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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 July 2025

WHERE

IMPRISONED

REASON

Crimea

14

  • Religious activity

Eritrea

65

  • Conscientious objection

  • Religious activity

  • Undisclosed reasons

Russia

160

  • Religious activity

Singapore

8

  • Conscientious objection

South Korea

1

  • Conscientious objection

Ukraine

7

  • Conscientious objection

Other Lands

Over 4

  • Religious activity

Total

Over 259

“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.