Prisoners of Conscience

These Prisoners of Conscience have been adopted by Nadine Maenza through her position as a Commissioner on the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF). Follow her on Twitter at @nadinemaenza to get updates on their cases as she often Tweets or Re-Tweets about them. Read more about them below and share their stories on social media so we can raise attention to their unfair detentions.

Raif Badawi (Saudi Arabia)

Raif Badawi is a blogger, activist, and the creator of the website Free Saudi Liberals, which encourages debate on religious and political matters in Saudi Arabia. In 2012, he Conscience with “setting up a website that undermines general security,” “ridiculing Islamic religious figures,” and “going beyond the realm of obedience.” He was sentenced to 10 years in prison and 1,000 lashes in addition to a large fine.  He has receievd  50 lashes already. Read more about him here. 

Pastor Youcef Nadarkhani (Iran)

Youcef Nadarkhani was born April 11, 1977, to Muslim parents in Rasht, Iran. A member of the evangelical Church of Iran and pastor of a 400-member house church, he was first detained in 2006 on charges of “apostasy” and “evangelism.” In November 2010, Pastor Nadarkhani was given the verdict of execution by hanging for charges of apostasy. Read more here.

Learn about all of USCIRF Prisoners of Conscience here.