Additional Name(s): Kemal Meylismyradovich Saparov, Сапаров Кемал Мейлисмырадович, Кемал Сапаров, Saparow Kemal Meýlismyradowiç

Gender: Male

Perpetrator: Turkmenistan

Religion or Belief: Muslim – Sunni

Reports of Torture: No

Reports of Medical Neglect: No

Appeal: Rejected

Sentence: 15 Years' Imprisonment

Date of Detainment: January/25/2018

Date of Sentencing: April/27/2018

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 Travel Abroad Unregistered Religious Activity

Nature of Charges: Banned Organization Hate Speech Public Disorder Treason & Sedition

Kemal Saparov

Extra Bio Info:

Kemal Saparov is imprisoned for his religious activity.

In January 2018, authorities in Ashgabat detained Saparov, a student who was studying abroad in Russia, for alleged disorderly conduct. Authorities accused him of belonging to various unregistered religious groups during his time in St. Petersburg, Russia.

In April 2018, the Ashgabat City Court sentenced Saparov to 15 years’ imprisonment for “conspiracy to seize power,” “inciting social, national, ethnic, racial or religious hostility,” and “creating an organized criminal group,” among others (Arts. 174-1, 177-3, 275-1 TCC). In May 2018, the Supreme Court upheld Halbaev's sentence.

Publicly Available Information:

Additional Name(s): Kakadjan Abdullaevich Halbaev, Халбаев Какаджан Абдуллаевич, Halbaýew Kakajan Abdullaýewiç

Gender: Male

Perpetrator: Turkmenistan

Religion or Belief: Muslim – Sunni

Reports of Torture: No

Reports of Medical Neglect: No

Appeal: Rejected

Sentence: 15 Years' Imprisonment

Date of Detainment: February/6/2018

Date of Sentencing: April/27/2018

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 Possession of Religious Materials Religious Activity Travel Abroad Unregistered Religious Activity

Nature of Charges: Banned Organization Hate Speech Public Disorder Treason & Sedition

Kakadjan Halbaev

Extra Bio Info:

Kakadjan Halbaev is imprisoned for his religious activity.

In February 2018, authorities detained Halbaev, a former student who had studied in Russia, and charged him with "petty hooliganism" (Art. 345 TAC). The month before, Ministry of National Security officials questioned Halbaev about his religious activity and conversations with other Turkmens in Russia. The same day of his detention, authorities raided his home and confiscated a Qur'an and other personal items. After a sermon was found on his computer, authorities accused him of belonging to various unregistered religious groups during his time in Russia.

In April 2018, the Ashgabat City Court sentenced Halbaev to 15 years’ imprisonment for “conspiracy to seize power,” “inciting social, national, ethnic, racial or religious hostility,” and “creating an organized criminal group,” among others (Arts. 174-1, 177-3, 275-1 TCC). In May 2018, the Supreme Court upheld Halbaev's sentence.

Publicly Available Information:

Aug 17, 2023

USCIRF Releases New Report on Religious Freedom Conditions in Nepal

Washington, DC – The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) today released the following new report on religious freedom issues in Nepal:

Nepal Country Update – This report provides an overview of religious freedom conditions in Nepal by examining how the country’s criminalization of proselytism, blasphemy, and cow slaughter in the National Penal (Code) Act, 2017, violate protections for the right to freedom of religion or belief under international human rights law. The country update also examines how legal impediments outside of the National Penal (Code) Act, 2017, violate the right to freedom of religion or belief. Hinduism remains influential in Nepali society and, as the country update shows, the legal impediments disproportionately impact the country’s Buddhist, Christian, and Muslim minority communities. Additionally, the report highlights the thousands of Tibetan refugees currently residing in Nepal who would be at a heightened risk of persecution if sent back to China, including violations of their right to life and their right to freedom from torture or cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment.

A USCIRF delegation traveled to Nepal in 2016 to assess the country’s religious freedom conditions. USCIRF’s findings were detailed in its 2017 Annual Report and focused primarily on the treatment of Nepal’s minority Buddhist, Christian, and Muslim communities. In 2018, USCIRF also published a report detailing the problematic registration laws for international non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and anti-conversion laws in Nepal.

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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 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].

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