Displaying results 1 - 78 of 78

Raif Badawi was imprisoned for his religious freedom advoacy, expression about religion, and for criticizing religious authorities.

In June 2012, authorities arrested Badawi, a…

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…

Leah Sharibu is in EPC captivity for refusing to renounce her faith.

On February 19, 2018, the Islamic State - West Africa Province (…

Hassan Farhan al-Maliki is detained for his religious expression and religious freedom advocacy.

In September 2017, authorities arrested al-Maliki, an…

Ali al-Nimr was imprisoned for his religious identity and for protesting religious discrimination.

In July 2012, authorities detained Al-Nimr, the nephew of prominent Shia cleric Nimr al-…

Dawood al-Marhoun was imprisoned for his religious identity and for protesting religious discrimination.

On May 21, 2012, authorities arrested al-Marhoun, who was 17 years old at the time…

Abdullah al-Zaher was imprisoned for his religious identity and for protesting religious discrimination.

In March 2012, authorities detained al-Zaher, 15 years old at the time, for…

Aisha al-Muhajiri is detained for her religious activity.

In February 2021, police raided al-Muhajiri's home in Mecca and detained her for preaching and giving Qur'an lessons at her home.…

Mohammed al-Rabiah is imprisoned for his activism against state imposed religious systems.

On May 15, 2018, authorities arrested al-Rabiah amid a statewide crackdown on women's rights…

Salman al-Ouda is detained for his religious activity and leadership role.

In September 2017, police arrested al-Ouda, a sheikh and Islamic scholar, from his home amid a state-wide wave…

Waleed abu al-Khair is imprisoned for his religious freedom advocacy.

In April 2014, authorities arrested al-Khair for legally defending religious prisoners of conscience, including Raif…

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…

Movsum Samadov was imprisoned for criticizing religious freedom conditions and for his political activity.

On January 7, 2011, authorities arrested Samadov, head of the Islamic Party…

Abqul Suleymanov was imprisoned for criticizing religious freedom conditions.

On August 12, 2011, authorities arrested Suleymanov, a religious figure, for allegedly creating an extremist…

Elshan Mustafaoglu was imprisoned for his religious expression and activism.

On December 17, 2014, authorities arrested Mustafaoglu, a Muslim scholar and former department head at the…

Murtaja Qureiris was imprisoned for his religious identity and for protesting religious discrimination.

On September 20, 2014, authorities arrested Qureiris, who was 13 years old at the…

Ali al-Omari is detained for his religious activity and leadership role.

In September 2017, authorities arrested al-Omari, an Islamic scholar, talk-show personality, and chairman of TV…

Israa al-Ghomgham is imprisoned for her religious identity and religious freedom advocacy.

In December 2015, Saudi authorities arrested al-Ghomgham, a well-known Shi'a activist, along with…

Mousa al-Hashim is imprisoned for his religious identity and religious freedom advocacy.

In December 2015, Saudi authorities arrested al-Hashim along with his wife, a well-known Shi'a…

Elvin Muradov was imprisoned for his religious activity and association.

On March 13, 2020, Azerbaijani police detained Muradov, a member of the unregistered Muslim Unity Movement (MUM)…

Ahsan Nuruzade is imprisoned for his religious association.

On October 6, 2017, two plainclothes officers abducted Nuruzade, a member of the unregistered Muslim Unity Movement (MUM)…

Mohammed Issam al-Faraj is imprisoned for his religious identity and religious freedom advocacy.

On June 29, 2017, authorities in Medina arrested al-Faraj for protesting the state's…

Ali Hassan al-Faraj is detained for his religious identity and religious freedom advocacy.

In June 2017, authorities in Medina arrested al-Faraj for protesting against the state's treatment…

Ahmed Abdul Wahid is detained for his religious identity and religious freedom advocacy.

In June 2017, authorities in Medina arrested al-Faraj for protesting against the state's treatment of…

Ali Mohammed Al Bati is detained for his religious identity and religious freedom advocacy.

In June 2017, authorities in Medina arrested Al Bati for protesting against the state's treatment…

Mohammed Hussein Al Nimr is detained for his religious identity and religious freedom advocacy.

In June 2017, authorities in Medina arrested Al Bati for protesting against the state's…

Jalal Labbad was imprisoned and executed for his religious identity and for protesting religious freedom conditions.

