Jul 28, 2022

USCIRF is mandated by Congress to make independent policy recommendations to the president, secretary of state, and Congress that would help improve religious freedom around the globe. Each year, USCIRF proposes these recommendations in its annual report, highlighting country conditions and thematic challenges. How often are these recommendations acted upon by the U.S. government?
 
USCIRF Supervisory Policy Advisor Jamie Staley joins us today to discuss some of USCIRF’s policy recommendations that the U.S. government has implemented over the last year.

Check out USCIRF’s 2022 Annual Report

Additional Name(s): Sareh Mansouri, زهرا صدیقی همدانی, ساره منصوری

Gender: Female

Perpetrator: Iran

Ethnic Group: Kurd

Religion or Belief: Unspecified

Reports of Torture: No

Reports of Medical Neglect: No

Sentence: Death

Date of Detainment: October/27/2021

Current Status: Released

Religious Leader: No

Most Recent Type of Abuse: Imprisonment

Reason for Persecution: Attending a Religious Gathering or Meeting LGBTI+ Rights Online Activity Religious Appearance Resisting State-Imposed Religious Systems

Nature of Charges: Illegal Migration & Entry/Exit of Country Immorality Miscellaneous Religious Crimes

Zahra Sedighi-Hamadani

Extra Bio Info:

Zahra Sedighi-Hamadani was imprisoned for her human rights work in support of the LGBTQI+ community.

On October 27, 2021, authorities detained Sedighi-Hamadani in Urumieh, West Azerbaijan province, reportedly in relation to her real or perceived sexual orientation and gender identity as well as her social media activity in support of LGBTQI+ rights. She was reportedly forcibly disappeared for 53 days and also subjected to solitary confinement and verbal abuse and threats by authorities of physical violence towards her and her children. 

On January 16, 2022, Sedighi-Hamadani was informed that she had been charged with committing corruption on Earth (Art. 286 IPC) through “promoting homosexuality,” “communication with anti-Islamic Republic media channels,” and “promoting Christianity."  The first two components of the charge reportedly stem from her participation in a BBC documentary about LGBTQI+ issues in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq. The latter component was reportedly in relation to her wearing a cross necklace and attending a house-church several years ago.

In July 2022, it was reported that Sedighi-Hamadani had been fined 5.3 million tomans for “illegally leaving the country." It was also reported that authorities had accused Sedighi-Hamadani of “promoting homosexuality, gambling, fraud, and promoting illicit sexual relations and publishing them on the Internet." It was also reported that Sedighi-Hamadani had been acquitted of an “encouraging prostitution” charge.

In September 2022, it was reported that the Urmia Revolutionary Court sentenced Sedighi-Hamadani to death for "committing corruption on Earth" (Art. 286 IPC) by "trafficking women to the Kurdistan region of Iraq."

In September 2022, it was reported that Sedighi-Hamadani had attempted suicide in prison, hospitalized, and subsequently returned to prison.

In March 2023, it was reported that Sedighi-Hamadani had been released on bail.

In December 2023, it was reported that Sedighi-Hamadani had safely fled Iran for another undisclosed country.

Related Cases: Elham Choubdar

Publicly Available Information:

Additional Name(s): 热合木提拉·赛买提

Gender: Male

Perpetrator: China

Ethnic Group: Uyghur

Religion or Belief: Muslim – Unspecified/Other

Reports of Torture: No

Reports of Medical Neglect: No

Current Status: Not Released

Religious Leader: No

Most Recent Type of Abuse: Imprisonment

Reason for Persecution: Ethnoreligious Identity

Nature of Charges: Leaking State Secrets Public Disorder Separatism

Rehmutulla Semet

Extra Bio Info:

Rehmutulla Semet is imprisoned for his ethnoreligious identity.

In 2018, authorities arrested Semet, the owner of the Tengge Tagh Hotel and a real estate company, and other Uyghur businessmen amid mass detentions of largely Muslim ethnic minorities in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (XUAR).

There are conflicting reports on Semet's charges and sentencing. One source indicated that Semet was sentenced to 19 years in prison for leaking state secrets and "disturbing society," whereas Radio Free Asia reported that Semet was sentenced to 20 years in prison for “engaging in separatist activities” in April 2021.

Publicly Available Information:
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