Gender: Male
Perpetrator: Iraq
Religion or Belief: Christian – Unspecified/Other
Date of Detainment: May//2022
Date of Release: May//2022
Current Status: Released
Most Recent Type of Abuse: Detainment
Reason for Persecution: Protesting Religious Freedom Conditions Religious Identity
Nature of Charges: Unknown
James Zaya was detained for protesting religious freedom conditions.
On May 11, 2022, Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) authorities arrested Zaya after local villagers protested the confiscation on their land. The confiscations were likely motivated in part by the villagers’ specific religious identity. Authorities reportedly assaulted protestors. Zaya had filmed the protest and the subsequent crackdown.
Zaya was reportedly released a day after his arrest.
Related Cases: Zya Minas
“Assyrian Christians arrested after attempted land grab” Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW)