Gender: Male
Perpetrator: Malaysia
Religion or Belief: Christian – Unspecified/Other
Reports of Torture: No
Reports of Medical Neglect: No
Date of Detainment: November/30/2016
Current Status: Unknown
Religious Leader: Yes
Most Recent Type of Abuse: Disappeared
Reason for Persecution: Practicing Religion as a Convert Proselytizing Activities Religious Activity Religious Belief
Nature of Charges: Not Applicable
Joshua Hilmy
Extra Bio Info:
Joshua Hilmy was forcibly disappeared in relation to his religious belief and activity.
On November 30, 2016, Hilmy, who is a pastor, and his wife, Ruth Sitepu, were disappeared presumably at the hands of authorities. The U.S. Department of State indicated in its 2020 International Religious Freedom Report that Hilmy was targeted because of his conversion from Islam to Christianity. International Christian Concern reports that the couple was targeted because of their ministry to non-Christians.
On March 6, 2017, Hilmy and Sitepu's landlord filed a formal missing persons report.
In July 2021, a government official testified that there are no government records of Hilmy and Sitepu leaving the country since their disappearance.
Related Cases: Ruth Sitepu
Sources:
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"No Record Found Showing the Departure of Missing Pastor and Wife" International Christian Concern (ICC)
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"Malaysian Government Withholds Evidence Concerning Missing Pastor" International Christian Concern (ICC)
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2020 Report on International Religious Freedom: Malaysia U.S. Department of State
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USCIRF Enforced Disappearances in Malaysia Factsheet October 2019
Dec 08
Dec 8th 10:30am
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Dec 8th 12:00pm
U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom Hearing
State-Sanctioned Religious Freedom Violations and Coercion by Saudi Arabia and Iran
Wednesday, December 8, 2021
10:30 AM – 12:00 PM ET
Virtual Hearing
Please join the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) for a virtual hearing that will examine the effects on freedom of religion or belief of the endorsement and imposition of a singular interpretation of religion by the governments of Saudi Arabia and Iran.
As part of broader authoritarian policies, both Saudi Arabia and Iran use violence and other coercive tools to target religious minorities and impose state-sanctioned religious interpretations on individuals regardless of their own beliefs. In Saudi Arabia, authorities enforcing the government’s interpretation of Sunni Islam have arrested, detained, and executed Shi’a Muslims for participation in protests against religious discrimination. In Iran, authorities enforcing the government’s interpretation of Shi’a Islam have jailed and executed Sunni Muslims, imprisoned and sentenced to lashings Christian converts from Islam, arrested and imprisoned Baha’is and confiscated their land, and spread anti-Semitic conspiracy theories. In both countries, women face state violence for peaceful dissent against laws regulating their dress, travel, and legal personhood on the basis of religion. The official interpretations of Shari’a in each country also justify violence committed against members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and intersex (LGBTI) community.
How can the U.S. government hold to account those entities responsible for violence and coercion based on religion in Saudi Arabia and Iran? Witnesses will document the use of these tactics by both governments, detail the impacts on religious communities and those who dissent from each governments’ interpretation of religion, and provide policy recommendations to the U.S. government.
Opening Remarks
- Rep. Ted Deutch (D-FL)
Written Remarks - Nadine Maenza, Chair, USCIRF
Written Remarks - Anurima Bhargava, Commissioner, USCIRF
Written Remarks
Panel I
- Dr. Ahmed Shaheed, United Nations Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Religion or Belief, former United Nations Special Rapporteur on the Situation of Human Rights in the Islamic Republic of Iran
Written Testimony
Panel II
- Eric Goldstein, Acting Executive Director of Middle East and North Africa Division, Human Rights Watch
Written Testimony - Marjan Greenblatt, Founder and Director, Alliance of Rights for All Minorities
Written Testimony - Hala Aldosari, Ph.D., Scholar in Women’s Health and Activist from Saudi Arabia
Written Testimony
Submitted for the Record:
Video Testimony of Mohamad Ali Taheri
This hearing is open to Members of Congress, congressional staff, the public, and the media. Members of the media should register online and can email [email protected] for any questions or to schedule an interview. The video recording of the hearing will be posted on the Commission website. For any additional questions, please contact Nina Ullom at [email protected] or (202) 322-0232.
Additional Name(s): Anwaar Ahmed
Gender: Male
Perpetrator: Pakistan
Religion or Belief: Unspecified
Reports of Torture: No
Reports of Medical Neglect: No
Sentence: 15 Years' Imprisonment
Date of Sentencing: January/8/2021
Current Status: Not Released
Religious Leader: No
Most Recent Type of Abuse: Imprisonment
Reason for Persecution: Blasphemy (General) Blasphemy (Other)
Nature of Charges: Hate Speech Terrorism
Anwaar Ahmad
Extra Bio Info:
Anwaar Ahmad is imprisoned for blasphemy.
In 2017, authorities arrested Ahmad, a professor at the Islamabad Model College, after he was accused of committing blasphemy during a lecture.
On September 12, 2017, Ahmad was indicted.
On January 8, 2021, an anti-terrorism court in Islamabad convicted Ahmad of "intending to outrage religious feelings" (Sec. 295-A PPC) and terrorism defined as "inciting hatred and contempt on religious, sectarian or ethnic basis to strip up violence or cause internal disturbance" (Sec. 7 (g) Anti-Terrorism Act, 1997). It sentenced him to 15 years in prison and fined him 100,000 rupees.
Related Cases: Abdul Waheed, Rana Nouman Rafaqat, Nasir Ahmad