Gender: Male

Perpetrator: Turkmenistan

Ethnic Group: Turkmen

Religion or Belief: Christian – Jehovah's Witness

Reports of Torture: No

Reports of Medical Neglect: No

Sentence: 1 Year's Imprisonment

Date of Sentencing: March/19/2019

Date of Release: March/19/2020

Current Status: Released

Religious Leader: No

Most Recent Type of Abuse: Imprisonment

Reason for Persecution: Conscientious Objection Religious Belief

Nature of Charges: Refusing & Absconding Military Service

Muhammedali Saparmuradov

Extra Bio Info:

Muhammedali Saparmuradov was imprisoned for refusing to serve in the military on religious grounds.

On March 19, 2019, Saparmuradov was sentenced to one year in a labor camp for "rejecting call-up to military service" (Art. 219-1 TCC).  The date and circumstances of his arrest were unspecified.

On March 19, 2020, Saparmuradov was released.

Publicly Available Information:

Nov 7, 2019

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 7, 2019

 

 

USCIRF Condemns Turkish Air Strikes on Sinjar

 

WASHINGTON, DC – The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) condemns recent Turkish air strikes near civilian areas in Sinjar, Iraq. Turkey claims that these air strikes, the most recent in a series of similar operations that it has conducted in the Sinjar area since 2017, are targeting Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) fighters who have remained in northwestern Iraq since participating in anti-ISIS operations. However, these indiscriminate strikes have taken place in close proximity to towns and camps in which displaced Yazidi families have taken refuge since the 2014 genocide at the hands of Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) fighters.

USCIRF Chair Tony Perkins said, “USCIRF calls on Turkey to immediately cease its brutal airstrikes on Sinjar, Iraq. Despite Turkey’s claim that its successive military operations in the Sinjar area are targeting PKK positions, they are in fact victimizing Yazidi genocide survivors who remain displaced in and around Sinjar.”


“Iraqi Yazidis have already suffered immeasurable trauma over the last several years, beginning with the 2014 genocide and continuing with their unheeded calls for justice; their ongoing, mass displacement; and now their helplessness in the crosshairs of Turkey’s cross-border air strikes.” said Commissioner Anurima Bhargava. “Neither Turkey nor any other regional power should continue to victimize this long-suffering community with impunity.”


Since 1984, Turkey has waged an intermittent war against the PKK, an organization of Marxist Kurdish separatists that the U.S. has also designated as a terrorist group. As part of that long-running conflict, historically centered in eastern Turkey, the Turkish military has frequently sought to destroy PKK positions—or those of groups directly or indirectly tied to the PKK—in neighboring Iraq and Syria. However, it has repeatedly carried out such operations with disregard for vulnerable religious and ethnic minorities who live in, or have been displaced to, those same areas.


In its 2019 annual report, USCIRF placed Turkey on its Tier 2 list.

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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 call 202-523-3240.

Additional Name(s): Shamil Rasulovich Khakimov

Gender: Male

Current Location: Strict Regime Prison YaS 3/5

Perpetrator: Tajikistan

Religion or Belief: Christian – Jehovah's Witness

Health Concerns: High blood pressure, contracted COVID-19, lost vision, left ventricular hypertrophy, atherosclerosis, varicose veins, post-thrombotic syndrome, trophic ulcer, gangrene

Reports of Torture: No

Reports of Medical Neglect: Yes

Appeal: Rejected

Sentence: Reduced to 4 Years, 3 Months' Imprisonment

Date of Detainment: February/26/2019

Date of Sentencing: September/10/2019

Date of Release: May/16/2023

Current Status: Released

Religious Leader: No

Most Recent Type of Abuse: Imprisonment

Reason for Persecution: Religious Activity Religious Belief

Nature of Charges: Hate Speech

Shamil Khakimov

Extra Bio Info:

Shamil Khakimov was imprisoned for his religious activity.

On February 26, 2019, authorities arrested Khakimov reportedly under suspicion that he was leading Khujand's Jehovah's Witness community. Khakimov's arrest followed police raids on Jehovah's Witness homes in late January and early February 2019 after police stopped two Jehovah's Witnesses who had been sharing their faith with a passer-by in public. Before being arrested, Khakimov was summoned to the police station on February 1, 2019, and interrogated. During this time, his home was searched and his belongings were seized.

On September 10, 2019, the Khujand City Court sentenced Khakimov to seven years and six months in prison for “inciting religious hatred” (Art. 189 (2) TCC).  The court also imposed a three-year ban on his religious activity after he completes his sentence.

On October 9, 2019, Khakimov's appeal was rejected.

In December 2020, the government decriminalized the offense under which Khakimov had been convicted.

In March 2021, Khakimov's original sentence was reduced by two years, three months, and ten days. He was informed via letter that his term was commuted as a result of Tajikistan’s amnesty law.

In September 2021, Khakimov's only son - and the only visitor allowed to see Khakimov in prison - died. Khakimov was not permitted to attend his funeral.

On September 9, 2021, Khakimov's sentence was reduced another year.

On November 2, 2022, a judge reportedly rejected Khakimov's request to be transferred to a specialized hospital for urgent medical treatment.

As of November 2022, Khakimov's health condition remains dire. Khakimov's health has severely deteriorated while in prison with authorities consistently denying and delaying medical care. At the time of his arrest, he was still recovering from major surgery on his leg which later developed serious open sores. Khakimov showed symptoms of COVID-19 in December 2020. Shamil has become blind in his right eye and has severely lost vision out of his left eye. He also suffers from various ailments that threaten his life without specialized medical treatment, including heart disease (left ventricular hypertrophy), atherosclerosis of the legs, varicose veins in his lower extremities, post-thrombotic syndrome in both legs, a trophic ulcer on his left foot, and early stages of gangrene. Moreover, Khakimov experienced severe emotional distress due to the death of his son.

On February 15, 2023, the Sugd Regional Court rejected Khakimov's appeal to be transferred to a specialized hospital for medical treatment. 

On May 16, 2023, Khakimov was released from prison after completing his sentence. 

Prison administration reportedly pressured Khakimov to renounce his faith by refusing to submit his petition for a presidential pardon. 

In January 2025, Khakimov died from health complications that were exacerbated by the poor conditions and severe medical neglect he suffered in prison.

Publicly Available Information:
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