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.…

Mohammad bin Hassan al-Habib is imprisoned for his religious expression, leadership role, and religious freedom advocacy.

In July 2016, authorities detained al-Habib, a Shi'a cleric, as he…

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 …

Ahmad al-Shamri is imprisoned and sentenced to death for blasphemy.

In 2014, authorities arrested al-Shamri, accused him of using social media to insult or renounce Islam, and charged him…

Wang Mingquan is imprisoned for his religious belief and activity.

In October 2017, authorities arrested Wang from his home. Police reportedly confiscated Falun Gong materials and…

Liu Junhua is imprisoned for his religious belief and activity.

On October 24, 2017, officers from the Heze Public Security Bureau Mudan Branch arrested Liu while he was writing…

Wu Baozhen is imprisoned for his religious belief and activity.

On October 24, 2017, officers from the Heze Public Security Bureau Mudan Branch arrested Wu while he was writing scrips for…

Yao Shuzhi is imprisoned for his religious belief and activity.

On October 24, 2017, officers from the National Security Brigade of the Heze Public Security Bureau Mudan Branch…

Junaid Hafeez is imprisoned and sentenced to death for alleged blasphemy. 

In March 2013, authorities arrested Hafeez, a lecturer…

Dong Qihong is imprisoned for his religious belief and activity.

On May 16, 2013, police officers with Huai’an Public Security Bureau Huaiyin Branch detained Dong in relation to his…

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…

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…

Abdul Waheed is imprisoned and sentenced to death for alleged blasphemy.

In March 2017, security services detained Waheed and held him incommunicado after he was accused of uploading "…

Yu Hai is imprisoned for his religious belief and activity.

On December 4, 2017, officers from the National Security Brigade of Chengde City Public Security Bureau detained Yu in the…

Yu Jianwu is imprisoned for his religious belief and activity.

On December 4, 2017, officers from the National Security Brigade of Chengde City Public Security Bureau detained Yu in the…

Sina Dehghan is imprisoned and sentenced to death for blasphemy.

On October 21, 2015, authorities arrested Dehghan, who was 19-year-old at the time, after he…

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…

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…

Zhao Jiyuan is imprisoned for his religious belief and activity. 

In July 2019, authorities arrested Zhao reportedly in relation to his Falun Gong activities. Police searched his home…

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…

Li Guo was imprisoned for his religious activity. 

In May 2018, authorities arrested Li while he was allegedly distributing out Falun Gong-related materials. Police reportedly…

Taimoor Raza is imprisoned and sentenced to death for blasphemy.

In April 2016, authorities arrested Raza after he was accused of insulting various Islamic figures on Facebook. …

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.…

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. …

Sunny Mushtaq is imprisoned and sentenced to death for alleged blasphemy.

In June 2019, authorities arrested 19-year-old Sunny Mushtaq and his friend, Noman Asghar, for receiving images…

Noman Asghar is imprisoned and sentenced to death for blasphemy.

In June 2019, authorities arrested Asghar and his friend, Sunny Mushtaq, for receiving images deemed blasphemous via WhatsApp…

Ashfaq Masih is imprisoned and sentenced to death for blasphemy.

In June 2017, authorities arrested Masih, a bicycle mechanic, following a dispute with a customer. Authorities charged Masih…

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.…

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…

Zhang Ming was imprisoned for his religious activity.

On June 29, 2018, officers from Kuandian Country Domestic Security Division arrested Zhang and a colleague for having Falun Gong-…

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…

Yaqoob Bashir Masih is imprisoned for alleged blasphemy.

In June 2015, authorities arrested Masih after he was accused of burning a booklet containing Qur'an text and was harmed by a mob.…

Nadeem James is imprisoned and sentenced to death for blasphemy. 

In July 2016, authorities arrested James after he was accused of forwarding allegedly blasphemous content to a friend.…

Shehzad Masih is imprisoned and sentenced to death for alleged blasphemy.

In July 2017, authorities arrested 16-year-old Masih after a coworker and another individual accused him of…

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…

Anwar Masih is detained for alleged blasphemy.

On June 2, 2020, authorities arrested Masih following a dispute with some Muslim family members. Authorities, who were called to mediate,…

Sohail Masih is detained for alleged blasphemy.

