Ivan Matsitsky was detained for his religious activity and religious leadership role.

In June 2017, authorities detained Matsitsky, the director of the Church of Scientology in St.…

Renat Suleimanov was imprisoned for his religious belief and activity. 

On October 2, 2017, authorities arrested Suleimanov following a raid on his home in Molodezhnoe, Crimea.…

Ashraf Fayadh was imprisoned for apostasy.

In August 2013, authorities arrested Fayadh, a Palestinian poet and artist living in Saudi Arabia, following an altercation with a man in …

Jiang Ruirui was imprisoned for her religious belief and activity.

On July 25, 2014, authorities detained Jiang, a leader of the Church of Almighty God, reportedly while she was attending a…

Xu Zhaoling was imprisoned for her religious belief and activity.

On August 9, 2014, officers from the Public Security Bureau of Wulian county, Rizhao city, Shandong province, detained Xu…

Fang Ronghua was imprisoned for his religious belief and activity.

On October 30, 2015, authorities detained Fang in Fuzhou City Dongtai city, Jiangsu province, reportedly in…

Li Naiyang was imprisoned for her religious belief and activity.

On June 25, 2014, officers from the Wulian County Public Security Bureau in Shandong province arrested Li reportedly in…

Wu Jikun was imprisoned for his religious belief and activity.

On December 21, 2012, authorities in Anhui province detained Wu reportedly in relation to his preaching activities and…

Zhang Jie was imprisoned for his religious belief and activity.

In late 2012, police arrested Zhang reportedly in relation to his religious leadership role for 30 churches and his…

Pei Jing was imprisoned for her religious belief and activity.

On December 12, 2012, officers from the Pengdian Township Police Station of Xi county, Xinyang city, Henan province,…

Song Rongmin was imprisoned for her religious belief and activity.

On December 12, 2012, officers from the Pengdian Township Police Station of Xi county, Xinyang city, Henan…

Soheil Arabi was detained in relation to nationwide protests against mandatory religious veiling.

On January 2, 2023, authorities in Tehran arrested Arabi from his home under unclear…

Yuan Hongfen was imprisoned for her religious belief and activity.

On August 11, 2014, officers from the Fanlou Town Police Station in Feng county, Xuzhou city, arrested Yuan reportedly…

Yao Guofu was imprisoned for distributing religious materials.

On December 5, 2015, plainclothes police officers detained Yao and his wife, Liang Xin, from their home in Nanyang…

Liang Xin was imprisoned for distributing religious materials.

On December 5, 2015, plainclothes police officers detained Liang and her husband, Yao Guofu, from their home in Nanyang…

Li Yuehu was imprisoned for his religious activity.

On July 11, 2019, authorities arrested Li after police found Falun Gong-related materials on him.

In December 2019, Li was…

Sawan Masih was imprisoned and sentenced to death for blasphemy.

On March 9, 2013, authorities arrested Masih, a street sweeper, after he was accused of insulting the Prophet Muhammad in a…

Shafqat Emmanuel was imprisoned and sentenced to death for blasphemy.

In July 2013, authorities arrested Emmanuel and his wife, Shagufta Kausar, for allegedly sending blasphemous texts.…

Shagufta Kausar was imprisoned and sentenced to death for blasphemy.

In July 2013, authorities Kausar and her husband, Shafqat Emmanuel, for allegedly sending blasphemous texts.  The…

Nadeem Samson was detained for blasphemy.

On November 24, 2017, authorities arrested Samson after he was accused of committing blasphemy on Facebook following a property dispute. …

Bai Lijun was imprisoned for her religious belief and activity. 

On February 11, 2019, authorities arrested Bai and another individuals reportedly in relation to their Falun Gong…

Patras Masih was detained for blasphemy.

On February 19, 2018, authorities arrested Masih after he was accused of posting a perceived-blasphemous image on Facebook a few days before.…

Chen Xiaoying was imprisoned for her religious belief and activity. 

