Additional Name(s): سید کرم عباسی

Gender: Male

Perpetrator: Iran

Religion or Belief: Yarsani

Reports of Torture: No

Reports of Medical Neglect: No

Date of Detainment: December/1/2022

Date of Release: January/2/2023

Current Status: Released

Religious Leader: No

Most Recent Type of Abuse: Detainment

Reason for Persecution: Civil Rights Work for Religious Communities Religious Belief

Nature of Charges: Unknown

Seyyed-Karam Abbasi

Extra Bio Info:

Seyyed-Karam Abbasi was detained in relation to his religious belief and civil rights work.

On December 1, 2022, authorities in Saveh reportedly beat and arrested Abbasi, a Yarsani civil activist.

On January 2, 2023, Abbasi was reportedly released on bail.

Related Cases: Syeed-Amin Abbasi, Seyyed-Soroush Abbasi, Kaki Farzad Almasi, Siavash Hayati, Mansour Safayi

Sources:

Dec 2, 2022

USCIRF Releases New Report on Freedom of Religion or Belief Victims List

Washington, DC – The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) today released the following new report:

Freedom of Religion or Belief (FoRB) Victims List – This factsheet provides a background of USCIRF’s FoRB Victims List, a database that catalogues victims who have been detained, imprisoned, placed under house arrest, disappeared, forced to renounce their faith, and tortured for their religious belief, religious activity, and religious freedom advocacy. The report summarizes the FoRB Victims List’s congressional mandate as well as the standards and processes for including persons on the list.

USCIRF’s FoRB Victims List includes over 1,800 profiles. The following highlights some of the victims included in the database:

In its 2022 Annual Report, USCIRF recommended that the U.S. Department of State designate 15 countries as CPCs for engaging in or tolerating “particularly severe violations of religious freedom.” It also recommended 12 countries for placement on the SWL and seven non-state actors for redesignation as EPCs.

Individuals and organizations with credible information on victims can submit that information for possible inclusion in the database using the FoRB Victims List Intake Form.

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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].

Additional Name(s): Ruslan Suleymanov, Сулейманов Руслан Серверович

Gender: Male

Perpetrator: Russia

Ethnic Group: Crimean Tatar

Religion or Belief: Muslim – Sunni

Reports of Medical Neglect: Yes

Appeal: Rejected

Sentence: 14 Years' Imprisonment

Date of Detainment: March/27/2019

Date of Sentencing: November/24/2022

Current Status: Not Released

Most Recent Type of Abuse: Imprisonment

Reason for Persecution: Ethnoreligious Identity Possession of Religious Materials Religious Association

Nature of Charges: Banned Organization Terrorism Treason & Sedition

Ruslan Suleimanov

Extra Bio Info:

Ruslan Suleimanov is imprisoned for his alleged religious activity.

On March 27, 2019, authorities arrested Suleimanov, a citizen journalist and activist from the Crimean Solidarity movement, after accusing him of being a member of the banned Hizb ut-Tahrir organization. Authorities searched the homes of several activists and allegedly confiscated Hizb ut-Tahrir materials. Suleimanov was charged with “participating in the activities of an organization…recognized as terrorist” (Art. 205.5-2 RCC) and "preparing for actions aimed at the forcible seizure of power or the forcible retention of power” (Art. 30-1/Art. 278 RCC).

On November 24, 2022, the Southern District Military Court sentenced Suleimanov to 14 years in prison.

In November 2023, it was reported that Suleimanov has not received adequate medical care for congenital heart disease and tachycardia.

On February 1, 2024, the Military Court of Appeal upheld Suleimanov's sentence.

Suleimanov has three children.

Senator Bob Menendez (D-NJ) advocates for Suleimanov as part of the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission's Defending Freedoms Project.

Related Cases: Enver Ametov, Yashar Muyedinov, Rustem Sheikhaliev, Osman Arifmemetov, Eskender Suleymanov

Sources:
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