In August 2020, authorities arrested Masih after he was accused of posting content on Facebook deemed to be blasphemous. Authorities charged…

Turdimemet Jappar is detained for his religious activity and ethnoreligious identity.

On May 28, 2018, Jappar was sent to Qaraqash No. 4 Camp reportedly in relation to his…

Shi Xingjia was imprisoned for his religious belief and activity. 

In October 2018, authorities arrested Shi from his home in relation to his practice of Falun Gong. Authorities…

Deng Chengkai is imprisoned for his religious activity.

In July 2019, authorities arrested Deng and a colleague in relation to their practice of Falun Gong. Police reportedly seized Falun…

Yahaya Sharif-Aminu is imprisoned for his religious expression. 

In March 2020, authorities arrested Sharif-Aminu, a musician and follower of the Sufi Tijaniyyah Order, for allegedly…

Gong Qinglin was imprisoned for his religious belief and activity.

In March 2019, authorities arrested Gong after summoning him to a police station. Authorities reportedly seized Falun…

Abduqadir is detained for his ethnoreligious identity.

In 2017, authorities detained Abduqadir under unclear circumstances. The uncle of Abduqadir's wife reportedly said that…

Abdueziz Yasin is detained for his ethnoreligious identity.

In 2017, authorities detained Yasin under unclear circumstances. Yasin's uncle reportedly said that some of his relatives were…

Ablimit Abdurahman was imprisoned for his religious activity and ethnoreligious identity.

On an unspecified date, authorities detained Abdurahman reportedly for listening to religious…

Ershat Abdureshit is detained for his ethnoreligious identity.

In 2017, authorities in Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (XUAR) detained Abdureshit, his brother, and mother and sent…

Erpan Abdureshit is detained for his ethnoreligious identity.

In 2017, authorities in Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (XUAR) detained Abdureshit, his brother, and mother and sent…

Dilmurat Emer is detained for his religious activity and ethnoreligious identity.

In November 2017, authorities detained Emer and sent him to a "political reeducation" center. Several…

Exmet Turdi is imprisoned for his religious activity and ethnoreligious identity.

In July 2017, authorities detained Turdi, a wool and hide trader, under unclear circumstances. His arrest…

Abdureshit Turdi is imprisoned for his religious activity and ethnoreligious identity.

In May 2017, authorities in Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (XUAR) detained Turdi amid mass…

Eltekin Imin is detained for his religious activity and ethnoreligious identity.

In May 2017, authorities detained Imin and several of his family members and sent them to a "political…

Teimur 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…

Aidar Aidarbekov is imprisoned for his religious belief and activity. 

On September 6, 2016, authorities arrested Aidarbekov after accusing him of leading a cell of the banned…

Muslim Aliyev is imprisoned for his alleged religious activity.

On February 11, 2016, security forces arrested Aliyev, the head of the local Muslim community, after raiding his home in…

Enver Ametov is imprisoned for his alleged religious activity.

On March 27, 2019, authorities arrested Ametov, an activist from the Crimean Solidarity movement, after accusing him of being…

Emil Dzhemadenov is imprisoned for his alleged religious activity. 

On October 12, 2016, Russian security forces arrested Dzhemadenov and several others after raiding their…

Servet Gaziyev is imprisoned for his alleged religious activity. 

On March 27, 2019, authorities arrested Gaziyev, an activist for the Crimean Solidarity movement, after officers…

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 …

Radik Imangulov is imprisoned for his religious belief and activity.

On March 1, 2017, authorities arrested Imangulov after accusing him of being a member of the banned Hizb ut-Tahrir…

Rustem Ismailov is imprisoned for his alleged religious activity. 

On October 12, 2016, Russian security forces arrested Ismailov and several others after raiding their…

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…

Nail Miniakhmetov is imprisoned for his religious belief and activity.

On September 6, 2016, authorities arrested Miniakhmetov after accusing him of being a member of the banned Hizb ut-…

Irek Nasirov is imprisoned for his religious belief and activity. 

On March 14, 2017, authorities arrested Nasirov after accusing him of being a member of the banned Hizb ut-…

Aider Saledinov is imprisoned for his alleged religious activity.

