Additional Name(s): Ataollah Zafar, عطاالله ظفر

Gender: Male

Current Location: Evin Prison

Perpetrator: Iran

Religion or Belief: Bahá`í

Health Concerns: Heart disease, elderly

Reports of Torture: No

Reports of Medical Neglect: Yes

Appeal: Reduced to 2 Years' Imprisonment

Sentence: Originally 5 Years' Imprisonment

Date of Detainment: May/1/2023

Current Status: Not Released

Religious Leader: No

Most Recent Type of Abuse: Imprisonment

Reason for Persecution: Preserving Religious Sites & Sacred Lands Religious Activity Religious Belief

Nature of Charges: Banned Organization

Atollah Zafar

Extra Bio Info:

Atollah Zafar is imprisoned for his religious belief and activity.

On May 1, 2023, authorities arrested Zafar reportedly in relation to his activities assisting Baha'i families seeking to bury their loved ones at a Baha'i cemetery in Tehran. During his arrest, law enforcement officials raided his home and confiscated his belongings. 

In July 2023, it was reported that the Tehran Revolutionary Court sentenced Zafar to five years in prison for “membership in illegal groups to disrupt national security.”

In October 2023, it was reported that Branch 36 of the Tehran Court of Appeal had reduced Zafar's sentence to two years in prison.

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Zafar was previously imprisoned for his religious activity.

On September 27, 2019, authorities arrested Zafar reportedly in relation to his being Baha'i. 

On October 20, 2019, Zafar was released on bail.

On an unspecified date, the Tehran Revolutionary Court sentenced Zafar to one year in prison reportedly for "membership in organizations that aim to disrupt national security" (Art. 499 IPC).

On an unspecified date in 2021, Branch 26 of the Tehran Court of Appeals upheld Zafar's sentence. 

On August 29, 2022, Zafar was taken into custody to begin serving his sentence in Evin Prison. He was reportedly 78 years old at the time. Zafar was reportedly arrested after appearing at a courthouse with a doctor's note saying he is not healthy enough to endure prison. Zafar reportedly suffers from heart disease. 

In September 2022, Zafar was taken to the prison hospital and then later to Taleghani Hospital for treatment after unclear medical issues. Zafar was reportedly later taken back to prison without completing his treatment. 

On October 29, 2022, Zafar was released on bail.

In February 2023, Zafar was granted amnesty.

Related Cases: Shadi Shahidzadeh, Mansour Amini, Valiollah Ghadamia

Publicly Available Information:

Sep 28

WHEN:

Sep 28th 10:30am - Sep 28th 12:00pm

U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom Hearing

Religious Freedom, Violence, and U.S. Policy in Nigeria 

Wednesday, September 28, 2022
10:30 AM – 12:00 PM
Virtual Hearing

Hearing Transcript

The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) held a virtual hearing on religious freedom, violence, and U.S. policy in Nigeria.

In June 2022, a USCIRF delegation visited Nigeria to assess religious freedom conditions on the ground. Through this visit and other research, USCIRF confirmed poor religious freedom conditions for many Nigerians. Spreading violence by a plethora of nonstate actors threatens religious freedom in a myriad of ways, including through militant Islamist violence, identity-based violence at the intersection of religion, ethnicity, and geographic heritage, and violence impacting worship for both Muslims and Christians. Poor governance and weak state capacity drive much of this violence. Religious minorities and individuals with dissenting beliefs face particular challenges in exercising their rights to manifest and express their beliefs freely, including the threat of mob violence and detention and prosecution by state authorities.

Religious freedom violations in Nigeria take place within a broader context of human rights abuses and growing atrocity risk. This hearing explored the drivers of violence impacting religious freedom in Nigeria, how religion serves as both a mobilizer of violence and a capacity for peace in Nigerian society, and how the U.S. government can adjust its policy to address atrocity risk and violence impacting religious freedom in Nigeria.

Opening Remarks

Panel

  • Oge Onubogu, Director for West Africa, U.S. Institute of Peace
  • Dr. Olusola O. Isola, Senior Lecturer, University of Ibadan, Nigeria
    Written Testimony
  • Emmanuel Ogbudu, Senior Monitoring, Evaluation & Learning Manager, Mercy Corps
    Written Testimony
  • James Barnett, Nonresident Fellow, Hudson Institute
    Written Testimony

Witnesses' Bios

This hearing is open to Members of Congress, congressional staff, the public, and the media. Members of the media should register online and can email [email protected] for any questions or to schedule an interview. The video recording of the hearing will be posted on the Commission website. 

Sep 16, 2022

In 2018, Kazakhstan arrested a group of men for participating in a WhatsApp group chat about Islam and sentenced them to multiple years in prison on fictitious terrorism and incitement-related charges. Last fall, the UN Working Group issued an opinion that their detention was arbitrary and that they should be released. Although the government of Kazakhstan has released a few individuals related to this case, five men still remain imprisoned.

Kazakhstan has regularly engaged with the U.S. government about possible religious freedom reforms, but it continues to severely limit this right through its 2011 religion law. USCIRF recommended in its 2022 Annual Report that the State Department place Kazakhstan on its Special Watch List for severe violations of religious freedom.

Freedom Now’s Legal Officer, Adam Lhedmat, and Advocacy Director, Matthew Schaaf join us today to discuss the case of the 5 Sunni Muslims who remain imprisoned for discussing their religious beliefs over WhatsApp.

Read USCIRF’s 2022 Annual Report Chapter on Kazakhstan

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