Gender: Female
Current Location: Heilongjiang Women’s Prison
Perpetrator: China
Ethnic Group: Han
Religion or Belief: Christian – Church of Almighty God
Reports of Torture: No
Reports of Medical Neglect: No
Sentence: 7 Years' Imprisonment
Date of Detainment: June/25/2017
Date of Sentencing: October/12/2018
Current Status: Not Released
Religious Leader: No
Most Recent Type of Abuse: Imprisonment
Reason for Persecution: Possession of Religious Materials Religious Activity Religious Belief
Nature of Charges: Cult
Yu Xuezhen
Extra Bio Info:
Yu Xuezhen is imprisoned for her religious belief and activity.
On June 25, 2017, authorities arrested Yu from her home in Sartu District, Daqing City, reportedly in relation to her religious belief and possession of religious materials.
On October 12, 2018, the Daqing Hi-Tech Industry Development Zone People’s Court sentenced Yu to seven years in prison and fined her 20,000 yuan for "organizing or using a cult to undermine implementation of the law" (Art. 300 CCL).
Yang is believed to be serving her sentence at Heilongjiang Women’s Prison.
Sources:
-
China Prisoners Database Details: YU Xuezhen Human Rights Without Frontiers
Jun 9, 2020
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
USCIRF Commends Bahrain for Release of Prisoner of Conscience Nabeel Rajab
Washington, DC – The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) today commended the government of Bahrain for releasing prominent human rights advocate Nabeel Rajab and allowing him to serve the rest of his sentence under non-custodial conditions.
“We are grateful that Bahrain has released Nabeel Rajab to an alternative sentence,” said USCIRF Vice Chair Gayle Manchin. “This is a step in the right direction and should be followed by additional releases of political and religious prisoners during the COVID-19 pandemic.”
USCIRF raised concerns in its 2020 Annual Report about Rajab’s incarceration given his advocacy on behalf of Bahrain’s Shi’a Muslim community. USCIRF has long advocated for Rajab’s release. He was an inaugural prisoner in the Defending Freedoms Project founded jointly by USCIRF and the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission in 2012.
“Releasing Nabeel Rajab is a strong indication of the Bahraini government’s intent to improve human rights conditions in the country,” USCIRF Vice Chair Nadine Maenza added. “We commend the government of Bahrain for this important action, which demonstrates increasing respect for the peaceful exercise of freedom of religion and belief.”
Nabeel Rajab co-founded the Bahrain Center for Human Rights in 2002, and advocated on behalf of Bahrain’s Shi’a Muslim citizens as part of a broader human rights agenda. Bahraini security forces arrested Rajab five times between 2012 and 2017 for his activism. In 2018, a court sentenced him to five years in prison for “spreading false rumors in a time of war,” “insulting public authorities,” and “insulting a foreign country” by criticizing on Twitter the Bahraini government’s support for the Saudi intervention in Yemen, on top of a two-year sentence over television interviews in which Rajab said Bahrain was not granting human rights organizations access to the country.
Other prisoners of conscience advocating on behalf of or representing the Shi’a Muslim community remain in prison in Bahrain, and allege discrimination and mistreatment on the basis of their religious identity.
###
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 202-523-3240.
Jun 9, 2020
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
USCIRF Releases New Report about Religious Prisoners of Conscience in Vietnam
Washington, DC – The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) today released the following new report about Vietnam:
Vietnam Country Update - This report provides a country update on religious prisoners of conscience in Vietnam. The Vietnamese government has detained dozens of individuals because of their religious affiliation or their advocacy on behalf of religious freedom. This report provides updates on several religious prisoners of conscience, including Nguyen Bac Truyen and Pastor A Dao. In addition, it discusses the ways in which prison conditions in Vietnam violate international standards, including the denial of access to religious services as a form of retaliation.
In its 2020 Annual Report, USCIRF called on the U.S. government to designate Vietnam as a “country of particular concern” under the International Religious Freedom Act.
###
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].