Additional Name(s): Исаев Исмаил Сайпутыевич
Gender: Male
Perpetrator: Russia
Religion or Belief: Unspecified
Reports of Torture: Yes
Reports of Medical Neglect: No
Appeal: Rejected
Sentence: 6 Years' Imprisonment
Date of Detainment: February/4/2021
Date of Sentencing: February/22/2022
Current Status: Not Released
Religious Leader: No
Most Recent Type of Abuse: Imprisonment
Reason for Persecution: Criticizing Religious Freedom Conditions LGBTI+ Rights Online Activity Resisting State-Imposed Religious Systems
Nature of Charges: Aid & Abetment
Ismail Isaev is imprisoned in relation to state-imposition of a particular religious interpretation.
On February 4, 2021, Isaev and Isaev's sibling, Salekh Magamadov, - two LGBTI+ youths - were kidnapped and forcibly returned to Chechnya. They had fled to Nizhny Novgorod in June 2020 after being allegedly tortured by Chechen police because of their perceived sexual orientation and gender identity. In March 2020, police detained the two and reportedly tortured them over a youth Telegram account they ran in which they criticized Chechen authorities and Islam.
During his detention, Isaev was reportedly denied legal representation of his choosing and forced to sign a false confession.
On February 9, 2021, Isaev was charged with “aiding and abetting an illegal armed group" (Art. 33-5/Art. 208-2 RCC).
Isaev was later placed in pre-trial facility SIZO-2 in Grozny.
On March 23, 2021, Chechen authorities arbitrarily detained 20 of Isaev's relatives in search of Isaev's parents who fled Chechnya to escape official harassment and pressure to kill their children.
On February 22, 2022, the Achkhoi-Martanovsky District Court of Chechnya sentenced Isaev to six years in prison for “aiding and abetting an illegal armed group" (Art. 33-5/Art. 208-2 RCC).
On October 25, 2022, the Fifth Cassation Court in Pyatigorsk upheld Isaev's sentence.
Related Cases: Salekh Magamadov
Photo attributed to Memorial Human Rights Center
"Russia: Court upholds lengthy prison sentences for Chechen LGBTI siblings" Amnesty International
"Исаев Исмаил Сайпутыевич" Memorial Human Rights Center
"Дело участников телеграм-чата «Осал нах 95» Исаева и Магамадова" Memorial Human Rights Center
"Администраторам оппозиционного чеченского телеграм‑чата назначили до 8 лет лишения свободы" Memorial Human Rights Center
USCIRF Commissioner Khizr Khan, Tweet, October 29, 2021
USCIRF Russia Issue Update October 2021
"«Мемориал» считает политзаключёнными геев из Чечни, критиковавших власти" Memorial Human Rights Center
"Russian Federation: Further information: Family members detained on fabricated charges: Salekh Magamadov and Ismail Isaev" Amnesty International
"Chechnya Detains Kidnapped Gay Men’s Relatives – Rights Group" The Moscow Times
"2 Gay Chechens Held on Terror Charges Without Proof – NGO" The Moscow Times
Additional Name(s): Магамадов Салех Сайпудинович
Gender: Unspecified
Perpetrator: Russia
Religion or Belief: Unspecified
Reports of Torture: Yes
Reports of Medical Neglect: No
Appeal: Rejected
Sentence: 8 Years' Imprisonment
Date of Detainment: February/4/2021
Date of Sentencing: February/22/2022
Current Status: Not Released
Religious Leader: No
Most Recent Type of Abuse: Imprisonment
Reason for Persecution: Criticizing Religious Freedom Conditions LGBTI+ Rights Online Activity Resisting State-Imposed Religious Systems
Nature of Charges: Aid & Abetment
Salekh Magamadov is imprisoned in relation to state-imposition of a particular religious interpretation.
On February 4, 2021, Magamadov and Magamadov's sibling, Ismail Isaev, - two LGBTI+ youths - were kidnapped and forcibly returned to Chechnya. They had fled to Nizhny Novgorod in June 2020 after being allegedly tortured by Chechen police because of their perceived sexual orientation and gender identity. In March 2020, police detained the two and reportedly tortured them over a youth Telegram account they ran in which they criticized Chechen authorities and Islam.
