Three followers of the ‘Millah Abraham’ religious belief have been convicted of blasphemy and sentenced to between three and five years’ imprisonment. They have all been convicted for peacefully manifesting their right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion, and must be immediately and unconditionally released.

Ivan Teleguz, a Ukrainian national, is scheduled to be executed in Virginia on 25 April. He maintains his innocence of the 2001 murder for which he was sent to death row in 2006.

Santosh Yadav was released from prison on 9 March 2017, over a week after the Supreme Court of India granted him bail.

Three human rights defenders Khalafalla A. Mukhtar, Midhat A. Hamdan and Mustafa Adam have been released after being sentenced to time served by a court in Khartoum, Sudan.

Malaysian human rights defender Lena Hendry has been convicted by the Kuala Lumpur Magistrate Court for the private screening of the documentary “No Fire Zone: The Killing Fields of Sri Lanka”. She faces up to three years imprisonment or a fine of up to RM30, 000 ($7,200 USD).

Retired general Raúl Isaías Baduel, who has been detained in the Venezuelan military prison Ramo Verde since 12 January, has finally been allowed to meet with his lawyer and his family after being held incommunicado for a period of time, and has been brought before a relevant court of law.

An incursion by paramilitaries and subsequent armed confrontation between them and guerrilla groups forced a mass displacement of families and the potential confinement of surrounding communities in Peña Azul, Chocó department, in north-western Colombia. The increase in paramilitary activity in the area is placing residents of rural areas of Chocó department at risk.

The Specialized Criminal Court in Riyadh has upheld Saudi Arabian human rights defender Issa al-Hamid’s 11-year prison sentence. It is feared that he could be detained at any time to start serving his sentence. If detained he will be a prisoner of conscience.

Iranian prisoner of conscience and human rights defender Arash Sadeghi is being subjected to torture by Revolutionary Guard officials who are blocking his access to urgent medical care.

Salvadoran woman Sara Beltran Hernandez has been granted bond and released from detention. She had been held in a Texas detention centre for 15 months, despite having a claim to asylum and being in urgent need of medical attention.