On October 12, 2016, Russian security forces arrested Saledinov and several others after raiding their homes in…

Albert Shafiyev is imprisoned for his religious belief and activity. 

On September 6, 2016, authorities arrested Shafiyev after accusing him of leading a cell of the banned Hizb…

Ruslan Sungatov is imprisoned for his religious belief and activity. 

On March 14, 2017, authorities arrested Sungatov after accusing him of being a member of the banned Hizb ut-…

Vasily Tkachyov is imprisoned for his religious belief and activity.

On January 17, 2016, authorities arrested Tkachyov after accusing him of being a member of the banned Hizb ut…

Marat Tulyakov is imprisoned for his religious belief and activity. 

On June 6, 2017, authorities arrested Tulyakov after accusing him of being a member of the banned Hizb ut-…

Rustem Yamaliev is imprisoned for his religious belief and activity.

On March 14, 2017, authorities arrested Yamaliev after accusing him of being a member of the banned Hizb ut-Tahrir…

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 …

Ilnar Zinnatov is imprisoned for his religious belief and activity. 

On June 6, 2017, authorities arrested Zinnatov after accusing him of being a member of the banned Hizb ut-…

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…

Saeed Ahmad Wariach is detained for alleged blasphemy. 

Authorities arrested Wariach for "insulting the Prophet Muhammad" (Sec. 295-C PPC).

Abdul Majeed is detained for blasphemy.

On September 13, 2020, authorities arrested Majeed after charging him with "insulting the Prophet Muhammad" (Sec. 295-C PPC).

Zhang Shude is imprisoned for his religious activity.

On June 29, 2017, police arrested Zhang, raided his home, and confiscated Falun Gong-related materials. Days before his arrest,…

Zuo Hongtao is imprisoned for his religious activity.

On June 9, 2017, authorities in Shanhaiguan district, Qinhuangdao municipality, Hebei province, arrested 6 Falun Gong practitioners,…

Wu Wenzhang is imprisoned for his religious activity. 

On June 9, 2017, authorities in Shanhaiguan district, Qinhuangdao municipality, Hebei province, arrested 6 Falun Gong…

Liu Changfu is imprisoned for his religious activity. 

On June 9, 2017, authorities in Shanhaiguan district, Qinhuangdao municipality, Hebei province, arrested 6 Falun Gong…

Hamid Soudad was imprisoned for his expression about religion.

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

Yang Caiyong is imprisoned for his religious belief and activity. 

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

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…

Alisher Kasymov is imprisoned for discussing his religion on social media.

On October 10, 2019, authorities arrested Kasymov for allegedly downloading “extremist sermons” and other…

Shakhzodjon Zokirov is imprisoned for discussing his religion on social media.

On October 8, 2019, authorities arrested Zokirov for allegedly downloading “extremist sermons” and other…

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…

Sheikh Abduljabar Nasiru Kabara is imprisoned for blasphemy.

In July 2021, authorities arrested Kabara, a cleric, and charged him with blasphemy and incitement for his allegedly “defamatory…

Abdulazeez Inyass is imprisoned for blasphemy.

In May 2015, Nigerian authorities arrested Inyass for allegedly saying that Sheikh Ibrahim Niasse, the founder of the Tijaniya order to…

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…

Asif Pervaiz is imprisoned and sentenced to death for alleged blasphemy.

In October 2013, authorities arrested Pervaiz after a coworker accused him of sending blasphemous text messages.…

Muhammad Islam is imprisoned and sentenced to death for alleged blasphemy. 

In April 2019, authorities arrested Islam, a tailor, after two of his coworkers accused him of blasphemy.…

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…

Shiraz Ahmad is detained for alleged blasphemy.

In February 2021, authorities arrested Ahmad after he was accused of creating an Ahmadiyya online group and sharing content in it.…

Ali Aboluhom is imprisoned for his religious expression.

In August 2021, authorities arrested Aboluhom for allegedly expressing ideas about atheism online. Prosecutors charged him with…

Asghar Kalar was detained for blasphemy.

On September 26, 2021, authorities arrested Kalar after he was charged with "insulting the Prophet Muhammad" (Sec. 295-C PPC).  According to the…