Additional Name(s): فیروزه سلطان محمدی
Gender: Female
Perpetrator: Iran
Religion or Belief: Bahá`í
Reports of Torture: No
Reports of Medical Neglect: No
Date of Detainment: December/4/2022
Current Status: Released
Religious Leader: No
Most Recent Type of Abuse: Imprisonment
Reason for Persecution: Possession of Religious Materials Religious Activity Religious Belief
Nature of Charges: Unknown
Firoozeh Soltan Mohammadi was detained for her religious belief and activity.
On December 4, 2022, authorities in Kerman reportedly arrested Mohammadi reportedly in relation to her being Baha'i. Authorities also reportedly confiscated personal belongings and religious materials.
On December 21, 2022, Mohammadi was reportedly released on bail.
Related Cases: Rooha Imani
"روحا ایمانی و فیروزه سلطان محمدی، شهروندان بهائی با تودیع قرار وثیقه آزاد شدند" Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA)
HRANA English, Tweet, November 5, 2022
"روحا ایمانی و فیروزه سلطان محمدی، شهروندان بهائی بازداشت شدند" Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA)
Additional Name(s): روحا ایمانی
Gender: Female
Perpetrator: Iran
Religion or Belief: Bahá`í
Reports of Torture: No
Reports of Medical Neglect: No
Date of Detainment: December/4/2022
Date of Release: December/21/2022
Current Status: Released
Religious Leader: No
Most Recent Type of Abuse: Detainment
Reason for Persecution: Possession of Religious Materials Religious Activity Religious Belief
Nature of Charges: Unknown
Rooha Imani was detained for her religious belief and activity.
On December 4, 2022, authorities in Kerman reportedly arrested Imani reportedly in relation to her being Baha'i. Authorities also reportedly confiscated personal belongings and religious materials.
On December 21, 2022, Imani was reportedly released on bail.
Related Cases: Firoozeh Soltan Mohammadi
"روحا ایمانی و فیروزه سلطان محمدی، شهروندان بهائی با تودیع قرار وثیقه آزاد شدند" Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA)
HRANA English, Tweet, November 5, 2022
"روحا ایمانی و فیروزه سلطان محمدی، شهروندان بهائی بازداشت شدند" Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA)
Additional Name(s): Aleksander Litvinyuk, Aleksandr Viktorovich Litvinyuk, Oleksandr Lytvyniuk, Литвинюк Александр Викторович
Gender: Male
Perpetrator: Russia
Religion or Belief: Christian – Jehovah's Witness
Reports of Torture: No
Reports of Medical Neglect: No
Appeal: Rejected
Sentence: 6 Years' Imprisonment
Date of Detainment: December/1/2022
Date of Sentencing: December/1/2022
Current Status: Not Released
Religious Leader: No
Most Recent Type of Abuse: Imprisonment
Reason for Persecution: Attending a Religious Gathering or Meeting Discussing Religion & Religious Texts Online Activity Religious Activity Religious Belief
Nature of Charges: Banned Organization Extremism
Aleksandr Litvinyuk is imprisoned for his religious belief and activity.
On December 1, 2022, the Armyansk City Court of the Republic of Crimea - Russian-occupied Ukraine - sentenced Litvinyuk to six years in prison for “organizing the activities of a public or religious association or other organization in respect of which a court has adopted a final decision to liquidate or ban activities in connection with extremist activities” (Art. 282.2-1 RCC). Litvinyuk was accused of holding religious meetings, discussing the Bible over Zoom, and attracting new members. Litvinyuk was taken into custody following the verdict.
On March 16, 2023, the Supreme Court of the Republic of Crimea upheld Litvinyuk's sentence.
Related Cases: Aleksandr Dubovenko
Photo attributed to Jehovah's Witnesses in Russia
"Aleksandr Litvinyuk" Jehovah's Witnesses in Russia
"Case of Dubovenko and Litvinyuk in Armyansk" Jehovah's Witnesses in Russia
USCIRF Issue Update: Russia’s Religious Freedom Violations in Ukraine July 2023
"An Appeal in the Crimea Upheld the Conviction of Two Believers. They Were Sentenced to Six Years in a Penal Colony for Reading the Bible" Jehovah's Witnesses in Russia
"Two Ukrainian believers sentenced to six years in Russian-occupied Crimea for a Zoom conversation about the Bible" Kharkiv Human Rights Protection Group (KHPG)
"Свидетелей Иеговы из Крыма приговорили к реальным срокам лишения свободы" SOVA Center
"In Armyansk, Two Believers Were Sentenced to Six Years in Prison. The Court Considered Reading and Discussing the Bible Extremism" Jehovah's Witnesses in Russia