On February 23, 2017, authorities arrested Labbad from his family’s home…

Razi Humbatov is imprisoned for his religious association.

In July 2021, plainclothes officers arrested Humbatov, a member of the unregistered Muslim Unity Movement (MUM) organization, for…

Ahmed al-Matrood is imprisoned for his religious freedom advocacy.

On an unspecified date, Saudi authorities arrested al-Matrood for protesting in Al-Qatif governorate against the state's…

Khaled al-Ghanim is imprisoned for his religious freedom advocacy.

On an unspecified date, Saudi authorities arrested al-Ghanim for protesting in Al-Qatif governorate against the state's…

Ali al-Ouwaisher is imprisoned for his religious freedom advocacy.

On an unspecified date, Saudi authorities arrested al-Ouwaisher for protesting in Al-Qatif governorate against the state's…

Mujtaba al-Muzain is imprisoned for his religious freedom advocacy.

On an unspecified date, Saudi authorities arrested al-Muzain for protesting in Al-Qatif governorate against the state's…

Lina Alsharif was detained in relation to religious freedom advocacy.

In May 2021, officials from the Saudi Presidency of State Security raided Alsharif’s home in Riyadh, arrested her, and…

Sulaiman al-Dowaish was forcibly disappeared for his religious expression.

In April 2016, al-Dowaish, a religious scholar, was forcibly disappeared after posting tweets summarizing a…

Aimidoula Waili was detained for his ethnoreligious identity.

In November 2020, Saudi Arabian authorities arrested Waili, a Uyghur Muslim and religious scholar, following an extradition…

Nuermaimaiti Ruze was detained for his ethnoreligious identity.

In November 2020, Saudi Arabian authorities arrested Ruze, a Uyghur Muslim, following an extradition request from the Chinese…

Buheliqiemu Abula was detained for her ethnoreligious identity.

In March 2022, Saudi Arabian authorities detained Abula, a Uyghur Muslim, and threatened her with deportation to China.

Ali Badahdah is imprisoned in relation to his religious activity and leadership.

On September 12, 2017, armed soldiers arrested Badahdah, an imam and professor of hadith at King Abdul Aziz…

Asmaa al-Subaie is detained for her women’s rights activism critical of state-imposed religious systems.

In June 2021, authorities affiliated with the Presidency of State Security arrested…

Omar Abdullah al-Saadoun is detained for her religious freedom advocacy.

In July 2021, authorities arrested Omar Abdullah al-Saadoun, a cleric and legal advisor, after he wrote an article…

Omar al-Muqbil is imprisoned for his religious expression and religious freedom advocacy.

In September 2019, authorities arrested al-Muqbil, a cleric, for a sermon criticizing concerts…

Abdullah Basfar is imprisoned for his religious activity and leadership.

In August 2020, authorities arrested Basfar, an imam, professor, well-known Qur’an reciter, and former Secretary-…

Abdulrahman Al-Sadhan is imprisoned for his religious expression. 

In March 2018, security agents from the Presidency of State Security arrested Al-Sadhan for operating two anonymous…

Salma al-Shehab was imprisoned for her women's rights activism opposing state-imposed religious systems as well as her religious identity.

On January 15, 2021, authorities arrested al-…

Saleh Al Talib is imprisoned for his religious expression leadership.

In August 2018, authorities arrested Talib, an imam at the Grand Mosque in Mecca, following a sermon he gave criticizing…

Youssef al-Manasif is imprisoned and sentenced to death for his religious identity and religious freedom advocacy.

In April 2017, authorities arrested al-Manasif for participating in…

Abdullah al-Derazi was imprisoned and executed for his religious identity and for protesting religious freedom conditions.

On August 27, 2014, Tarut Island Police arrested al-Derazi in…

Seymur Mammadov was imprisoned for refusing to serve in the military on religious grounds.

On September 22, 2022, the Goranboy District Court sentenced Mammadov to nine months in…

Elshan Abbasov was imprisoned for his religious activity.

On March 3, 2022, plainclothes officers in Barda arrested Abbasov, a member of the Muslim Unity Movement (MUM).  Activists…

Shamkhal Eyvazov was detained for his religious activity.

In April 2018, customs officials arrested Eyvazov, a member of the Muslim Unity Movement (MUM), and his brother, Migdad Eyvazov,…

Royal Karimov was detained for refusing to serve in the military on religious grounds.

