Name: Samuel Okbamicheal Country/Area of Origin: Eritrea Background: Samuel Okbamichael is a pastor from the Full Gospel Church Reason for Arrest: In late July 2021, Eritrean authorities entered the home of Pastor Samuel Okbamichael in the middle of the night, detained him, and transferred him to an undisclosed location. It was later clarified that Pastor …
Name: Girmay Araya (75) Country/Area of Origin: Eritrea Background: Girmay Araya is a pastor from the Full Gospel Church Reason for Arrest: In late July 2021, Eritrean authorities entered the home of Pastor Girmay Araya in the middle of the night, detained him, and transferred him to an undisclosed location. It was later clarified that …
Name: Sajjad Masih Gill Country/Area of Origin: Pakistan Background: Sajjad Masih Gill is a 35-year-old Seventh-Day Adventist from Pakpatan, Punjab, Pakistan. Reason for Arrest: In December 2011, Sajjad Masih Gill was accused of sending blasphemous SMS messages disrespected Prophet Muhammad, and he was swiftly arrested. Authorities were unable to find any evidence on his cell …
Names: Mariyum Lal (also Mariam Lal) and Newsh Arooj (also Navish Arooj) Country/Area of Origin: Pakistan Background: Mariyum Lal and Newsh Arooj are two Roman Catholic nurses who worked at Civil Hospital in Faisalabad, Pakistan prior to their arrest. Reason for Arrest: On 9 April 2021, Lal was instructed by a senior nurse, Rukhsana, to …
Name: Shagufta Kiran Country/Area of Origin: Pakistan Background: Shagufta Kiran is a Pakistani Christian woman and preacher from Islamabad. Reason for Arrest: On 29 July 2021, authorities of Pakistan’s Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) arrested Shagufta inside her home. Without a search warrant, police constables entered Shagufta’s home with loaded guns; as Shagufta tried to stop …
Name: Zafar Bhatti Country/Area of Origin: Pakistan Background: Zafar Bhatti is a Pakistani Christian man from Rawalpindi. Prior to his prolonged detention, Bhatti sold medicines and spread the Gospel door-to-door in his community; he also established an NGO “Jesus World Mission” which aimed to help those in poverty. Reason for Arrest: In July 2012, a …
Name: Suleiman Bouhafs Country/Area of Origin: Algeria Background: Bouhafs is a Christian from the Amazigh indigenous people group native to North Africa, notably Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, and the Canary Islands. Reason for Arrest: Bouhafs was originally arrested in September 2016 in Algeria for some Facebook posts he had made criticizing Islam; authorities charged him …
Name: Yaroslav Mysyak Country/Area of Origin: Ukraine Background: Mysyak is a Ukrainian Christian that worked as a youth pastor in the Transcarpathian region. Reason for Arrest: One evening in 1998, Pastor Mysyak was abruptly woken by a dream in which his parents passed away; shortly after he awoke, police authorities arrived and informed him that …
Name: Rachid Mohamed Seighir Country/Area of Origin: Algeria Background: Rachid Seighir is an Algerian pastor and the owner of a bookstore Reason for Arrest: In June 2021, Algerian authorities shuttered Oran city’s Oratoire Church and a local Christian bookstore, both of which were owned and managed by Pastor Rachid Seighir. Less than a week following …
Name: Hamid Soudad Country/Area of Origin: Algeria Background: Soudad is an Algerian Christian Reason for Arrest: In January 2021, Algerian authorities arrested Hamid Soudad for sharing a Facebook post in 2018 depicting a cartoon of Muhammad. Officers immediately interrogated Soudad and then permitted him to briefly return home, however, he was re-summoned to the local …
