Additional Name(s): 张明朗
Gender: Male
Perpetrator: China
Religion or Belief: Falun Gong
Reports of Torture: No
Reports of Medical Neglect: No
Sentence: 5 Years' Imprisonment
Date of Detainment: December/22/2017
Date of Sentencing: January/7/2019
Current Status: Unknown
Religious Leader: No
Most Recent Type of Abuse: Imprisonment
Reason for Persecution: Religious Activity
Nature of Charges: Cult
Zhang Minglang
Extra Bio Info:
Zhang Minglang was imprisoned for his religious activity.
On December 22, 2017, authorities in Bazhou district, Bazhong municipality, Sichuan province, detained at least 16 Falun Gong practitioners, including Zhang, in relation to their practice of Falun Gong.
On January 7, 2019, the Bazhou District People’s Court sentenced Zhang to five years in prison for "organizing or using a cult to undermine implementation of the law" (Art. 300 CCL).
Zhang's sentence should have ended in December 2022.
Publicly Available Information:
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"Zhang Minglang" Congressional-Executive Commission on China (CECC)
Gender: Male
Perpetrator: India
Religion or Belief: Sikh
Reports of Torture: Yes
Reports of Medical Neglect: No
Date of Detainment: November/4/2017
Current Status: Not Released
Religious Leader: No
Most Recent Type of Abuse: Detainment
Reason for Persecution: Criticizing Religious Freedom Conditions Human Rights Work for Religious Communities Religious Belief Reporting on Religious Freedom Conditions or Documenting Religious Freedom Violations
Nature of Charges: Arms Trafficking & Illicit Use of Weapons Criminal Premeditation & Conspiracy Murder & Attempted Murder Terrorism
Jagtar Singh Johal
Extra Bio Info:
Jagtar Singh Johal is detained for his religious belief and religious freedom advocacy.
In November 2017, over a dozen plainclothes officers arrested Jagtar Johal, a Sikh activist and reporter, after his wedding in Jalandhar. Prior to his arrest, Johal was a contributor to a website that documented persecution of Sikhs in India. Authorities accused him of killing several Hindu leaders and politicians and, after obtaining confessions through torture, charged him with conspiracy, murder, terrorist acts, and using arms (Secs. 120B, 302 IPC; Sec. 16 UAPA; Sec. 27 Arms Act). Authorities confined him in Tihar Jail.
During detention, police tortured Johal into confession by using electric shocks, forcing his limbs into painful positions, and depriving him of sleep. Authorities also mistreated him by holding him incommunicado and denying him adequate legal counsel.
Publicly Available Information:
- "Foreign Office asks for India torture claim to be heard in secret court" The Guardian
- “Jagtar Singh Johal: Tortured Scot's family astonished by tip-off claim” British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC)
- “British Sikh activist ‘tortured in India after tip-off from UK intelligence’” The Guardian
- “Scot held in India since 2017 faces conspiracy to murder charge” British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC)
- “UN group: No legal basis for Jagtar Singh Johal's detention in India” British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC)
- “Opinion No. 80/2021 concerning Jagtar Singh Johal (India)” UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention
- “India says Punjab policemen got threats after UK man was arrested for RSS worker’s murder: Report” Scroll.in
Aug 25, 2022
USCIRF Releases Report on Religious Freedom Reforms to Egypt’s Educational Curriculum
Washington, DC – The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) today released a new report titled “Assessing Religious Freedom in Egyptian Curriculum Reform.”
Assessing Religious Freedom in Egyptian Curriculum Reform– This report evaluates progress made through academic year 2021-2022 by the Egyptian government to reform the curricula of its primary and secondary education systems. Since 2018, the Ministry of Education has considered ways to update public school textbooks to educate primary and secondary students on religion, religious communities, and religious diversity in Egypt. The report found that the 2021-2022 Egyptian Mandated Educational Curriculum (EMEC) shows slight improvement in reducing the prevalence of religious sectarian language and rhetoric. However, religionization of the EMEC remains endemic, with multiple subjects advancing government-endorsed versions of Sunni Islam while underrepresenting, excluding, or negatively characterizing religious minorities such as non-Sunni Muslims, Christians, and Jews.
In its 2022 Annual Report, USCIRF recommended that the U.S. Department of State place Egypt on its Special Watch List for engaging in or tolerating severe violations of religious freedom. In November 2021, USCIRF issued a report on Egypt detailing both Egypt’s progress in religious tolerance promotion and its continued restrictions on religious freedom for Egyptian citizens of a variety of religious backgrounds.
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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].