On March 20, 2014, authorities detained Chen for allegedly organizing religious assemblies and being in possession…

Yan Shihua was imprisoned for his religious belief and activity.

On October 27, 2014, authorities detained Yan in Yaohai District, Hefei City, Anhui Province, reportedly in relation to his…

Xiao Guorong was imprisoned for her religious belief and activity.

On January 10, 2018, officers from the Public Security Bureau in the Mosuowan Reclamation Area detained Xiao reportedly in…

Hu Xiuzhen was imprisoned for her religious belief and activity.

On March 20, 2015, officers from the Feng County Public Security Bureau in Jiangsu province detained Hu reportedly in…

Liu Jifang was imprisoned for her religious belief and activity.

On September 17, 2017, officers from the Lishi District Public Security Bureau of Luliang city detained Liu reportedly…

Lei Xiuxiang was imprisoned for criticizing religious freedom conditions. 

In July 2015, authorities arrested Lei for sending a letter to a high-ranking former official, protesting…

Notan Lal was imprisoned for blasphemy.

On September 15, 2019, authorities arrested Lal, the owner and principal of a private…

Zafar Bhatti was imprisoned and sentenced to death for blasphemy.

On July 22, 2012, authorities arrested Bhatti, a pastor, after he was accused of sending text messages insulting the Prophet…

Stephen Masih was detained for blasphemy.

In March 2019, authorities arrested Masih after he was accused of insulting the Prophet Muhammad.  According to reports, the accusation…

Rishat Girfanov was imprisoned for his religious belief and activity. 

On September 30, 2015, authorities arrested Girfanov after accusing him of being a member of the …

Danil Kunakbayev was imprisoned for his religious belief and activity.

On September 30, 2015, authorities arrested Kunakbayev after accusing him of being a member of the banned…

Denis Zagitdinov was imprisoned for his religious belief and activity. 

On September 30, 2015, authorities arrested Zagitdinov after accusing him of being a member of the …

Mubashar Ahmad was imprisoned and sentenced to death for blasphemy-related offenses.

On May 13, 2014, authorities arrested Ahmad alongside three others for allegedly tearing down…

Ehsan Ahmad was imprisoned for blasphemy.

On May 13, 2014, authorities arrested Ahmad alongside three others after they were accused of tearing down posters containing religious…

Hamid Soudad was imprisoned for his expression about religion.

On January 20, 2021, Soudad was arrested for insulting Islam and the Prophet Muhammad reportedly…

Li Cui was imprisoned for her religious belief and activity. 

On May 9, 2018, police arrested Li after raiding a house in Jiujiang city, Jiangxi province, where Li and others were…

Ravshan Kosimov was imprisoned for his religious identity and activity.

In 2008, security services arrested Kosimov, a soldier who studied on an exchange program at the U.S. military…

Alisher Muminov was imprisoned for his religious activity.

On March 26, 2016, authorities arrested Muminov, a resident of Margilon, in Tashkent and charged him with “attempts to overthrow…

Ubaydulla Murtazoyev was imprisoned for discussing his religion on social media.

On September 5, 2019, authorities detained Murtazoyev for allegedly storing with the purpose of distributing…

Suleiman Bouhafs was imprisoned for his alleged expression about religion.

On August 25, 2021, three men in a black vehicle abducted Bouhafs –  Chairman of the St. Augustine…

Sajjad Masih Gill was imprisoned and sentenced to death for blasphemy.

On an unspecified date, authorities arrested Gill, a member of the Seventh-day Adventist community, after he was…

Ghulam Ahmad was imprisoned and sentenced to death for blasphemy-related offenses.

On May 13, 2014, authorities arrested Ahmad alongside three others after they were accused of tearing…

Salamat Mansha Masih was detained for blasphemy.

On February 13, 2021, authorities arrested Masih and charged him with "intending to outrage religious feelings" (Sec. 295-A PPC), "…

Aleksey Yershov was imprisoned for his religious belief and activity.

