Additional Name(s): Гималиев Марсель Минехалимович

Gender: Male

Perpetrator: Russia

Religion or Belief: Muslim – Sunni

Reports of Torture: No

Reports of Medical Neglect: No

Sentence: 17 Years' Imprisonment

Date of Detainment: February//2020

Date of Sentencing: May/18/2022

Current Status: Not Released

Religious Leader: No

Most Recent Type of Abuse: Imprisonment

Reason for Persecution: Attending a Religious Gathering or Meeting Religious Activity Religious Association Religious Belief

Nature of Charges: Banned Organization Illicit Financing Terrorism

Marsel Gimaliev

Extra Bio Info:

Marsel Gimaliev is imprisoned for his religious belief and activity.

In February 2020, authorities arrested Gimaliev after accusing him of organizing and participating in meetings for the banned Hizb ut-Tahrir organization and collecting contributions for it. Gimaliev had originally been arrested in March 2017 and later placed under house arrest but escaped custody.

On May 18, 2022, the Central District Military Court sentenced Gimaliev to 17 years in prison for "financing terrorist activities" (Art. 205.1-1 RCC) and "organizing the activities of an organization…recognized as terrorist" (Art. 205.5-1 RCC).

Related Cases: Farit Sharifullin

Publicly Available Information:

Oct 27, 2022

To commemorate this year’s International Religious Freedom Day and the 24th Anniversary of the enactment of the International Religious Freedom Act in 1998, USCIRF reflects on the important role civil society plays in promoting freedom of religion or belief abroad.

Greg Mitchell, Co-Chair of the IRF Roundtable, joins Elizabeth Cassidy, Director of Research and Policy at USCIRF, to assess the U.S. government’s efforts to promote freedom of religion or belief abroad over the past 24 years, and to discuss the IRF Roundtable’s establishment and civil society advocacy.

Read the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998.

Additional Name(s): Шарифуллин Фарит Азатович

Gender: Male

Perpetrator: Russia

Religion or Belief: Muslim – Sunni

Reports of Torture: No

Reports of Medical Neglect: No

Appeal: Rejected

Sentence: 18 Years' Imprisonment

Date of Detainment: February//2020

Date of Sentencing: October/19/2022

Current Status: Not Released

Religious Leader: No

Most Recent Type of Abuse: Imprisonment

Reason for Persecution: Attending a Religious Gathering or Meeting Religious Activity Religious Association Religious Belief

Nature of Charges: Banned Organization Forgery Illicit Financing Terrorism

Farit Sharifullin

Extra Bio Info:

Farit Sharifullin is imprisoned for his religious belief and activity.

In February 2020, authorities arrested Sharifullin after accusing him of organizing and participating in meetings for the banned Hizb ut-Tahrir organization and collecting contributions for it.

On October 19, 2022, the Central District Military Court in Yekaterinburg sentenced Sharifullin to 18 years in prison for "financing terrorist activities" (Art. 205.1-1 RCC), "organizing the activities of an organization…recognized as terrorist" (Art. 205.5-1 RCC), and “forging an official document…with the aim of concealing another crime or facilitating its commission” (Art. 327-4 RCC).

On September 4, 2023, the Military Court of Appeal upheld Sharifullin's sentence.

Related: Marsel Gimaliev

Publicly Available Information:
Subscribe to