Extra Bio Info:

Yahaya Sharif-Aminu is imprisoned for his religious expression. 

In March 2020, authorities arrested Sharif-Aminu, a musician and follower of the Sufi Tijaniyyah Order, for allegedly praising an imam from the Tijaniya Muslim brotherhood "to the extent it elevated him above the Prophet Muhammad." Soon after the recording, Sharif-Aminu was arrested and charged with blasphemy under Sec. 382(b) of the Kano State Sharia Penal Code Law 2000, and a mob burned down his family's home. 

On August 10, 2020, the Hausawa Filin Hockey Upper-Sharia Court convicted and sentenced Sharif-Aminu to death. He did not have legal counsel during the trial.

In January 2021, a High Court overturned Sharif-Aminu’s conviction, but ordered him to a retrial. The retrial order was upheld on appeal in August 2022.

In November 2022, Sharif-Aminu filed an appeal with the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court held a preliminary hearing allowing the appeal to proceed in September 2025.

Extra Bio Info:

Jimmy Lai's imprisonment inhibits religious freedom advocacy.

On August 10, 2020, Lai, a media mogul, democracy activist, and advocate of religious freedom, was arrested from his home in Hong Kong for “colluding with a foreign country or with external elements to endanger national security” (Art. 29 National Security Law) and “conspiracy to defraud.” Lai was granted bail the following day.

On December 3, 2020, Lai was remanded back into custody after his bail was revoked.

On December 11, 2020, Jimmy Lai was charged under the Beijing-imposed National Security Law (NSL) with two counts of “conspiracy to commit collusion with foreign countries or external elements” and one count of “collusion with foreign countries or external elements.”

On December 23, 2020, Lai was granted bail again.

On December 31, 2020, Lai was taken back into custody after the government succeeded in challenging the High Court’s decision to grant bail.

On April 16, 2021, a Hong Kong judge sentenced Lai to 14 months in prison in relation to his involvement in two peaceful protests in 2019.

On May 28, 2021, the Hong Kong District Court sentenced Lai to another 14 months in prison for his involvement in an unauthorized assembly in October 2019.

On December 9, 2021, Lai was convicted for "unauthorized assembly" for participating in a Tiananmen Square vigil on June 4, 2020.

On December 13, 2021, the Hong Kong District Court sentenced Lai to an additional 13 months in prison.

On October 25, 2022, Lai was convicted of fraud over an alleged lease violation. A court sentenced him to five years and nine months in prison. Lai's sentences are to run concurrently. 

In August 2023, an appeals court overturned Lai's conviction for organizing an unauthorized assembly but upheld his conviction for participating in an unauthorized gathering.

Sources report that Lai has been subjected to prolonged solitary confinement with no natural light and has not been provided access to the Catholic sacrament of the Eucharist. 

Lai is serving his sentence in Stanley Prison, Hong Kong.

Extra Bio Info:

Xu Guixian was imprisoned for her religious activity.

In July 2018, authorities arrested Xu reportedly in relation to her practice of Falun Gong.

In March 2019, Xu was reportedly sentenced to four years in prison.

While imprisoned, Xu has reportedly been tortured, mistreated, and denied adequate medical care.

Xu is reportedly in poor health.

Xu's sentence should have ended in July 2022.