Dec 16, 2022

Pursuant to the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998, the U.S. Department of State designates Countries of Particular Concern, places countries on its Special Watch List, and designates Entities of Particular Concern. As part of this mandate, USCIRF makes recommendations to the administration, including the State Department, regarding which countries and entities deserve designation on these three lists based on systematic, ongoing, and egregious violations of religious freedom.

On today’s 100th episode of the USCIRF Spotlight Podcast, USCIRF Chair Nury Turkel joins us to discuss the State Department’s most recent designations and assess how they match up with USCIRF’s recommendations.

Additional Name(s): کاکی فرزاد الماسی

Gender: Unspecified

Perpetrator: Iran

Religion or Belief: Yarsani

Reports of Torture: No

Reports of Medical Neglect: No

Date of Detainment: November/30/2022

Date of Release: December/19/2022

Current Status: Released

Religious Leader: No

Most Recent Type of Abuse: Detainment

Reason for Persecution: Civil Rights Work for Religious Communities Religious Belief

Nature of Charges: Unknown

Kaki Farzad Almasi

Extra Bio Info:

Kaki Farzad Almasi was detained in relation to his religious belief and civil rights work.

On November 30, 2022, authorities reportedly arrested Almasi alongside other other Yarsani civil activists on their way to Bisotun, Kermanshah province. 

On December 19, 2022, Almasi was released on bail.

Related Cases: Siavash Hayati, Mansour Safayi, Syeed-Amin Abbasi, Seyyed-Karam Abbasi, Seyyed-Soroush Abbasi

Publicly Available Information:

Additional Name(s): سیاوش حیاتی

Gender: Male

Perpetrator: Iran

Religion or Belief: Yarsani

Reports of Torture: No

Reports of Medical Neglect: No

Sentence: 1 Year's Imprisonment

Date of Detainment: November/30/2022

Date of Release: January/3/2023

Current Status: Released

Religious Leader: No

Most Recent Type of Abuse: Detainment

Reason for Persecution: Civil Rights Work for Religious Communities Religious Belief

Nature of Charges: Spreading Propaganda & False or Misleading Ideas, Information, or Materials

Siavash Hayati

Extra Bio Info:

Siavash Hayati was detained in relation to his religious belief and civil rights work.

On November 30, 2022, authorities reportedly arrested Hayati alongside other other Yarsani civil activists on their way to Bisotun, Kermanshah province.  A week before his arrest, it was reported that a court had sentenced Hayati to one year in prison for “propaganda against the regime.” It is unclear if his sentence was tied to his arrest.

On January 3, 2023, Hayati was reportedly released on bail.

Related Cases: Kaki Farzad Almasi, Mansour Safayi, Syeed-Amin Abbasi, Seyyed-Karam Abbasi, Seyyed-Soroush Abbasi

Publicly Available Information:
 
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