Apr 4, 2023
USCIRF Releases New Report on African Traditional and Indigenous Religions
Washington, DC – The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) today released the following new report on African traditional and indigenous religions:
African Traditional and Indigenous Religious – This factsheet places African traditional and indigenous religions within the broader international religious freedom discourse, from which they have historically been underrepresented. In several contexts, practitioners of African traditional and indigenous religions have faced religious freedom violations in recent years. These include violence and impunity for violence, legal restrictions, coerced conversion or forced repentance, and the desecration and removal of their sacred sites and objects. Practitioners of these faiths have also faced bias and discrimination from governments. The analysis summarizes historical trends, identifies relevant international legal mechanisms that protect freedom of religion or belief for practitioners of African traditional and indigenous religions, and explores threats facing some practitioners of these faiths, including religious freedom violations and government bias and discrimination.
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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].
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 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.
USCIRF Commissioners David Curry and Susie Gelman, Tweet, April 17, 2024
“Supreme Court to hear case of Christian jailed for 21 years for blasphemy” AsiaNews
“Blasphemy death row convict await trial” Express Tribune
“World Briefing | Asia: Pakistan: Death Sentence For Blasphemy” New York Times (NYT)
“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 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
"India: UN expert demands immediate end to crackdown on Kashmiri human rights defenders" UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR)
Mary Lawlor UN Special Rapporteur HRDs, Tweet, March 21, 2023
“India: Authorities must immediately release Kashmiri journalist Irfan Mehraj” Amnesty International
“India arrests Kashmir journalist Irfan Mehraj on ‘terror’ charges” Al Jazeera
“'Told to Come to Office for 5 Minutes,' Srinagar Journalist Irfan Mehraj Arrested by NIA” The Wire
“Kashmiri freelance journalist arrested by NIA worked with human rights group JKCCS” The Indian Express