Algerian activist Slimane Bouhafs started to serve a five-year prison term after a court in Sétif, eastern Algeria, charged him with insulting Islam and Prophet Muhammad for posts he made on Facebook.

Iranian postgraduate student Hamid Babaei is being denied access to the specialized medical care he needs, including medication.

On 17 September an Egyptian court will rule on whether to freeze the assets of leading human rights defenders and members of their families as part of the “foreign funding case”.

Hasnat Karim, who was in the restaurant in Dhaka that was attacked on 1 July, was brought by the Bangladesh police to the Metropolitan Magistrates Court on 4 August, after being held incommunicado for weeks without being brought before a judge.

Matsumoto Kenji could be hanged any day now. Matsumoto Kenji has an intellectual disability, allegedly due to mercury poisoning which he has had since birth. Matsumoto Kenji uses a wheelchair and suffers from a delusional disorder as a result of his prolonged detention. He does not understand why he is on death row or what will happen to him when his execution is announced. We are asking you to write to Japan Ministry of Justice calling on him to commute Matsumoto Kenji's death sentence.

Seventeen-year-old blogger Amos Yee appeared in court on 17 August. He faces up to three years in prison under the Singapore Penal Code for posts in which he allegedly “wounded the religious feelings of others”. His trial is currently ongoing.

Seventeen-year-old blogger Amos Yee appeared in court on 17 August. He faces up to three years in prison under the Singapore Penal Code for posts in which he allegedly “wounded the religious feelings of others”. His trial is currently ongoing.

Two Cambodian housing rights defenders have been arrested and charged with “incitement” for taking part in a peaceful protest calling for the release of five imprisoned human rights defenders. Amnesty International considers them to be prisoners of conscience.

Mahienour El-Massry and Youssef Shaaban were released on 13 August after serving their 15-month prison sentence. Loay El-Kahwagi, who was sentenced in the same case, is still serving his sentence and is due to be released in March 2017.

Miguel Briceño, a leader of the peasant farmer community El Porvenir in central Colombia, has been threatened as attempts to forcibly displace the community intensify.