Additional Name(s): Wangchuk Tso, དབང་ཕྱུག་མཚོ་, 旺秀措
Gender: Female
Perpetrator: China
Ethnic Group: Tibetan
Religion or Belief: Buddhist – Tibetan
Date of Detainment: October/26/2023
Current Status: Not Released
Religious Leader: No
Most Recent Type of Abuse: Detainment
Reason for Persecution: Adherence to a Religious Figure Online Activity Religious Belief
Nature of Charges: Unknown
Wangchug Tso is detained for her adherence to a religious figure.
On October 26, 2023, authorities in Dola (Qilian) county, Tsojang (Haibei) Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, Qinghai province, detained Tso, accusing her of sharing an image of the Dalai Lama on social media and sharing information with Tibetans living outside of China.
"Wangchug Tso" Congressional-Executive Commission on China (CECC)
Additional Name(s): Серебряков Александр Георгиевич
Gender: Male
Perpetrator: Russia
Religion or Belief: Christian – Jehovah's Witness
Date of Detainment: September/19/2023
Current Status: Not Released
Religious Leader: No
Most Recent Type of Abuse: Detainment
Reason for Persecution: Religious Activity Religious Belief
Nature of Charges: Banned Organization Extremism Illicit Financing
Aleksandr Serebryakov is detained for his religious activity and belief.
On September 19, 2023, authorities detained Serebryakov following searches on Jehovah's Witness homes in Moscow and the broader Moscow region. He was charged with “collecting funds…intended to finance the organization, preparation and commission of at least one of the crimes of an extremist orientation, or to ensure the activities of an extremist community or an extremist organization” (Art. 282.3-1 RCC).
Serebryakov has been previously prosecuted for his religious activities. In August 2022, the Golovinsky District Court of Moscow sentenced Serebryakov to six years' suspended sentence for his Jehovah's Witness activities.
Photo attributed to Jehovah's Witnesses in Russia
"The case of Serebryakov in Moscow" Jehovah's Witnesses in Russia
"В Москве осужденный Свидетель Иеговы арестован по новому делу" SOVA Center
"В Москве свидетеля Иеговы, осуждённого условно, отправили в СИЗО по новому делу" Memorial
"New Searches and a Criminal Case in Moscow and Moscow Region. Aleksandr Serebryakov Who Was Previously Convicted for his Faith Was Detained" Jehovah's Witnesses in Russia
"The case of Serebryakov and Temirbulatov in Moscow" Jehovah's Witnesses in Russia
Additional Name(s): Герасимов Алексей Анатольевич
Gender: Male
Perpetrator: Russia
Religion or Belief: Christian – Jehovah's Witness
Appeal: Rejected
Sentence: 6 Years' Imprisonment
Date of Detainment: December/7/2023
Date of Sentencing: December/7/2023
Current Status: Not Released
Most Recent Type of Abuse: Imprisonment
Reason for Persecution: Attending a Religious Gathering or Meeting Discussing Religion & Religious Texts Religious Activity Religious Belief
Nature of Charges: Banned Organization Extremism
Aleksey Gerasimov is imprisoned for his religious belief and activity.
On December 7, 2023, the Kirovsky District Court of Kazan sentenced Gerasimov to six years in prison for “organizing the activities of a public or religious association or other organization in respect of which a court has adopted a final decision to liquidate or ban activities in connection with extremist activities” (Art. 282.2-1 RCC). Authorities had accused Gerasimov of giving lectures about and promoting the ideas of Jehovah's Witnesses. Gerasimov was taken into custody following the verdict.
On March 22, 2024, the Supreme Court of the Republic of Tatarstan upheld Gerasimov's sentence.
Photo attributed to Jehovah's Witnesses in Russia
"Case of Gerasimov case in Kazan" Jehovah's Witnesses in Russia
"Aleksey Gerasimov, One of Jehovah's Witnesses from Kazan, Sentenced to Six Years in Prison for Talking About the Bible" Jehovah's Witnesses in Russia
"Свидетеля Иеговы из Казани приговорили к шести годам лишения свободы" SOVA Center