During his detention, Magamadov was reportedly denied legal representation of Magamadov's choosing and forced to sign a false confession.
On February 9, 2021, Magamadov was charged with “aiding and abetting an illegal armed group" (Art. 33-5/Art. 208-2 RCC).
Magamadov was later placed in pre-trial facility SIZO-2 in Grozny.
On March 23, 2021, Chechen authorities arbitrarily detained 20 of Magamadov's relatives in search of Magamadov's parents who fled Chechnya to escape official harassment and pressure to kill their children.
On February 22, 2022, the Achkhoi-Martanovsky District Court of Chechnya sentenced Magamadov to eight years in prison for “aiding and abetting an illegal armed group" (Art. 33-5/Art. 208-2 RCC).
On October 25, 2022, the Fifth Cassation Court in Pyatigorsk upheld Magamadov's sentence.
Related Cases: Ismail Isaev
Photo attributed to Memorial Human Rights Center
"Russia: Court upholds lengthy prison sentences for Chechen LGBTI siblings" Amnesty International
"Магамадов Салех Сайпудинович" Memorial Human Rights Center
"Дело участников телеграм-чата «Осал нах 95» Исаева и Магамадова" Memorial Human Rights Center
"Администраторам оппозиционного чеченского телеграм‑чата назначили до 8 лет лишения свободы" Memorial Human Rights Center
USCIRF Commissioner Khizr Khan, Tweet, October 29, 2021
USCIRF Russia Issue Update October 2021
"«Мемориал» считает политзаключёнными геев из Чечни, критиковавших власти" Memorial Human Rights Center
"Russian Federation: Further information: Family members detained on fabricated charges: Salekh Magamadov and Ismail Isaev" Amnesty International
"Chechnya Detains Kidnapped Gay Men’s Relatives – Rights Group" The Moscow Times
"2 Gay Chechens Held on Terror Charges Without Proof – NGO" The Moscow Times
Oct 28, 2021
USCIRF Releases New Report on Religious Minorities in Afghanistan
Washington, DC – The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) today released the following new report:
Afghanistan Factsheet – This report catalogues deteriorating religious freedom conditions in Afghanistan since the Taliban took control of the country on August 15, 2021. Afghans who do not adhere to the Taliban’s harsh and strict interpretation of Islam, as well as those who follow other faiths or beliefs, face grave threats in the current environment—despite initial statements from the Taliban that it had reformed some elements of its ideology. In September 2021, the Taliban reinstated the Ministry for the Propagation of Virtue and Prevention of Vice, which uses a notoriously violent hardline Islamist policing system. USCIRF has documented and received credible reports of violence including executions, disappearances, evictions, desecration of houses of worship, beatings, harassment, and threats of violence to members of particularly vulnerable religious communities.
Before the takeover, USCIRF recommended in its 2021 Annual Report that the U.S. Department of State re-designate the Taliban as an Entity of Particular Concern, or EPC, “for engaging in systematic, ongoing, and egregious violations of religious freedom.” The State Department has designated the Taliban as an EPC every year since its first set of EPC designations in 2018, and most recently in December 2020.
USCIRF has issued several press statements calling on the State Department to prioritize refugee resettlement of Afghan religious minorities and condemning attacks on religious minorities. USCIRF also featured a podcast episode on the plight of the Hazara Shi’a minority in Afghanistan. In June 2021, USCIRF hosted a webinar on the exodus of religious minority communities in Afghanistan and another in October 2021 on at-risk religious communities in Afghanistan.
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The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) is an independent, bipartisan federal government entity established by the U.S. Congress to monitor, analyze, and report on religious freedom abroad. USCIRF makes foreign policy recommendations to the President, the Secretary of State, and Congress intended to deter religious persecution and promote freedom of religion and belief. To interview a Commissioner, please contact USCIRF at [email protected].