Additional Name(s): 胡志琴

Gender: Female

Current Location: Liaoning Women's Prison, Yuhong

Perpetrator: China

Religion or Belief: Falun Gong

Reports of Torture: No

Reports of Medical Neglect: No

Sentence: 7 Years, 6 Months' Imprisonment

Date of Detainment: October/8/2017

Current Status: Not Released

Religious Leader: No

Most Recent Type of Abuse: Imprisonment

Reason for Persecution: Religious Activity

Nature of Charges: Cult

Hu Zhiqin

Extra Bio Info:

Hu Zhiqin is imprisoned for her religious activity.

On or around October 8, 2017, public security officials from the Economic and Technological Development Zone in Dalian municipality, Liaoning province, detained 19 Falun Gong practitioners, including Hu.

On an unspecified day in 2018, Hu sentenced to seven years and six months in prison for "organizing or using a cult to undermine implementation of the law" (Art. 300 CCL).

Hu is currently at Liaoning Women's Prison.

Related Cases: Zhou Haiyan, Lai Guifang

Publicly Available Information:

Additional Name(s): 周海燕

Gender: Female

Current Location: Liaoning Women's Prison, Yuhong

Perpetrator: China

Religion or Belief: Falun Gong

Reports of Torture: No

Reports of Medical Neglect: No

Sentence: 8 Years' Imprisonment

Date of Detainment: October/8/2017

Current Status: Not Released

Religious Leader: No

Most Recent Type of Abuse: Imprisonment

Reason for Persecution: Religious Activity

Nature of Charges: Cult

Zhou Haiyan

Extra Bio Info:

Zhou Haiyan is imprisoned for her religious activity.

On or around October 8, 2017, public security officials from the Economic and Technological Development Zone in Dalian municipality, Liaoning province, detained 19 Falun Gong practitioners, including Zhou.

On an unspecified day in 2018, Zhou sentenced to eight years in prison for "organizing or using a cult to undermine implementation of the law" (Art. 300 CCL).

Zhou is currently at Liaoning Women's Prison.

Related Cases: Hu Zhiqin, Lai Guifang

Publicly Available Information:

Sep 20, 2021

USCIRF Releases New Report about Protests in Cuba and Religious Freedom

Washington, DC – The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) today released the following factsheet on the July 11, 2021 (“11J”) protests in Cuba and their impact on freedom of religion or belief in the country:

Factsheet on Protests in Cuba and Religious Freedom – Thousands of Cubans took to the streets nationwide on July 11, 2021 to call for greater freedom and relief from the country’s economic and COVID-19 crises. Cuban authorities responded by detaining, often violently, an estimated 700 demonstrators and activists. This factsheet examines how the 11J protests and the resulting crackdown by Cuban authorities has impacted freedom of religion or belief. It also highlights some of the religious leaders and members of religious communities who were detained and now face criminal charges for peaceful protesting. Further, it outlines ways in which the U.S. government has supported Cuban protestors’ calls for greater freedom and opportunities to advance religious freedom on the island.

In its 2021 Annual Report, USCIRF recommended that the U.S. State Department again place Cuba on its Special Watch List (SWL) for its ongoing and systematic religious freedom violations. In July 2021, an episode of USCIRF Spotlight podcast focused on the protests in Cuba and its impact on religious freedom.

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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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