Gender: Male
Perpetrator: Pakistan
Religion or Belief: Christian – Unspecified/Other
Reports of Torture: No
Reports of Medical Neglect: No
Date of Detainment: December/28/2020
Current Status: Not Released
Religious Leader: Yes
Most Recent Type of Abuse: Detainment
Reason for Persecution: Blasphemy (General) Blasphemy (Other) Online Activity
Nature of Charges: Blasphemy Hate Speech
Raja Waris
Extra Bio Info:
Raja Waris is detained for blasphemy.
In December 2020, authorities arrested Waris, a pastor, and charged him with "intending to outrage religious feelings" (Sec. 295-A PPC) and "using derogatory remarks in respect of holy personages" (Sec. 298-A PPC) after he was accused of committing blasphemy on Facebook. Prior to his arrest, a mob reportedly threatened to kill Waris and burn down his neighborhood in light of the accusation.
On August 24, 2022, it was reported that the Supreme Court had granted Waris bail.
Sources:
-
"PAKISTAN: Supreme Court frees three Christians on bail on blasphemy law charges" Church In Chains
-
"Supreme Court bails out two more Christians accused of blasphemy" Kross Konnection
-
The Voiceless Victims of Pakistan’s Blasphemy Laws International Christian Concern (ICC)
-
"Christian Lay Leader Arrested on Blasphemy Charges in Pakistan" Morning Star News
-
"Pakistani Christians return home after threats of violence over Facebook post forced them to flee" The Christian Post
-
"Hundreds of Pakistani Christian Families Flee Neighborhood Following Threats of Violence" International Christian Concern (ICC)
Gender: Male
Perpetrator: Pakistan
Religion or Belief: Muslim – Unspecified/Other
Reports of Torture: No
Reports of Medical Neglect: No
Date of Detainment: December/27/2019
Date of Release: November/10/2020
Current Status: Released
Religious Leader: No
Most Recent Type of Abuse: Detainment
Reason for Persecution: Blasphemy (General) Blasphemy (Religious Texts)
Nature of Charges: Blasphemy
Muhammad Ishaq
Extra Bio Info:
Muhammad Ishaq was detained for blasphemy.
On December 27, 2019, authorities arrested Ishaq and his friend, Shahbaz Masih, and charged them with "desecrating the Qur'an" (Sec. 295-B PPC). According to reports, the two were accused of burning pages of the Qur'an following an altercation with individuals in the community.
On November 10, 2020, Ishaq was granted bail.
Related Cases: Shahbaz Masih
Sources:
-
The Voiceless Victims of Pakistan’s Blasphemy Laws International Christian Concern (ICC)
-
"Faisalabad, Christian in prison on (false) blasphemy charges given bail" Asia News
Nov 24, 2021
Last month, we released a new report titled “Uzbekistan’s Religious and Political Prisoners: Addressing a Legacy of Repression.” The report estimates that more than 2,000 individuals remain imprisoned by the Uzbekistan government for peacefully practicing their religious beliefs, and documents the cases of 81 specific prisoners, many of whom are serving some of the longest politically-motivated jail sentences in the world.
Steve Swerdlow, the author of the report, and Babur Yusupov, the son of one of the 81 prisoners of conscience listed in the report, join us today to discuss these important findings.
Read the full report on “Uzbekistan’s Religious and Political Prisoners: Addressing a Legacy of Repression.”
Follow the USCIRF Spotlight Podcast on iTunes, Spotify, Amazon, Pandora, and Google Podcasts to get notifications of our weekly episodes.