Additional Name(s): Maksim Viktorovich Puygin, Maksim Puigin, Puigin Maxim Viktorovich, Пуйгин Максим Викторович

Gender: Male

Perpetrator: Russia

Religion or Belief: Muslim – Sunni

Reports of Torture: No

Reports of Medical Neglect: No

Sentence: 11 Years' Imprisonment

Date of Detainment: September/6/2016

Date of Sentencing: December/11/2017

Current Status: Not Released

Religious Leader: No

Most Recent Type of Abuse: Imprisonment

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

Nature of Charges: Banned Organization Terrorism

Maksim Puygin

Extra Bio Info:

Maksim Puygin is imprisoned for his religious belief and activity.

On September 6, 2016, authorities arrested Puygin after accusing him of being a member of the banned Hizb ut-Tahrir organization. Authorities reportedly searched his home and confiscated Hizb ut-Tahrir literature. Puygin and his colleagues reportedly came together to study religious literature and sought to attract new members, all of which are ordinary religious activities.

On December 11, 2017, the Volga District Military Court sentenced Puygin to 11 years in prison for “participating in the activities of an organization…recognized as terrorist” (Art. 205.5-2 RCC).

Puygin has two children.

Related Cases: Aidar Aidarbekov, Albert Shafiyev, Nail Miniakhmetov, Radik Imangulov

Publicly Available Information:

Gender: Female

Perpetrator: Pakistan

Religion or Belief: Muslim – Unspecified/Other

Reports of Torture: No

Reports of Medical Neglect: No

Sentence: Death

Date of Detainment: May//2020

Date of Sentencing: January/19/2022

Current Status: Not Released

Religious Leader: No

Most Recent Type of Abuse: Imprisonment

Reason for Persecution: Blasphemy (General) Blasphemy (Religious Figures) Online Activity

Nature of Charges: Blasphemy Conversion Hate Speech

Aneeqa Ateeq

Extra Bio Info:

Aneeqa Ateeq is imprisoned and sentenced to death for alleged blasphemy.

In May 2020, authorities arrested Ateeq after she was accused of circulating sketches of religious figures and other materials deemed blasphemous via WhatsApp and Facebook.

In January 2022, a Rawalpindi court sentenced Ateeq to death for "insulting the Prophet Muhammad" (Sec. 295-C PPC).  Authorities also sentenced her to 10 years’ imprisonment for “intending to outrage religious feelings” (Sec. 295-A PPC), 3 years’ imprisonment for “posing as Muslim” (Sec. 298-C PPC), and 7 years’ imprisonment for “inciting interfaith hatred” (Sec. 11 Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act, 2016), and fined her 200,000 rupees.

Publicly Available Information:

Additional Name(s): Uzeir Rza ogly Abdullayev, Abdullayev Uzeyir Rza oglu, Абдуллаев Узеир Рза оглы

Gender: Male

Perpetrator: Russia

Ethnic Group: Crimean Tatar

Religion or Belief: Muslim – Sunni

Reports of Torture: No

Reports of Medical Neglect: No

Appeal: Reduced to 12 Years, 6 Months' Imprisonment

Sentence: Originally 13 Years' Imprisonment

Date of Detainment: October/12/2016

Date of Sentencing: December/24/2019

Current Status: Not Released

Religious Leader: No

Most Recent Type of Abuse: Imprisonment

Reason for Persecution: Possession of Religious Materials Religious Activity Religious Association Religious Belief

Nature of Charges: Banned Organization Terrorism

Uzeir Abdullayev

Extra Bio Info:

Uzeir Abdullayev is imprisoned for his alleged religious activity. 

On October 12, 2016, Russian security forces arrested Abdullayev and several others after raiding their homes in Crimea and confiscating religious literature and electronics.  Abdullayev was accused of being a member of the Hizb ut-Tahrir organization.

On June 18, 2019, the North Caucasian District Military Court sentenced Abdullayev to 13 years in prison for  “participating in the activities of an organization…recognized as terrorist” (Art. 205.5-2 RCC).

On December 24, 2019, the Supreme Court reduced Abdullayev's sentence by six months, making it 12 years and six months in prison.

Abdullayev is married with four children.

Related Cases: Teimur Abdullayev, Rustem Ismailov, Emil Dzhemadenov, Aider Saledinov

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