Prisoners of Conscience

Phan Van Thu

Name:    Phan Van Thu    Country/Area of Origin: Vietnam (Ethnic Vietnamese) Background: Founder of the Buddhist sect An Doan Dai Dao (ADDD) Reason for Arrest: On February 5, 2012, the police arrested Mr. Thu, a Buddhist sect leader known for his work among Vietnam’s poor. Authorities charged him and several followers with “abusing rights to freedom …

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Pastor Y Yich

Name: Pastor Y Yich Country/Area of Origin: Vietnam (Ethnic Montagnard) Background: Y Yich is a Protestant pastor advocating for religious freedom for his fellow church members in Vietnam’s Central Highlands. Reason for Arrest: Because his congregation prefers to be free of State control over their religious activities, the local government persecutes adherents of the unapproved …

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Pastor A Dao

Name: Pastor A Dao Country/Area of Origin: Vietnam (Ethnic Ha Lang Montagnard) Background: A Dao is a Protestant pastor of the Montagnard Evangelical Church of Christ advocating for religious freedom for his fellow church members in Vietnam’s Central Highlands and elsewhere. Reason for Arrest: In August 2016, he attended the conference on Freedom of Religion …

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Do Thi Hong

Name:    Ms. Do Thi Hong Country/Area of Origin: Vietnam (Ethnic Vietnamese) Background: Follower of the Buddhist sect An Doan Dai Dao (ADDD) Reason for Arrest: In early February 2012, the government of Phu Yen Province cracked down on An Dan Dai Dao (Blessed Flock of the Great Way, Vietnamese abbreviation: ADDD), a religious organization aiming …

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Alimjan Yimit

Name: Alimjan Yimit (in Chinese: Alimujiang Yimit)    Country/Area of Origin: Xinjiang province, China. Background: Mr. Yimit is church leader of Uyghur ethnicity.   Reason for Arrest: Kashgar/Kashi Police arrested Mr. Yimit on January 2008. He was accused of “leaking state secrets” under Article 103 and 111 of the Chinese Criminal Code.  The Working Group on …

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Ming Zhang

Name:    Ming Zhang    Country/Area of Origin: Kuandian, Dandong City, Liaoning Province, China   Background: Male, 60 years old, worked at Bank of China in Donggang City before the persecution on Falun Gong began. Mr. Zhang has been repeatedly arrested for his faith in Falun Gong. Reason for Arrest: On June 29, 2018, Ming Zhang and …

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Aili Zhang

Name: Aili Zhang    Country/Area of Origin: Shengli Oilfield, Dongying City, Shandong Province, China   Background: Female, 65 years old, worked as a nurse at Shengli Oilfield Central Hospital before retiring. Her son, Yi Zhang, currently resides in Flushing, New York City. From May 16 to May 26 in 2017, Ms. Zhang was detained by the …

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Wang Lingjie

Name: Wang Lingjie    Country/Area of Origin: China, Fujian (Han Chinese) Background: born on August 18, 1987, joined The Church of Almighty God in August 2007, upper-level leader at the time of her arrest Reason for Arrest: On March 23, 2017, police arrested Wang Lingjie for being an upper-lever leader of The Church of Almighty God. …

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Zhenyu Ma

Name: Zhenyu Ma Country/Area of Origin: Nanjing City, Jiangsu Province, China   Background: Male, 57 years old, worked as the chief engineer of the 14th Research Institute of China Electronic Technology Group Corporation in Nanjing City, Jiangsu Province before the persecution on Falun Gong began in 1999. Reason for Arrest: Mr. Ma was repeatedly arrested …

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