On July 25, 2022, officers from the Gadabay District State Service for Mobilization and Conscription…

Shahin Gadirov is imprisoned for his religious association.

On November 23, 2022, Azerbaijani authorities arrested Gadirov, a member of the unregistered Muslim Unity Movement (MUM), on his…

Abdul Majeed Al-Arkani is imprisoned for his religious activity and expression.

In 2020, authorities arrested Al-Arkani, an imam, for being friendly with a prominent Turkish figure, Yasin…

Khaled Al-Rashed is imprisoned for his religious expression and association.

In March 2006, Saudi authorities arrested Al-Rashed, a cleric, for his membership in the Movement of Reformers…

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…

Badr Nader Al-Mashari is detained for his religious belief and activity.

In July 2023, authorities detained Al-Mashari, a prominent cleric who criticized the Saudi government's sponsorship…

Mohammed al-Ghamdi is imprisoned for his religious freedom advocacy.  

In June 2022, security forces in Mecca arrested al-Ghamdi at his home. Prosecutors accused him of…

Anas al-Mazrou is detained for his religious freedom advocacy.

In March 2019, authorities arrested al-Mazrou, a university lecturer, for participating in a human rights panel at the…

Nourah al-Qahtani is imprisoned for her religious activity.

In July 2021, officers of the Presidency of State Security arrested al-Qahtani for advocating for human rights on social…

Mariam Al Qisoom is imprisoned for her religious freedom advocacy. 

In February 2019, authorities arrested Qisoom for her human rights advocacy on behalf of Shi'a minorities in…

Gubad Ibadoglu is under house arrest in relation to false charges of possessing religious extremist materials.

On July 23, 2023, police arrested world-renowned political economist and civil…

Vusal Alish is imprisoned for his religious activity.

In March 2023, authorities arrested Alish, a member of the unregistered Muslim Unity Movement, along with 30 others, accusing them of…

Ismayil Ismayilov is imprisoned for his religious activity. 

In March 2023, authorities arrested Ismayilov, a member of the unregistered Muslim Unity Movement, along with 30 others,…

Rashad Aliyev is imprisoned for his religious association.

In January 2023, authorities arrested Aliyev, a member of the unregistered Muslim Unity Movement, amid a deterioration of…

Elshan Rahimov is imprisoned for his religious association.

In January 2023, authorities arrested Rahimov, a member of the unregistered Muslim Unity Movement, amid a deterioration…

Javid Allahverdiyev is imprisoned for his religious association.

In March 2023, authorities arrested Allahverdiyev, a member of the unregistered Muslim Unity Movement, amid a…

Aslan Gasimov is imprisoned for his religious activity.

In June 2023, authorities arrested Gasimov amid a deterioration of relations between Azerbaijan and Iran and a crackdown on…

Khayyam Karimov is imprisoned for his religious activity.

In January 2023, authorities arrested Karimov amid a deterioration of relations between Azerbaijan and Iran and a…

Assad bin Nasser al-Ghamdi was sentenced on religious-based charges related to social media activity criticizing the Saudi government, including the authorities’ sidelining of the Saudi religious…

Elgiz Ibrahimov was imprisoned for refusing to serve in the military on religious grounds. 

On July 30, 2025, Judge Qalib Pashayev sentenced 19-year-old Ibrahimov to one year of…

Elgiz Mammadov is detained for his religious belief and identity. 

On June 10, 2025, authorities detained Mammadov, a member of the unregistered Muslim Unity Member (MUM), held him…

Tarlan Sayyadov is imprisoned for his religious association. 

In March 2024, Azerbaijani authorities detained Sayyadov, a member of the unregistered Muslim Unity Movement (MUM)…

Aghali Yahyayev is imprisoned for his religious leadership role

On August 31, 2023, Azerbaijani authorities arrested Yahyayev, a member of the Board of Directors of the Muslim Unity Movement…

Rufat Safarov is detained for his religious freedom advocacy. 

On December 3, 2024, Azerbaijani authorities arrested Rufat Safarov, an outspoken critic of the Azerbaijani government’s…

Malik al-Dowaish is imprisoned for his religious freedom advocacy. 

In July 2022, Saudi authorities arrested Malik al-Dowaish for peacefully advocating for his father, Sulaiman al-…

Awad al-Qarni is imprisoned and sentenced to death for his religious belief and leadership role. 

In September 2017, authorities arrested Qarni, a renowned Sunni preacher and scholar,…