Additional Name(s): شقایق بهرامی
Gender: Female
Perpetrator: Iran
Religion or Belief: Bahá`í
Reports of Torture: No
Reports of Medical Neglect: No
Date of Detainment: October/24/2022
Date of Release: November/18/2022
Current Status: Released
Religious Leader: No
Most Recent Type of Abuse: Detainment
Reason for Persecution: Religious Activity Religious Belief
Nature of Charges: Unknown
Shaghayegh Bahrami was detained for her religious belief and activity.
On October 24, 2022, authorities in Kerman detained Bahrami and Shayan Gholami reportedly in relation to their being Baha'i.
On November 18, 2022, Bahrami and Shayan Gholami were released on bail.
Related Cases: Shayan Gholami
Photo attributed to Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA)
خبرگزاری هرانا, Tweet, November 18, 2022
"زندان کرمان؛ شقایق بهرامی و شایان غلامی، شهروندان بهائی آزاد شدند" Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA)
HRANA English, Tweet, October 25, 2022
"بازداشت یک زوج بهائی در کرمان" Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA)
Additional Name(s): Abdul-Baqi Saeed Abdo, عبد الباقي سعيد عبده
Gender: Male
Current Location: 10th Ramadan Prison
Perpetrator: Egypt
Religion or Belief: Christian – Unspecified/Other
Health Concerns: Heart and liver conditions
Reports of Torture: No
Reports of Medical Neglect: Yes
Date of Detainment: December/15/2021
Current Status: Not Released
Religious Leader: No
Most Recent Type of Abuse: Detainment
Reason for Persecution: Blasphemy (General) Blasphemy (Other) Discussing Religion & Religious Texts Online Activity Practicing Religion as a Convert Religious Belief Religious Expression
Nature of Charges: Blasphemy Terrorism
Abdulbaqi Saeed Abdo is detained for his religious conversion.
On December 15, 2021, authorities arrested Abdo, a Yemeni refugee, from his Cairo home. Abdo's arrest followed his appearance on a Christian TV channel talking about his conversion to Christianity and alleged persecution Christians in Yemen face. Abdo had also been involved in Facebook groups for Christian converts. He was charged with joining a terrorist group (Art. 86 ECC), contempt of Islam (Art. 98(w) ECC), and discrimination against Islam (Art. 161 ECC).
Authorities have attempted to refoul Abdo to Yemen, despite him being at risk if returned.
Abdo's health has reportedly deteriorated while in prison as authorities have failed to provide adequate medical care for his heart and liver conditions. In April 2024, he was denied medical treatment by prison authorities after reporting chest pains.
Abdo is married with children.
USCIRF Country Update: Religious Freedom Conditions in Egypt August 2023
"The Egyptian initiative warns against deporting a Yemeni asylum seeker to his country because of his declaration of his conversion to Christianity, and expresses its fears that he will be in grave danger" Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights (EIPR)
Oct 21, 2022
Seven out of ten members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) nations have blasphemy laws currently enshrined in their legal codes. USCIRF’s recent issue update reviews these blasphemy laws and their enforcement within this region and highlights recent cases and provides analysis on related laws. Blasphemy is defined as “the act of insulting or showing contempt or lack of reverence for God or sacred things.” In particular, blasphemy laws remain an ongoing religious freedom violation in Indonesia and Malaysia as well as a potent tool for authoritarian and right-wing forces in Burma and Thailand. While many such laws are a legacy of colonialism, some countries in the region have expanded their legal restrictions in the subsequent decades since independence.
USCIRF Policy Analyst, Patrick Greenwalt, joins Director of Research and Policy, Elizabeth Cassidy, to discuss this recent report and take a deeper dive into the background and present context of these blasphemy laws.
Read USCIRF's report on Blasphemy and Related Laws in ASEAN Member Countries.