Gender: Male
Perpetrator: Pakistan
Religion or Belief: Christian – Catholic
Reports of Torture: No
Reports of Medical Neglect: No
Appeal: Rejected
Sentence: Death
Date of Sentencing: July//2002
Current Status: Not Released
Religious Leader: No
Most Recent Type of Abuse: Imprisonment
Reason for Persecution: Blasphemy (General) Blasphemy (Religious Figures) Blasphemy (Religious Texts) Religious Belief Religious Expression
Nature of Charges: Blasphemy
Anwar Kenneth
Extra Bio Info:
Anwar Kenneth is imprisoned and sentenced to death for blasphemy.
In 2001, authorities reportedly arrested Kenneth after he was accused of writing letters perceived as blasphemous towards the Prophet Muhammad and Qur’an. Kenneth was charged with "insulting the Prophet Muhammad" (Sec. 295-C PPC).
In July 2002, a court in Lahore sentenced Kenneth to death and fined him five million rupees after he plead guilty.
On June 30, 2014, the Lahore High Court upheld Kenneth’s sentence.
Sources:
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USCIRF Commissioners David Curry and Susie Gelman, Tweet, April 17, 2024
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“Supreme Court to hear case of Christian jailed for 21 years for blasphemy” AsiaNews
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“Blasphemy death row convict await trial” Express Tribune
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“World Briefing | Asia: Pakistan: Death Sentence For Blasphemy” New York Times (NYT)
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“Pakistani Christian sentenced to death” British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC)
Gender: Male
Perpetrator: India
Religion or Belief: Muslim – Unspecified/Other
Reports of Torture: No
Reports of Medical Neglect: No
Date of Detainment: March/20/2023
Current Status: Not Released
Religious Leader: No
Most Recent Type of Abuse: Detainment
Reason for Persecution: Human Rights Work for Religious Communities Reporting on Religious Freedom Conditions or Documenting Religious Freedom Violations
Nature of Charges: Criminal Premeditation & Conspiracy Illicit Financing Terrorism Threat Treason & Sedition
Irfan Mehraj
Extra Bio Info:
Irfan Mehraj is detained for his human rights work and journalism for vulnerable religious communities.
On March 20, 2023, authorities with the National Investigation Agency (NIA) arrested Mehraj, a human rights activist and journalist, in Srinagar after summoning him for questioning. The NIA accused him of working at the Jammu Kashmir Coalition of Civil Society (JKCCS), a human rights organization known for documenting human rights violations committed by authorities in Kashmir, a Muslim-majority area. The NIA has accused JKCCS of funding terrorist activities and arrested its leader, human rights defender Khurram Parvez, in the same case. Mehraj was also known for his reporting on marginalized religious communities.
Mehraj was reportedly charged with conspiracy (Sec. 120B IPC), sedition (Sec. 124A IPC), raising funds for terrorist acts (Sec. 17 UAPA), conspiracy (Sec. 18 UAPA), threatening a witness by a company (Sec. 22A and 22C UAPA), associating with a terrorist organization (Sec. 38 UAPA), supporting a terrorist organization (Sec. 39 UAPA), and raising funds for a terrorist organization (Sec. 40 UAPA).
On March 24, 2023, Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders Mary Lawlor called for Mehraj's release.
Related Cases: Khurram Parvez
Sources:
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"India: UN expert demands immediate end to crackdown on Kashmiri human rights defenders" UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR)
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Mary Lawlor UN Special Rapporteur HRDs, Tweet, March 21, 2023
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“India: Authorities must immediately release Kashmiri journalist Irfan Mehraj” Amnesty International
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“India arrests Kashmir journalist Irfan Mehraj on ‘terror’ charges” Al Jazeera
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“'Told to Come to Office for 5 Minutes,' Srinagar Journalist Irfan Mehraj Arrested by NIA” The Wire
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“Kashmiri freelance journalist arrested by NIA worked with human rights group JKCCS” The Indian Express
Gender: Male
Perpetrator: India
Religion or Belief: Muslim – Sufi
Reports of Torture: No
Reports of Medical Neglect: No
Date of Detainment: September/16/2022
Current Status: Not Released
Religious Leader: Yes
Most Recent Type of Abuse: Detainment
Reason for Persecution: Managing a Religious Institution Religious Figure & Religious Leadership Role
Nature of Charges: Public Disorder
Abdul Rashid Dawoodi
Extra Bio Info:
Abdul Rashid Dawoodi is detained in relation to his religious leadership role.
On or around September 16, 2022, police in Jammu and Kashmir arrested Dawoodi, a cleric and founder of the Tehreek-e-Soutul Awliya Islamic organization, after accusing him of “instigating youth.” Dawoodi was charged under the Public Safety Act.