Human Rights Without Frontiers 2017 PRISONERS DATABASE
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Human Rights Without Frontiers Avenue d’Auderghem, 1040 Brussels Phone/Fax: 32 2 3456145 Email: [email protected] – Website: http://www.hrwf.eu 2017 PRISONERS DATABASE Table of Contents INTRODUCTION ..................................................................................................................... 2 ALGERIA .................................................................................................................................. 8 AZERBAIJAN ......................................................................................................................... 11 CHINA ..................................................................................................................................... 16 EGYPT ..................................................................................................................................... 99 ERITREA ............................................................................................................................... 103 INDIA .................................................................................................................................... 110 INDONESIA .......................................................................................................................... 124 KAZAKHSTAN .................................................................................................................... 171 KYRGYZSTAN .................................................................................................................... 199 MAURITANIA ...................................................................................................................... 200 NEPAL ................................................................................................................................... 201 NORTH KOREA ................................................................................................................... 204 PAKISTAN ............................................................................................................................ 206 RUSSIA ................................................................................................................................. 231 SAUDI ARABIA ................................................................................................................... 238 SINGAPORE ......................................................................................................................... 241 SOUTH KOREA ................................................................................................................... 243 *Names in red indicate those who have been released or are presumed to have been released in 2017 SUDAN .................................................................................................................................. 260 TAJIKISTAN ......................................................................................................................... 263 TURKMENISTAN ................................................................................................................ 276 UZBEKISTAN ...................................................................................................................... 280 VIETNAM ............................................................................................................................. 304 YEMEN ................................................................................................................................. 328 *Names in red indicate those who have been released or are presumed to have been released in 2017 INTRODUCTION Freedom of religion or belief (FoRB) is a universal human right guaranteed by Article 18 of the UN Universal Declaration on Human Rights (Universal Declaration) and the UN International Convention on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) which reads: (1): Everyone shall have the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion. This right shall include freedom [...] either individually or in community with others and in public or private to manifest his religion or belief in worship, observance, practice and teaching. (2): No one shall be subject to coercion which would impair his freedom to have or to adopt a religion or belief of his choice. (3): Freedom to manifest one's religion or beliefs may be subject only to such limitations as are prescribed by law and are necessary to protect public safety, order, health or morals or the fundamental rights and freedoms of others.’ According to the 1981 UN Declaration of the Elimination of All Forms of Intolerance and of Discrimination Based on Religion or Belief, Article 6, the right to freedom of thought, conscience, religion, or belief includes, inter alia, the following freedoms: (a) To worship or assemble in connection with a religion or belief, and to establish and maintain places for these purposes; (b) To establish and maintain appropriate charitable or humanitarian institutions; (c) To make, acquire and use to an adequate extent the necessary articles and materials related to the rites or customs of a religion or belief; (d) To write, issue and disseminate relevant publications in these areas; (e) To teach a religion or belief in places suitable for these purposes; (f) To solicit and receive voluntary financial and other contributions from individuals and institutions; (g) To train, appoint, elect or designate by succession appropriate leaders called for by the requirements and standards of any religion or belief; 2 Human Rights Without Frontiers Prisoners List 2017 (h) To observe days of rest and to celebrate holidays and ceremonies in accordance with the precepts of one's religion or belief; (i) To establish and maintain communications with individuals and communities in matters of religion and belief at the national and international levels. EU Guidelines on Freedom of Religion or Belief In June 2013, the EU adopted Guidelines on Freedom of Religion or Belief, which signifies a commitment by the EU to mainstream these principles and sends a strong message to all countries that do not respect them. By adopting the Guidelines, the EU acknowledges that religious freedom violations, committed by state and non-state actors alike, are widespread and complex, affecting societies and individuals everywhere, including in Europe. It also clarifies the EU’s own position towards religion or belief, not aligning itself with any specific view or conviction but upholding the right of the individual to choose, change, adopt, or abandon a conviction according to one’s conscience. The Guidelines are an important tool for EU officials in third countries to assist citizens who have been victims of violations of their right to freedom of religion or belief and discrimination. Our Annual Report this year focuses on countries which imprison people for exercising their right to freedom of religion or belief as defined by Article 18 of the ICCPR and Article 6 of the 1981 UN Declaration of the Elimination of All Forms of Intolerance and of Discrimination Based on Religion or Belief. Each country report comprises several sections: • Introduction • Cases of prisoners per religious or belief minority • Laws used to criminalize religious activities • National standards for detention conditions • National and international reports on prison conditions in each country • Conclusions The report is meant to provide a tool to the relevant EU actors who should • contribute to the improvement of FoRB in countries of particular concern • prioritize the minorities which need to be protected and defended • try to get the release of believers and non-believers who were illegally arrested and imprisoned, being aware of their detention conditions. 3 Human Rights Without Frontiers Prisoners List 2017 State repression of legitimate activities of members of religious or belief groups Quite a number of UN Member States fail to abide by UN standards and even criminalise individual and collective rights related to freedom of religion or belief (FoRB). The state repression may include the death penalty, various forms of physical punishment, prison terms and exorbitant fines, sometimes of up to one hundred times the minimum monthly salary. The death penalty is a violation of the right to life and usually concerns the change of religion or (alleged) blasphemy cases in a number of Muslim majority countries: Afghanistan, Algeria, Bahrain, Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Maldives, Mauritania, Morocco, Pakistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Sudan, United Arab Emirates, and Yemen. Physical punishments, such as lashing, flogging, and caning, are unquestionably torture as well as inhuman and degrading treatments. They are usually implemented in some Muslim majority countries in cases of change of religion, blasphemy, or allegedly offensive statements related to FoRB issues. Imprisonment is another form of state repression that is often used on the basis of laws criminalising • the mere affiliation to or identification with a specific religious or belief group that may be banned or ostracised • the public expression of atheism and agnosticism • the questioning of official religious teachings • the conversion to a minority religion or denomination • proselytising by minority religious or belief groups • worship and religious meetings by peaceful groups that are not allowed to operate because they are not state-sanctioned or have been arbitrarily denied state registration • conscientious objection