Name: Ramy Kamel Saied Salid (commonly known as Ramy Kamel) Country/Area of Origin: Egypt Background: Kamel is a notable Egyptian human rights defender and Coptic Christian who has participated in numerous events to highlight the ill-treatment of Egyptian minority groups. He is a founder of the Maspero Youth Union, which works towards ending discrimination towards …
Name: Chen Yu Country/Area of Origin: China Background: Chen Yu is a Christian bookseller who, prior to his arrest, operated an online shop called Xiaomai (Wheat) Bookstore. Reason for Arrest: In late September 2019, Mr. Chen was charged with conducting “illegal business operations” and was fined 200,000 yuan (≈ USD $30,000). He was subsequently sentenced …
Name: Jimmy Lai Country/Area of Origin: Hong Kong Background: Notable democracy activist, human rights advocate, and critic of the Hong Kong government and its authorities Sentence: The length of Mr. Lai’s sentence has not been revealed yet, but he has officially been charged with allegedly colluding with foreign forces under the newly-implemented National Security Law …
While standing on trial in a courtroom in Peshawar, Pakistan, Naseem was shot six times by a man whose name has not been released to the public.
Name: Gulmira Imin Country/Area of Origin: China Background: Prior to her arrest, Imin held a local government position in the capital of Xinjiang, Urumqi. In 2009, Imin established the website Salkin, which focused on Uyghur culture and news in Xinjiang, and which took on a critical perspective of the Chinese government. Reason for Arrest: In …
Name: Hu Shigen Age: 64 Country/Area of Origin: China Background: Hu is a famous democracy activist, and in 1989 he was active in the Tienanmen Square Protests prior to founding the China Free Democratic Party and the China Free Labor Union. Reason for Arrest: In July 2015, Hu was disappeared by CCP officials during a …
Name: Gedhun Choekyi Nyima Age: 31 Country/Area of Origin: Tibet Autonomous Region, China Background: In 1995, following the death of the 10th Panchen Lama- the Buddhist spiritual leader one level below the Dalai Lama, Gedhun Nyima was chosen to be the 11th Panchen Lama on May 14. Reason for Arrest: Only three days following Gedhun …
Name: Artem Gerasimov Country/Area of Origin: Russia Background: Gerasimov is originally a Danish citizen, though he was living in Crimea at the time of his arrest. Reason for Arrest: On March 20, 2019, the Federal Security Service detained Gerasimov following their ambush on private homes in Yalta and Alupka, Crimea. Security officials searched through his …
Name: Dennis Christensen Country/Area of Origin: Russia Background: Dennis Christensen is a practicing Jehovah’s Witness. Since 2017, the government of Russia has embarked on a campaign to target and detain Jehovah’s witnesses and shut down their churches in different localities. Reason for Arrest: In 2017, the Federal Security Service ambushed a worship service for Jehovah’s …
Picture by Jehovah’s Witnesses in Russia Name: Gennadiy Shpakovsky Age: 61 Country/Area of Origin: Russia Background: Gennadiy Shpakovsky, along with his wife and daughter, are practicing Jeahovah’s Witnesses. Jehovah’s Witnesses have historically been persecuted by the Russian government, and in 2017 the religious sect was determined to be an extremist ideology. Handfuls of Jehovah’s Witnesses …