In July 2020, security forces raided the home of Yershov and other Jehovah's Witnesses. They reportedly…

Andrey Kolesnichenko was imprisoned for his religious belief and activity.

In July 2020, authorities raided the home of Kolesnichenko and other Jehovah's Witnesses and confiscated…

Apollinaris Darmawan was imprisoned for his religious expression.

In August 2020, Bandung police arrested Darmawan after he was accused of insulting the Prophet Muhammad and Islam on social…

Noushin Jafari was imprisoned for blasphemy.

In August 2019, authorities arrested Jafari, a photojournalist and culture reporter, after accusing her of running a Twitter account that…

Redouane Foufa was imprisoned for his religious belief and activity.

On June 5, 2022, police in Bejaia detained 24 Ahmadis, including Foufa, a coordinator of religious activities in Bejaia…

Khireddine Ahman was imprisoned for his religious belief and activity.

On June 5, 2022, police in Bejaia detained 24 Ahmadis, including Ahman, and reportedly interrogated them for 14 hours…

Cherif Mohamed Ali was imprisoned for his religious belief and activity.

On June 5, 2022, police in Bejaia detained 24 Ahmadis, including Ali, and reportedly interrogated them for 14 hours…

Ilmir Abdullin was detained for his religious belief and activity.

On October 5, 2021, authorities in Moscow arrested six men, including Abdullin, after raiding their homes and…

Nikolay Nesterovich was detained for his religious belief and activity.

On October 5, 2021, authorities in Moscow arrested six men, including Nesterovich, after raiding their homes…

Sergey Polyakov was imprisoned for his religious belief and activity.

On July 4, 2018, authorities in Omsk detained Polyakov after assaulting him upon violently entering his home. He…

Roy Suryo was imprisoned for blasphemy.

On August 5, 2022, police arrested Suryo, the former Minister of Youth and Sports Affairs, for tweeting out an image of President Joko…

Parwa Behdad was detained for her religious belief and activity.

On November 14, 2022, authorities in Isfahan arrested Behdad from her home reportedly in relation to her being Baha'i.…

Rooha Imani was detained for her religious belief and activity.

On December 4, 2022, authorities in Kerman reportedly arrested Imani reportedly in relation to her being Baha'i.…

Firoozeh Soltan Mohammadi was detained for her religious belief and activity.

On December 4, 2022, authorities in Kerman reportedly arrested Mohammadi reportedly in relation to her…

Matin Gorji was detained in relation to his religious belief and activity. 

On January 8, 2023, authorities in Qaemshahr reportedly arrested Gorji, a Baha'i. Authorities…

Gratia Pello was imprisoned for his religious expression.

In December 2022, authorities in Surabaya, East Java, reportedly arrested Pello, a professor at a Christian theological school…

Sara Mottaghi is detained for blasphemy.

On January 15, 2023, Iranian authorities raided the home of Mattaghi, a poet, for writing about an ancient Iranian day celebrating women. After…

Taras Kuzio was imprisoned for his religious belief and activity.

On March 11, 2021, authorities in Yalta, Russian-occupied Crimea, Ukraine, detained Kuzio after accusing him of…

Anwar Kenneth was imprisoned and sentenced to death for blasphemy.

In 2001, authorities reportedly arrested Kenneth after he was accused of writing letters perceived as blasphemous towards…

Raja Amir was detained for blasphemy.

In August 2023, police arrested Amir after rumors circulated alleging that he and his brother tore pages from a Quran and wrote derogatory comments on…

Anooshavan Avedian was imprisoned for his religious activity. 

On August 21, 2020, agents with the Ministry of Intelligence Service arrested Avedian, a house church leader, after…

Narges Nasri was detained for her religious conversion.

In November 2024, Iranian intelligence authorities detained Nasri after raiding her Tehran home, during which they confiscated…