Sharjeel Imam

Gender: Male

Perpetrator: India

Religion or Belief: Muslim – Unspecified/Other

Reports of Torture: No

Reports of Medical Neglect: No

Date of Detainment: January/28/2020

Current Status: Not Released

Religious Leader: No

Most Recent Type of Abuse: Detainment

Reason for Persecution: Protesting Religious Freedom Conditions Religious Identity

Nature of Charges: Criminal Premeditation & Conspiracy Hate Speech Illicit Financing Murder & Attempted Murder Public Disorder Terrorism Treason & Sedition

Sharjeel Imam

Extra Bio Info:

Sharjeel Imam is detained for his religious freedom advocacy.

In January 2020, authorities arrested Imam, a Muslim student activist, for participating in peaceful protests opposing the religious discriminatory Citizen Amendment Act (CAA) in December 2019 and January 2020. Authorities accused him of inciting communal violence through speeches made at the protests. In August 2020, authorities charged him in first information report (FIR) 59/2020 with rioting with a deadly weapon, murder, attempted murder, sedition, "promoting enmity on grounds of religion," unlawful activities, terrorist acts, raising funds for terrorist acts, and conspiracy (Secs. 124A, 148, 153A, 302, 307 IPC; 13, 16, 17, 18 UAPA).

Publicly Available Information:

Photo provided by Justice For All
USCIRF Commissioner Stephen Schneck, Tweet, August 22, 2023
"Delhi court discharges Sharjeel Imam, Asif Tanha, and nine others in 2019 Jamia violence case" Scroll.in
"3 Years Since Delhi Police Accused Jamia Students Of Rioting, Chargesheets Reveal They May Have No Case" Article 14
"JNU student Sharjeel Imam alleges assaulted in jail, called a terrorist" The Indian Express
"2 Years of Delhi Riots: What's the Status of UAPA-Accused Named in FIR 59?" The Quint
"Sharjeel Imam gets bail in Jamia violence case" The Hindu
"Activist Sharjeel Imam granted bail by Allahabad HC in anti-CAA speech case" Scroll.in
"Six Months Since Delhi Riots, Delhi Police Continue to Enjoy Impunity Despite Rights Violations" Amnesty International
"JNU PhD scholar Sharjeel Imam now arrested for Delhi riots" The Indian Express
"Sharjeel Imam Sent to 4-Day Police Custody in Delhi Riots Case" The Quint
"JNU’s Sharjeel Imam tests positive for Covid-19 in Guwahati jail" Hindustan Times
"UN experts urge India to release protest leaders" UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights
"India: End Bias in Prosecuting Delhi Violence" Human Rights Watch
"From IIT-B to JNU to Shaheen Bagh: Who is Sharjeel Imam?" Hindustan Times
USCIRF Legislation Factsheet: The Citizenship (Amendment) Act in India February 2020