Displaying results 1 - 100 of 121

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

In June 2012, authorities arrested Badawi, a…

Abune Antonios was placed under house arrest and died in state custody for resisting state-interference in church affairs.

On January 20, 2006, authorities notified Antonios, patriarch of…

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…

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

In March 2013, authorities arrested Hafeez, a lecturer…

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 "…

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…

Nguyen Bac Truyen was imprisoned for his religious freedom and human rights advocacy.

On July 30, 2017, Truyen, a lawyer and leader of…

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.…

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. …

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.…

A Dao was imprisoned for his religious activity and religious freedom advocacy.

On August 18, 2016, authorities arrested Dao, the pastor of the Montagnard Evangelical Church of Christ…

Notan Lal was imprisoned for blasphemy.

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

Y Pum Bya is imprisoned for his religious belief and activity.

On April 10, 2018, Vietnamese authorities arrested Y Pum Bya, a church leader, after accusing him of spreading false…

Y Min Ksor is imprisoned for his religious activity. 

In April 2018, authorities arrested Ksor, a member of the unregistered Good News Missionary Church, during a police raid on a house…

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…

Jimmy Lai's imprisonment inhibits religious freedom advocacy.

On August 10, 2020, Lai, a media mogul, democracy activist, and advocate of religious freedom, was arrested from his home in…

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…

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).

Hamid Soudad was imprisoned for his expression about religion.

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

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…

Kadyr Yusupov was mistreated in prison for fighting for prisoner religious freedom rights and his religious activity. 

In or around December 2018, authorities arrested Yusupov, who…

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…

Salma Tanveer is imprisoned and sentenced to death for alleged blasphemy. 

In September 2013, authorities arrested Tanveer, a school principal, after she was accused of…

Shagufta Kiran is detained for alleged blasphemy.

In July 2021, authorities arrested Kiran after she was accused of forwarding content deemed blasphemous via WhatsApp in September 2020.…

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.…

Ramy Kamel was detained for his civil rights work and religious freedom advocacy.

On November 23, 2019, security forces arrested Kamel, a human rights activist and founder of the…

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…

Qaisar Ayub is imprisoned and sentenced to death for alleged blasphemy.

In November 2014, authorities arrested Ayub and charged him with "insulting the Prophet Muhammad" (Sec. 295-C PPC).…

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), "…

Rana Nouman Rafa­qat is imprisoned and sentenced to death for alleged blasphemy. 

In March 2017, authorities arrested Rafa­qat after he was accused of uploading "blasphemous"…

Nasir Ahmad is imprisoned and sentenced to death for alleged blasphemy.

In March 2017, authorities arrested Ahmad after he was accused of uploading videos on YouTube deemed to be blasphemous…

Malik Zaheer Ahmad is detained for alleged blasphemy.

In September 2020, authorities arrested Ahmad after he was accused of blasphemy. In February 2021, after he was granted bail,…

Rohan Ahmad is detained for alleged blasphemy.

In May 2020, authorities arrested Ahmad after he was accused of sharing on WhatsApp religious content deemed blasphemous. Authorities…

Malik Usman Ahmad…

Hafiz Tariq Shehzad is detained for alleged blasphemy.

In September 2020, authorities arrested Shehzad after accusing him of sharing perceived blasphemous materials. Authorities charged…

Muhammad Hashmi is detained for alleged blasphemy.

In August 2021, authorities arrested Hashmi after his bail was revoked. He was initially arrested on June 20, 2019, after he was…

Aneeqa Ateeq is imprisoned and sentenced to death for alleged blasphemy.

In May 2020, authorities arrested Ateeq after she was accused of circulating sketches of religious figures and other…

Y Hriam Kpa was imprisoned for his religious activity and for resisting state pressure to dissolve his church.

On July 30, 2015, authorities arrested Kpa, a house-church leader in Ea H’leo…

Y Wo Nie is imprisoned for his religious belief and activity.

On September 13, 2021, authorities arrested Nie, a member of an independent house church Dak Lak, for taking online…

Waseem Abbas is imprisoned and sentenced to death for alleged blasphemy.

In June 2020, authorities arrested Abbas after he was accused of sending written letters insulting Islam. 

