Gender: Female

Perpetrator: Malaysia

Religion or Belief: Christian – Unspecified/Other

Reports of Torture: No

Reports of Medical Neglect: No

Date of Detainment: November/30/2016

Current Status: Unknown

Religious Leader: No

Most Recent Type of Abuse: Disappeared

Reason for Persecution: Proselytizing Activities Religious Activity Religious Belief

Nature of Charges: Not Applicable

Ruth Sitepu

Extra Bio Info:

Ruth Sitepu was forcibly disappeared for her religious identity. 

On November 30, 2016, Sitepu and her husband, Joshua Hilmy, were disappeared at the hands of authorities or with their acquiescence. The U.S. Department of State indicated in its 2020 International Religious Freedom Report that Hilmy was targeted because of his conversion from Islam to Christianity. The couple was known for their ministry activities and outreach to Muslims.

On March 6, 2017, Sitepu and Hilmy's landlord filed a formal missing persons report. In July 2021, a government official testified that there are no government records of Sitepu and Hilmy leaving the country since their disappearance.

In November 2025, the Human Rights Commission of Malaysia (Suhakam) urged authorities to immediately reopen investigations into the disappearance of Sitepu and her husband.

Related Cases: Joshua Hilmy

Publicly Available Information:

Gender: Male

Perpetrator: Malaysia

Religion or Belief: Christian – Unspecified/Other

Reports of Torture: No

Reports of Medical Neglect: No

Date of Detainment: November/30/2016

Current Status: Unknown

Religious Leader: Yes

Most Recent Type of Abuse: Disappeared

Reason for Persecution: Practicing Religion as a Convert Proselytizing Activities Religious Activity Religious Belief

Nature of Charges: Not Applicable

Joshua Hilmy

Extra Bio Info:

Joshua Hilmy was forcibly disappeared for his religious belief and activity. 

On November 30, 2016, Hilmy, who is a pastor, and his wife, Ruth Sitepu, were disappeared at the hands of authorities or with their acquiescence. The U.S. Department of State indicated in its 2020 International Religious Freedom Report that Hilmy was targeted because of his conversion from Islam to Christianity.

On March 6, 2017, Hilmy and Sitepu's landlord filed a formal missing persons report. In July 2021, a government official testified that there are no government records of Hilmy and Sitepu leaving the country since their disappearance.

In November 2025, the Human Rights Commission of Malaysia (Suhakam) urged the authorities to immediately reopen investigations into the disappearance of Joshua Hilmy and his wife.

Related Cases: Ruth Sitepu

Publicly Available Information:

Dec 08

WHEN:

Dec 8th 10:30am - Dec 8th 12:00pm

U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom Hearing

State-Sanctioned Religious Freedom Violations and Coercion by Saudi Arabia and Iran

Wednesday, December 8, 2021
10:30 AM – 12:00 PM ET
Virtual Hearing

Hearing Summary

Hearing Transcript

Please join the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) for a virtual hearing that will examine the effects on freedom of religion or belief of the endorsement and imposition of a singular interpretation of religion by the governments of Saudi Arabia and Iran.

As part of broader authoritarian policies, both Saudi Arabia and Iran use violence and other coercive tools to target religious minorities and impose state-sanctioned religious interpretations on individuals regardless of their own beliefs. In Saudi Arabia, authorities enforcing the government’s interpretation of Sunni Islam have arrested, detained, and executed Shi’a Muslims for participation in protests against religious discrimination. In Iran, authorities enforcing the government’s interpretation of Shi’a Islam have jailed and executed Sunni Muslims, imprisoned and sentenced to lashings Christian converts from Islam, arrested and imprisoned Baha’is and confiscated their land, and spread anti-Semitic conspiracy theories. In both countries, women face state violence for peaceful dissent against laws regulating their dress, travel, and legal personhood on the basis of religion. The official interpretations of Shari’a in each country also justify violence committed against members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and intersex (LGBTI) community. 

How can the U.S. government hold to account those entities responsible for violence and coercion based on religion in Saudi Arabia and Iran? Witnesses will document the use of these tactics by both governments, detail the impacts on religious communities and those who dissent from each governments’ interpretation of religion, and provide policy recommendations to the U.S. government.

Opening Remarks

Panel I

  • Dr. Ahmed Shaheed, United Nations Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Religion or Belief, former United Nations Special Rapporteur on the Situation of Human Rights in the Islamic Republic of Iran
    Written Testimony

Panel II

  • Eric Goldstein, Acting Executive Director of Middle East and North Africa Division, Human Rights Watch
    Written Testimony
  • Marjan Greenblatt, Founder and Director, Alliance of Rights for All Minorities
    Written Testimony
  • Hala Aldosari, Ph.D., Scholar in Women’s Health and Activist from Saudi Arabia
    Written Testimony

 

Witnesses’ Bios

 

Submitted for the Record:

Video Testimony of Mohamad Ali Taheri

 

This hearing is open to Members of Congress, congressional staff, the public, and the media. Members of the media should register online and can email [email protected] for any questions or to schedule an interview. The video recording of the hearing will be posted on the Commission website. For any additional questions, please contact Nina Ullom at [email protected] or (202) 322-0232.

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