Additional Name(s): مریم نعمت‌اللهی

Gender: Female

Perpetrator: Iran

Religion or Belief: Unspecified

Reports of Torture: No

Reports of Medical Neglect: No

Sentence: 5 Years' Imprisonment, 8 Months' Ankle Monitoring

Date of Detainment: October/13/2022

Current Status: Not Released

Religious Leader: No

Most Recent Type of Abuse: Imprisonment

Reason for Persecution: Online Activity Religious Appearance Resisting State-Imposed Religious Systems Women’s Rights

Nature of Charges: Illegal Assembly Immorality

Maryam Nematollahi

Extra Bio Info:

Maryam Nematollahi is imprisoned for opposing state-mandated religious veiling.

On October 13, 2022, authorities in Shiraz reportedly arrested Nematollahi, an Instagram influencer and an architecture student, for videos she posted of her dancing. These videos had been circulating at the time of nationwide protests against the death of Mahsa Amini and mandatory religious veiling. After her interrogation, Nematollahi was reportedly charged with "removing the hijab, promoting corruption and depravity, and assembly and conspiracy against national security."

In December 2022, it was reported that the Shiraz Revolutionary Court sentenced Nematollahi to five years for "assembly and conspiracy against national security" and that a Shiraz criminal court sentenced her to eight months of ankle monitoring for removing the hijab and promotion of immorality.

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Additional Name(s): یاشار راستی

Gender: Male

Perpetrator: Iran

Religion or Belief: Bahá`í

Reports of Torture: No

Reports of Medical Neglect: No

Date of Detainment: January/4/2023

Date of Release: February/8/2023

Current Status: Released

Religious Leader: No

Most Recent Type of Abuse: Detainment

Reason for Persecution: Religious Activity Religious Belief

Nature of Charges: Unknown

Yashar Rasti

Extra Bio Info:

Yashar Rasti was detained for his religious belief and activity.

On January 4, 2023, authorities in Shiraz reportedly arrested Rasti in relation to his being Baha'i. Authorities reportedly searched his home.

On February 8, 2023, Rasti was released.

Related Cases: Aida Rasti

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Jan 5, 2023

Authoritarian states promote religious tolerance without necessarily ensuring freedom of religion or belief. Last month, USCIRF released a report distinguishing between these two concepts and explains the origins of religious tolerance promotion as a tool of statecraft. The report presents case studies of countries engaged in religious tolerance promotion, such as Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Egypt, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Qatar, Russia, and Uzbekistan. 

Dr. David Warren, the author of the report and lecturer in the Department of Jewish, Islamic, and Middle Eastern Studies at Washington University in St. Louis, join us to today to discuss the important findings and ways the U.S. government can utilize discussions of religious tolerance to set a groundwork for broader rights protections.

Read the full report on “Tolerance, Religious Freedom, and Authoritarianism”

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