Muhammad Kece is imprisoned for his religious expression.

On August 24, 2021, authorities arrested Kece, a preacher, at his friend’s home in Bali after accusing him of posting videos on…

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…

Fansan Shahid is detained for alleged blasphemy.

In March 2022, authorities arrested Shahid at his home after he was accused of posting a blasphemous comment on Facebook. Authorities charged…

Ibtisam Mustafa is imprisoned for alleged blasphemy.

On an unspecified date, authorities arrested Mustafa over blasphemy-related accusations.

In July 2021, an anti-terrorism court in…

Ashin Sobitha is imprisoned for his religious freedom advocacy.

On February 1, 2021, military forces detained Sobitha, a monk known for opposing religious nationalism in Burma.…

Shwe Nya War was detained in relation to his religious freedom advocacy.

On February 1, 2021, military forces detained War, a monk, following the military’s overthrow of the…

Farid Zirgi Moghaddam is imprisoned for his religious belief and activity.

In August 2019, intelligence agents detained Moghaddam in Birjand reportedly in relation to posts he made about…

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…

Isma’ila Sani Isah is detained for blasphemy.

In July 2021, authorities arrested Isah in Sokoto State after he was accused of making blasphemous posts against the Prophet Muhammad on…

Li Juncai is imprisoned for his religious belief and activity.

On February 20, 2019, authorities in Xinxiang…

Yusef Mehrdad was imprisoned and executed on blasphemy-related charges.

In May 2020, authorities arrested Mehrdad from his home in Ardabil after accusing him and others of being a member…

Seyyed Sadrullah Fazeli Zare was imprisoned and executed on blasphemy-related charges.

In May 2020, authorities arrested Zare after accusing him and others of being a member of a Telegram…

Gyaltsen was imprisoned for protesting religious freedom conditions.

On March 15, 2008, public security officials in Sangye (Samye) township, Zhanang (Dranang) county, Shannan (Lhokha)…

Tenzin Buchung was imprisoned for protesting religious freedom conditions.

On March 15, 2008, public security officials in Sangye (Samye) township, Zhanang (Dranang) county, Shannan (…

Namse is detained for activities in support of religious sites.

In February 2018, public security officials in Biru…

Palga is detained for resisting government interference in religious affairs. 

In October 2021, authorities in Draggo (Luhuo) county, Kardze (Ganzi) Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture…

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…

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…

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…

Hkalam Samson was imprisoned for his religious activity and religious leadership role. 

On December 4, 2022, authorities arrested Samson, a pastor and advisor to the Kachin…

Abdolhamid Masoumi Tehrani was detained in relation to criticizing religious freedom conditions.

On October 16, 2022, authorities in Tehran reportedly arrested Tehrani, an ayatollah…

Mahsa Mohammadi is detained for blasphemy.

On October 30, 2022, authorities reportedly detained Mohammadi, a university student in Sabzevar, over a tweet perceived as blasphemous.…

Tulkun Astanov is imprisoned for his religious freedom advocacy and for protesting religious freedom conditions.

On November 22, 2020, authorities arrested Astanov, a religious…

Alimardon Sultanov is imprisoned for criticizing religious freedom conditions. 

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…

Ishtiaq Saleem is detained for alleged blasphemy.

In November 2022, authorities in Islamabad arrested Saleem after he was accused of sharing content deemed blasphemous on social media.…

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…

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…

Adil Babar is detained for alleged blasphemy.

In May 2023, police arrested Babar and his friend, Simon Nadeem, for allegedly calling a puppy "Muhammad Ali." The police charged Babar with "…

Simon Nadeem is detained for alleged blasphemy.

In May 2023, police arrested Nadeem, a minor, and his friend, Adil Babar, for allegedly calling a puppy "Muhammad Ali." The police charged…

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…

Sajid Ali is imprisoned and sentenced to death for alleged blasphemy.

In 2020, authorities arrested Ali after he was accused of insulting various Islamic figures following a religious debate…

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…

Isidro Mora was detained for criticizing religious freedom conditions and for his religious leadership role.

On December 20, 2023, Nicaraguan police arrested Mora, a bishop from the…