Search

Negin Ghadamian was imprisoned for her religious association and for providing religious education.

In the years prior to her arrest, Ghadamian, an educator, had been questioned by…

Nazila Nouri was imprisoned for her religious association and for protesting religious freedom conditions.

In February 2018, authorities arrested Nouri following a violent crackdown on…

Marjan Davari is imprisoned for her religious association and translation of religious texts.

In September 2015, authorities arrested Davari, a translator and a former researcher at the Rah-…

Shokoufeh Yadollahi Farsi was imprisoned for her religious association and for protesting religious freedom conditions.

In February 2018, authorities arrested Farsi following a…

Behnam Eskandarian was imprisoned for his religious belief and activity. 

On April 30, 2019, authorities arrested Eskandarian and took him to an undisclosed location after police…

Xu Xiujuan is imprisoned for her religious belief and activity.

In June 2017, authorities arrested Xu in relation to her Falun Gong activity. It is reported that she was tortured while in…

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…

He Wen was under house arrest for expressing views about her religion.

In July 2018, He was arrested after shouting religious views while at Tiananmen Square. Police reportedly…

Ye Zhongqiu was imprisoned for her religious activity.

In November 2016, authorities arrested Ye alongside other Falun Gong adherents for passing out Falun Gong calendars. 

In…

Zhong Yifang is imprisoned for her religious activity. 

In November 2019, police arrested Zhong for talking to people about Falun Gong.

In October 2020, Zhong was reportedly…

Xu Guixian was imprisoned for her religious activity.

In July 2018, authorities arrested Xu reportedly in relation to her practice of Falun Gong.

In March 2019, Xu was reportedly…

Safoora Zargar was detained for protesting religious freedom conditions.

On April 10, 2020, authorities arrested Zargar, a Muslim student activist and roughly three months pregnant at…

Zeynab Jalalian is imprisoned on religiously oriented charges.

In March 2008, security officials violently arrested Jalalian reportedly in relation to her social and political activism for…

Rahele Ahmadi was imprisoned for her women’s rights activism against compulsory religious veiling.

On July 10, 2019, authorities arrested Ahmadi, an activist against compulsory hijab,…

Yasaman Ariani was imprisoned for her women’s rights activism against compulsory religious veiling.

In April 2019, authorities arrested Ariani for protesting compulsory hijab after she was…

Saba Kord Afshari was imprisoned for her women’s rights activism against compulsory religious veiling.

In June 2019, authorities arrested Afshari for protesting compulsory hijab after a…

Monireh Arabshahi was imprisoned for her women’s rights activism against compulsory religious veiling.

In April 2019, authorities arrested Arabshahi for protesting compulsory hijab by…

Shakila Monfared is imprisoned for blasphemy.

In August 2020, security forces arrested Monfared as she was leaving home, reportedly in relation to her social media activism.

In…

Shoma Sen was detained for her human rights and civil rights work for marginalized religious communities.

On June 6, 2018, police in Maharashtra arrested several…

Samin Ehsani was imprisoned in relation to her religious belief and activity.

In August 2011, authorities arrested Ehsani, a children's rights activist, after she went to court to resolve…

Melika Qaragozlu was detained in relation to protesting religious freedom conditions.

On July 13, 2022, authorities arrested Qaragozlu, a student activist, reportedly after she…

Negar Darabi was detained for her religious belief and activity.

On August 31, 2022, authorities arrested 14 Baha'is, including Darabi, in Mazandaran province under unclear…

Samiyeh Gholinejad was detained for her religious belief and activity.

On August 31, 2022, authorities arrested 14 Baha'is, including Gholinejad, in Mazandaran province under unclear…

Bita Haghighi was detained for her religious belief and activity.

On August 31, 2022, authorities arrested 14 Baha'is, including Haghighi, in Mazandaran province under unclear…

Lyudmila Shchekoldina was imprisoned for her religious belief and activity.

On May 23, 2022, the Pavlovsky District Court of Krasnodar sentenced Shchekoldina to four years and one month…

Farzaneh Gharehassanlou is imprisoned on religiously oriented charges for protesting religious freedom conditions. 

On November 4, 2022, authorities in Karaj arrested …

Manahel al-Otaibi is imprisoned for her religious freedom advocacy.

In November 2022, Saudi authorities arrested al-Otaibi, an online fitness influencer, for opposing religiously grounded…

Fatemeh Sepehri is imprisoned for criticizing state-imposed religious policies. 

On September 21, 2022, security forces arrested Sepehri following the outbreak of nationwide…

Nasrin Soutudeh was detained for her religious freedom advocacy.

In October 2023, Iranian authorities arrested Soutudeh, an Iranian human rights activist and lawyer, as she…

Evelyn Guillén is detained for her religious expression and religious freedom advocacy

On August 5, 2023, Nicaraguan authorities arrested Guillén after she allegedly displayed a poster…

Letebrhan Tesfay is detained for her religious activity. 

In September 2024, police officers arrested 85-year-old Letebrhan Tesfay while raiding her home as she hosted a peaceful…

Sidon Tekeste is detained for her religious belief and activity. 

In November 2024, authorities arrested Tekeste at school for respectfully refusing to contribute to a political fund.…

Berekti Habte is detained for her religious activity. 

In September 2024, police officers arrested Habte while she attended a peaceful religious gathering. Authorities confined her in…

Pang Yu is detained for her religious activity and association. 

In September 2025, authorities arrested Pang, the wife of Gao Quanfu, pastor of Light of Zion Church, and accused her of…