Extra Bio Info:

Deniz Göktaş is detained for his religious expression. 

In July 2026, Turkish authorities arrested Göktaş, a popular stand-up comedian, for making jokes about the Quran in his comedy routine. Authorities charged him with "insulting religious values" and "insulting the president."

Extra Bio Info:

Artemy Ostanin is imprisoned for his religious expression. 

In March 2025, Russian authorities arrested Ostanin, a stand-up comedian, after he made a joke that was perceived to be mocking Russian war veterans who had lost limbs during the conflict in Ukraine. Ostanin fled to Belarus amidst controversy regarding his joke, but was captured, beaten, shaven, and refouled by Belarussian authorities. Russian authorities charged him with “inciting hatred” and designated him a terrorist. In January 2026, two weeks before his trial, prosecutors added a charge of "insulting religious feelings" for a joke he had previously made about Jesus to an audience of "no fewer than five people." 

In February 2026, the Meshchansky District Court in Moscow sentenced Ostanin to 5 years, 9 months' imprisonment in a penal colony for inciting hatred (Art. 282 RCC) and insulting the feelings of believers (Art. 148 RCC) and fined him 300,000 roubles. 

Extra Bio Info:

Elviza Aliyeva is detained for her religious belief and association. 

In October 2025, authorities in Russian-occupied Crimea raided Aliyeva's home before dawn, searched for prohibited religious literature, and arrested her. Authorities accused her of being a member of Hizb ut-Tahrir, a religious organization banned in Russia but not Ukraine, and confined her in a pre-trial detention facility.