On September 5, 2024, the Nicaraguan government exiled Tercero to Guatemala.

Related case: Gabriela Morales

Additional Name(s): Muhammad al-Ghamdi, محمد بن ناصر الغامدي

Gender: Male

Perpetrator: Saudi Arabia

Ethnic Group: Arab

Religion or Belief: Muslim – Sunni

Health Concerns: Mental Health Issues

Reports of Torture: No

Reports of Medical Neglect: Yes

Appeal: Death Sentence Appeal

Sentence: 30 Years’ Imprisonment

Date of Detainment: June/11/2022

Date of Sentencing: July/10/2023

Current Status: Not Released

Religious Leader: No

Most Recent Type of Abuse: Imprisonment

Reason for Persecution: Criticizing Religious Freedom Conditions Online Activity

Nature of Charges: Insulting Public Officials & Institutions Spreading Propaganda & False or Misleading Ideas, Information, or Materials Terrorism

Mohammed al-Ghamdi

Extra Bio Info:

Mohammed al-Ghamdi is imprisoned for his religious freedom advocacy.  

In June 2022, security forces in Mecca arrested al-Ghamdi at his home. Prosecutors accused him of criticizing the government and calling for the release of religious prisoners of conscience, including Salman al-Ouda and Ali al-Omari, on Twitter, despite having fewer than 10 followers. 

In July 2023, the Specialized Criminal Court sentenced al-Ghamdi to death for “describing the King or the Crown Prince in a way that undermines religion or justice" (Art. 30 Counterterrorism Law), "supporting a terrorist ideology" (Art. 34 Counterterrorism Law), “communicat[ing] with a terrorist entity” (Art. 43 Counterterrorism Law), and publishing false news “with the intention of executing a terrorist crime” (Art. 44 Counterterrorism Law). In September 2024, the Court overturned al-Ghamdi's death sentence and sentenced him to 30 years' imprisonment.

During detention, authorities placed him in solitary confinement for four months in al-Dhahban Prison near Jeddah, blocked communication with his family, and denied him access to a lawyer. They also denied him access to his prescription medications intended to treat his mental health conditions.

Al-Ghamdi's imprisonment may be an attempt at coercion by proxy. His brother, Saeed al-Ghamdi, is a religious scholar and a well-known dissident who received asylum in the United Kingdom following Saudi Arabia's 2017 crackdown on intellectuals and activists. He is also head of the SANAD Rights Foundation, which documents human rights abuses, including against religious prisoners of conscience. Mohammed and Saeed's brother, Assad al-Ghamdi, was also imprisoned in 2022 for "insulting religion."

Publicly Available Information:

Additional Name(s): Крош Энвер Умерович

Gender: Male

Perpetrator: Russia

Ethnic Group: Crimean Tatar

Religion or Belief: Muslim – Sunni

Reports of Torture: No

Reports of Medical Neglect: No

Date of Detainment: August/11/2022

Current Status: Not Released

Religious Leader: No

Most Recent Type of Abuse: Detainment

Reason for Persecution: Attending a Religious Gathering or Meeting Discussing Religion & Religious Texts Ethnoreligious Identity Possession of Religious Materials Religious Activity Religious Association

Nature of Charges: Banned Organization Terrorism Treason & Sedition

Enver Krosh

Extra Bio Info:

Enver Krosh is detained for his alleged religious activity.

On August 11, 2022, authorities in Russian-occupied Crimea, Ukraine, detained several Crimean Tatars, including Krosh, after searching their homes. Investigators accused them of organizing and participating in a cell of the banned Hizb ut-Tahrir organization, possessing religious literature, and talking about religious topics and Russia's persecution of Muslims. Krosh was charged with "organizing the activities of an organization…recognized as terrorist" (Art. 205.5-1 RCC) and "preparing for actions aimed at the forcible seizure of power or the forcible retention of power” (Art. 30-1/Art. 278 RCC).

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