Additional Name(s): Đỗ Thị Hồng

Gender: Female

Perpetrator: Vietnam

Ethnic Group: Kinh

Religion or Belief: Buddhist – Unspecified/Other

Reports of Torture: No

Reports of Medical Neglect: No

Sentence: 13 Years' Imprisonment

Date of Detainment: February/14/2012

Date of Sentencing: February//2013

Date of Release: November/13/2020

Current Status: Released

Religious Leader: No

Most Recent Type of Abuse: Imprisonment

Reason for Persecution: Religious Activity Religious Association

Nature of Charges: Subversion Treason & Sedition

Do Thi Hong

Extra Bio Info:

Do Thi Hong was imprisoned for her religious activity.

On February 14, 2012, authorities arrested Hong, a member of the Buddhist An Dan Dai Dao religious group, and reportedly charged her with “abusing democratic freedoms to infringe on the interests of the State” (Art. 258/1999 VCC). Her arrest and the arrests of her colleagues throughout 2021 were tied to their activities in a peaceful religious organization called the Council for the Laws and Public Affairs of Bia Son.

In February 2013, Hong was convicted of "carrying out activities aimed at overthrowing the People’s Administration” (Art. 79/1999 VCC) and sentenced to 13 years in prison and five years' probation.

On November 13, 2020, Hong was released.

Publicly Available Information:

May 8, 2020

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 8, 2020

USCIRF Condemns Arrest of Prominent Nigerian Atheist, Mubarak Bala

Washington, DC – The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) today expressed its deep concern regarding the recent arrest of Mubarak Bala, president of the Humanist Association of Nigeria.

Mr. Bala was detained in Kaduna State on April 28, 2020, and was reportedly transferred to the Kano State Police. His current whereabouts and wellbeing are unknown. No charges have been filed, and it is unclear if Mr. Bala has been allowed access to his legal counsel. The arrest followed a petition filed with Kano State Police by a local law firm that alleges Mr. Bala insulted the Prophet Muhammad in his Facebook posts.  

USCIRF Chair Tony Perkins stated, “USCIRF is alarmed by this arrest, which appears to be for Mubarak Bala’s peaceful exercise of his rights to both freedom of expression and freedom of belief. The fact that Kano State frequently enforces Shari’a law makes the situation particularly worrisome. Nigerian authorities must immediately clarify Mr. Bala’s situation, ensure his safety, and provide him the full protections he is guaranteed under the Nigerian Constitution and international law.”

USCIRF has analyzed and expressed concern about blasphemy laws in Africa and the state enforcement of Shari’a laws in northern Nigeria, including Kano State. To learn more, read the reports: Blasphemy, Apostasy, and Hate Speech Laws in Africa and Shari’ah Criminal Law in Northern Nigeria.

USCIRF Commissioner Anurima Bhargava added, “USCIRF welcomes the statement by Ambassador-at-Large for International Religious Freedom Sam Brownback about his concern for Mubarak Bala’s arrest. We urge the State Department and U.S. Embassy in Nigeria to continue to sound the alarm about Mr. Bala's arrest with the Nigerian federal government. The matter is urgent; Nigerian state authorities have refused to provide any information and Mr. Bala’s safety in custody is of serious concern.”

In its 2020 Annual Report, USCIRF designated Nigeria as a “country of particular concern,” or CPC, under the International Religious Freedom Act for engaging in or tolerating systematic, ongoing, and egregious violations of religious freedom. The Annual Report includes specific recommendations for U.S. foreign policy in order to improve the religious freedom conditions in Nigeria.

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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 threats to 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] or Danielle Ashbahian at [email protected].

 

May 6, 2020

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE  
May 6, 2020

USCIRF Releases New Report on Religious Freedom Conditions in Laos

Washington, DC – The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) today released the following new country update on religious freedom conditions in Laos following a staff delegation to the country in February 2020:

Laos Factsheet - This report provides a country update on religious freedom conditions in the Lao People’s Democratic Republic. In 2016, the Lao government updated its regulation of religious freedom with the Decree on Management and Protection of Religious Activities, known as Decree 315. Despite the clarifications this decree provided, as well as efforts by the central authorities, religious freedom conditions in Laos remain of concern. All official faith communities must keep active communication with local and central religious authorities to function and operate, including in appointing leaders and in organizing faith-based activities. Unofficial faith communities struggle to obtain government recognition, and therefore legally cannot operate. This report examines the ongoing issues and barriers Laos faces to realize its international commitments to freedom of religious and belief.

Since 2009, USCIRF had placed Laos in its Tier 2 category, which was for governments that engaged in or tolerated serious religious violations. Beginning with the 2020 Annual Report, USCIRF replaced Tier 2 with recommendations for the State Department’s Special Watch List (SWL), which requires that the government engaged in or tolerated severe religious freedom violations, a higher standard. As a result of this change, Laos does not appear in the 2020 Annual Report, though religious freedom conditions remain a concern.

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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 threats to 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] or Danielle Ashbahian at [email protected].

 

 

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