Additional Name(s): Aikebaier Aisaiti, Ekberjan Eset, Ekber Es'et, ئەكبەر ئەسئەت, 艾克拜尔·艾赛提
Gender: Male
Perpetrator: China
Ethnic Group: Uyghur
Religion or Belief: Unspecified
Reports of Torture: No
Reports of Medical Neglect: No
Sentence: 15 Years Imprisonment
Date of Detainment: April//2016
Current Status: Not Released
Religious Leader: No
Most Recent Type of Abuse: Imprisonment
Reason for Persecution: Ethnoreligious Identity Online Activity
Nature of Charges: Hate Speech
Ekpar Asat is imprisoned in relation to his ethnoreligious identity.
In April 2016, authorities in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (XUAR) detained Asat, founder of the Uyghur-language website Baghdax, reportedly for "inciting ethnic hatred." Asat's detainment followed his return from the United States after attending a leadership program organized by the U.S. Department of State.
In January 2020, the Chinese Embassy in Washington informed U.S. Senator Chris Coons (D-DE) that Asat had been sentenced to 15 years in prison. The date of his sentencing and the details of his charges and trial are unclear.
Asat's health has reportedly deteriorated greatly while imprisoned.
Sen. Chris Coons (D-DE) advocates for Asat as part of the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission's Defending Freedoms Project.
Photo attributed to Xinjiang Victims Database
"Ekpar Asat" Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission
"Ekber Eset" Congressional-Executive Commission on China (CECC)
"Ekber Eset" Xinjiang Victims Database
"Ekpar Asat" Amnesty International
Commissioner Nury Turkel, Tweet, August 20, 2020
Commissioner Nury Turkel, Tweet, June 15, 2020
"Sister Fights to Free Uighur Businessman Held in China After U.S. Trip" New York Times (NYT)
Bipartisan U.S. Senate Letter to Chinese Embassy in Washington, December 20, 2019
"Authorities Detain Uyghur Web Masters And Writers in China’s Xinjiang" Radio Free Asia (RFA)
Gender: Male
Perpetrator: Nigeria
Religion or Belief: Muslim – Unspecified/Other
Reports of Torture: No
Reports of Medical Neglect: No
Date of Detainment: July//2021
Current Status: Not Released
Religious Leader: No
Most Recent Type of Abuse: Detainment
Reason for Persecution: Blasphemy (General) Blasphemy (Religious Figures)
Nature of Charges: Unknown
Isma’ila Sani Isah is detained for blasphemy.
In July 2021, authorities arrested Isah in Sokoto State after he was accused of making blasphemous posts against the Prophet Muhammad on social media.
"Kill Him When He Leaves Police Custody – Islamic Cleric Incites Sokoto Residents Against Youth Alleged To Insult Prophet Muhammad" Sahara Reporters
"Pandemonium as youths storm Sultan’s palace over ‘blasphemous comment’ against Prophet Muhammad" Daily Post
Additional Name(s): شکیلا منفرد
Gender: Female
Perpetrator: Iran
Religion or Belief: Muslim – Unspecified/Other
Health Concerns: Gastrointestinal disease, severe stomach pain
Reports of Torture: No
Reports of Medical Neglect: Yes
Current Status: Not Released
Religious Leader: No
Most Recent Type of Abuse: Imprisonment
Reason for Persecution: Blasphemy (General) Blasphemy (Other) Online Activity
Nature of Charges: Blasphemy Spreading Propaganda & False or Misleading Ideas, Information, or Materials
Shakila Monfared is imprisoned for blasphemy.
In August 2020, security forces arrested Monfared as she was leaving home, reportedly in relation to her social media activism.
In September 2020, Monfared was released on bail.
In January 2021, Branch 26 of the Revolutionary Court of Tehran reportedly convicted Monfared for “insulting Islamic sanctities” (Art. 513 IPC) and "propaganda against the state" (Art. 500 IPC). There are conflicting reports of how long she was sentenced with Human Rights Activists News Agency reporting six years and four months in prison and United for Iran reporting five years in prison.
In March 2021, it was reported that an appeals court gave Monfared a new sentence of 50 months in prison, but it is unclear how the sentence was divided among the charges, influencing the actual time she is required to be imprisoned.
On an unspecified date believed to be in 2021, Monfared was taken into custody and sent to prison to begin her sentence.
In June 2021, several prisoners violently beat Monfared reportedly at the instigation of the prison staff.
In August 2021, Monfared was granted a short leave of absence from prison. She returned in September 2021.
In February 2022, it was reported that Monfared was sentenced to two years and eight months in prison on new charges described as “membership in one of the anti-regime groups and spreading lies.”
In March 2022, Monfared went on hunger strike reportedly to protest the housing of political prisoners and prisoners convicted of violent crimes in the same ward.
In July 2023, Monfared underwent gallbladder surgery and went on medical leave.
Monfared reportedly suffers from gastrointestinal disease and severe stomach pain, for which she has been denied adequate medical care.
Monfared is serving her sentence in Qarchak Prison.
Photo attributed to VOA, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
“Shakila Monfared” United for Iran
"زندان اوین؛ شکیلا منفرد به مرخصی درمانی اعزام شد" Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA)
“Political Prisoner Shakila Monfared Goes on Hunger Strike in Qarchak Prison” Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA)
“Shakila Monfaed Fined and Sentenced to Imprisonment” Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA)
“Shakila Monfared Denied Access to Medical Treatment in Qarchak Prison” Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA)
“پرونده سازی در زندان؛ شکیلا منفرد به حبس و پرداخت جزای نقدی محکوم شد” Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA)
“Political prisoner was attacked after being held with violent criminals” Iran Human Rights Monitor
“Political Prisoner Shakila Monfared Beaten by Inmates in Qarchak Prison” Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA)
“آخرین وضعیت پرونده شکیلا منفرد، فعال مدنی محکوم به حبس، در گفتوگو با برادرش” Voice of America (VOA)