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A handcuffed prisoner being escorted inside a prison

Jehovah’s Witnesses Imprisoned for Their Faith—By Location

Jehovah’s Witnesses imprisoned for their faith as of October 2022

WHERE

IMPRISONED

REASON

Crimea

4

  • Religious activity

Eritrea

20

  • Religious activity

  • Undisclosed reasons

Russia

92

  • Religious activity

Singapore

14

  • Conscientious objection

South Korea

1

  • Conscientious objection

Tajikistan

1

  • Religious activity

Other Lands

Over 27

  • Religious activity

Total

Over 159

“The right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion” is a fundamental human right, according to Article 18 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.a In some lands, however, Jehovah’s Witnesses are denied this basic right and are unjustly jailed and even suffer cruel mistreatment. Most of those imprisoned were arrested merely for practicing their faith. Others are imprisoned for their conscientious objection to military service.

a See also the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights, Article 18, and the European Convention on Human Rights, Article 9.