Additional Name(s): Ilnar Ilyasovich Zyalilov, Zyalilov Ilnar Ilyasovich, Зялилов Ильнар Ильясович

Gender: Male

Perpetrator: Russia

Religion or Belief: Muslim – Sunni

Reports of Torture: No

Reports of Medical Neglect: No

Appeal: Rejected

Sentence: 22 Years' Imprisonment

Date of Detainment: March/14/2017

Date of Sentencing: February/5/2020

Current Status: Not Released

Religious Leader: No

Most Recent Type of Abuse: Imprisonment

Reason for Persecution: Attending a Religious Gathering or Meeting Discussing Religion & Religious Texts Religious Activity Religious Association Religious Belief

Nature of Charges: Banned Organization Incitement to Commit Crime & Violence Terrorism

Ilnar Zyalilov

Extra Bio Info:

Ilnar Zyalilov is imprisoned for his religious belief and activity.

On March 14, 2017, authorities arrested Zyalilov after being accusing him of being a member of the banned Hizb ut-Tahrir organization. He and his colleagues allegedly organized meetings to discuss politics, strategies for reaching out to other Muslims about the organization, and the application of Islamic law norms in everyday life. 

On February 5, 2020, the Volga District Military Court sentenced Zyalilov to 22 years in prison for "organizing the activities of an organization…recognized as terrorist" (Art. 205.5-1 RCC), "abetting terrorist activities" (205.1-1), and “public calls for terrorist activities, public justification of terrorism or propaganda of terrorism…committed with the use of mass media or electronic or information and telecommunication networks” (Art. 205.2-2 RCC).

On May 31, 2021, Zyalilov's sentence was upheld.

Zyalilov is married with two children.

Related Cases: Abdukakhor Mumindzhanov, Ruslan Gabidullin, Azat Gataullin, Sergei Derzhipilsky, Zulfat Sabirzyanov, Rustem Salakhudtinov, Komil Matiev, Farid Kryev, Ilnaz Safiullin

Publicly Available Information:

Additional Name(s): Niyaz Refkatevich Ziyattinov, Зияттинов Нияз Рэфкатевич

Gender: Male

Perpetrator: Russia

Religion or Belief: Muslim – Sunni

Reports of Torture: No

Reports of Medical Neglect: No

Sentence: 12 Years' Imprisonment

Date of Detainment: April/25/2018

Date of Sentencing: January/20/2020

Current Status: Not Released

Religious Leader: No

Most Recent Type of Abuse: Imprisonment

Reason for Persecution: Attending a Religious Gathering or Meeting Discussing Religion & Religious Texts Religious Activity Religious Association Religious Belief

Nature of Charges: Aid & Abetment Banned Organization Terrorism

Niyaz Ziyattinov

Extra Bio Info:

Niyaz Ziyattinov is imprisoned for his religious belief and activity. 

On April 25, 2018, authorities arrested Ziyattinov after accusing him of being a member of the banned Hizb ut-Tahrir organization. Prosecutors accused him of organizing meetings for the organization, reading literature, and trying to attract new members. He was also accused of donating money to the organization and to the families of those who were previously arrested on similar charges.

On January 20, 2020, the Central District Military Court sentenced Ziyattinov to 12 years in prison for “participating in the activities of an organization…recognized as terrorist” (Art. 205.5-2 RCC) and "abetting terrorist activities" (Art. 205.1-1 RCC).

Ziyattinov is married with one child.

Related Cases: Artur Valov

Publicly Available Information:

Feb 24, 2021

USCIRF Condemns Killing of Gonabadi Sufi Activist by Iranian Officials

Washington, DC – The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) condemns in the strongest terms the deliberate medical malpractice at Iran’s notorious Evin Prison that caused the death of Behnam Mahjoubi, a 33 year-old Gonabadi Sufi activist. In 2019, Iran’s government killed the community’s spiritual leader, Noor Ali Tabandeh, by similar means and replaced him with a government loyalist.

“Behnam Mahjoubi’s death is an abysmal violation of religious freedom by Iran’s government and a stark reminder of its egregious and ongoing persecution of the country’s Gonabadi Sufi community,” said USCIRF Chair Gayle Manchin. “The United States and its allies must directly confront Iran about this mistreatment in any diplomatic interactions.”

Behnam Mahjoubi was among the more than 300 Gonabadi Sufis arrested in February 2018 protesting the house arrest of the community’s spiritual leader. He was arrested again in April 2018 by 20 plainclothes agents, beaten, denied legal counsel, forced to sign confessions, and placed in solitary confinement. While later released on bail, Mr. Mahjoubi was charged in August 2019 by Branch 26 of the Tehran Revolutionary Court with “assembly and collusion against national security.” He began serving his sentence in June 2020 but was denied access to medication for treatment of a panic disorder. In protest, he endured a 10-day hunger strike. After prison interference in his medical regimen without his consent, Mr. Mahjoubi was transferred to a hospital in September 2020. This left him with hand trembles, seizures, difficulty walking, and paralysis on the left side of his body.

Despite international concern, Iranian officials continued to deny Mr. Mahjoubi proper medical care. In February 2021, he was given pills at Evin Prison that caused him to fall into a coma. He was transferred to a hospital on February 12 and passed away soon thereafter. A prosecutor overseeing the trials of other Gonabadi Sufis arrested in 2018 has threatened them with a similar fate, raising serious concerns for their safety and access to due process.

“Iran is now trying to cover up its intent to murder peaceful religious activists through deliberate medical malpractice. The United States and international community cannot allow this outrageous treatment to stand,” said USCIRF Commissioner Gary Bauer. “The United States should continue to sanction high level Iranian officials who murder religious minorities with impunity and accelerate the resettlement of Iranian religious minorities through the means Congress has provided in the Lautenberg Amendment.”

In its 2020 Annual report, USCIRF recommended Iran for designation as a “country of particular concern,” or CPC, under the International Religious Freedom Act (IRFA) for engaging in or tolerating systematic, ongoing, and egregious violations of religious freedom, as it has recommended every year since 2002. In August 2020, USCIRF released a factsheet on sanctioned religious freedom violators in Iran. In December 2020, the State Department announced it had redesignated Iran as a CPC.

###

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].

Subscribe to