Additional Name(s): Mohamaddi Rahmatullo, Mohammadi Rahmatullah, Муҳаммадӣ Раҳматуллоҳ, Муҳаррамов Муҳаммад Раҳматуллоевич
Gender: Male
Current Location: Strict Regime Prison No. 3/1, Vahdat District
Perpetrator: Tajikistan
Religion or Belief: Muslim – Sunni
Health Concerns: Swollen legs
Sentence: 8 Years' Imprisonment
Date of Detainment: November/2/2022
Date of Sentencing: March/23/2023
Current Status: Not Released
Religious Leader: Yes
Most Recent Type of Abuse: Imprisonment
Reason for Persecution: Attending a Religious Gathering or Meeting Discussing Religion & Religious Texts Religious Instruction & Teaching Resisting State-Imposed Religious Systems
Nature of Charges: Banned Organization Extremism
Mukhammadi Mukharramov
Extra Bio Info:
Mukhammadi Mukharramov is imprisoned for his independent religious activity.
On November 2, 2022, police arrested Mukharramov, an imam, for allegedly teaching Islam to a group of 12 Muslim men.
On March 23, 2023, the Ismoili Somoni District Criminal Court sentenced Mukharramov to eight years in prison for "organization of an extremist association" (Art. 307-2 TCC) and sentenced the other 12 men to between seven and ten years in prison on similar charges.
Mukharramov is currently located at Strict Regime Prison No. 3/1 in the Vahdat District.
Mukharramov was previously sentenced to eight and a half years in prison in 2016, but was pardoned after serving a portion of his sentence. A graduate of the International Islamic University of Pakistan, Mukharramov was considered to be the "leader of Salafis of Tajikistan" in the early 2000s, before Salafism was declared "extremist" in 2014. During this time, Mukharramov often debated Hanafi clerics.
Mukharramov suffers from swollen legs and requires crutches to walk. After his detainment, Mukharramov reported that his legs stopped working.
Sources:
-
"Ба масҷид намерафт, дар хона буд." Боздошти дубораи Муҳаммадӣ Раҳматулло. ВИДЕО" Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL)
-
"Наздиконаш гуфтанд, 'пойи Муҳаммадӣ Раҳматуллоҳ аз ҳаракат мондааст'" Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL)
Gender: Female
Perpetrator: Sri Lanka
Religion or Belief: Unspecified
Reports of Torture: No
Reports of Medical Neglect: No
Date of Detainment: May/27/2023
Date of Release: July/6/2023
Current Status: Released
Religious Leader: No
Most Recent Type of Abuse: Detainment
Reason for Persecution: Blasphemy (General) Discussing Religion & Religious Texts Expression about Religion Online Activity
Nature of Charges: Blasphemy Hate Speech
Nathasha Edirisooriya
Extra Bio Info:
Nathasha Edirisooriya was detained for blasphemy.
On May 27, 2023, police arrested and detained Edirisooriya after receiving a complaint that she made jokes insulting to Buddhism and Christianity during a stand-up comedy show.
On May 28, 2023, authorities charged Edirisooriya with "uttering words with deliberate intent to wound religious feelings" (Sec. 291A SLPC), "deliberate and malicious acts intended to outrage religious feelings" (Sec. 291B SPLC), and "propagating war and advocating national, racial or religious hatred that constitutes incitement to discrimination, hostility or violence" (Sec. 3 Sri Lankan ICCPR Act, No. 56 2007).
On July 5, 2023, the Colombo High Court granted Edirisooriya bail.
On July 6, 2023, Edirisooriya was released on bail.
Sources:
Additional Name(s): Víctor Ticay
Gender: Male
Current Location: Sistema Penitenciario Nacional Jorge Navarro, Tipitapa
Perpetrator: Nicaragua
Religion or Belief: Unspecified
Reports of Torture: No
Reports of Medical Neglect: No
Sentence: 8 Years' Imprisonment
Date of Detainment: April/6/2023
Date of Sentencing: August/15/2023
Current Status: Not Released
Religious Leader: No
Most Recent Type of Abuse: Imprisonment
Reason for Persecution: Online Activity Reporting on Religious Freedom Conditions or Documenting Religious Freedom Violations
Nature of Charges: Spreading Propaganda & False or Misleading Ideas, Information, or Materials Treason & Sedition
Victor Ticay
Extra Bio Info:
Victor Ticay is imprisoned for covering religious issues.
On April 6, 2023, police arrested and detained Ticay, a journalist, for recording a banned Easter celebration in Nandaime and posting the footage online.
On May 19, 2023, prosecutors reportedly charged Ticay with "undermining national integrity" and "spreading fake news."
On June 9, 2023, a judge found Ticay guilty of both charges and transferred him to Sistema Penitenciario Nacional Jorge Navarro in Tipitapa, a prison also known as "La Modelo."
On August 15, 2023, Ticay was sentenced to eight years in prison.
Related cases: Emmanuel Gutiérrez, Jimmy Antonio Bonilla
Sources:
-
Photo attributed to Voice of America (VOA)
- USCIRF Press Release: USCIRF Condemns Nicaragua's Expulsion of Arbitrarily Detained Priests October 25, 2023
- USCIRF Commissioners Frank Wolf and Frederick Davie, Tweet, October 2, 2023
- "Nicaragua: condenan a ocho años de prisión a periodista que cubrió actividad de la Iglesia católica" Voice of America (VOA)
- "Nicaraguan journalist Victor Ticay convicted on treason, false news charges" Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ)
- "Nicaraguan TV Journalist Victor Ticay Declared Guilty of 'spreading fake news' and 'undermining national integrity'" Confidencial
- "Jailed Nicaraguan journalist Victor Ticay accused of treason and cybercrime" Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ)
- "Journalist Victor Ticay arrested over coverage of Easter ceremony in Nicaragua" Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ)