US religious freedom body calls Sharjeel Imam a prisoner of religious freedom advocacy

The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) has described jailed activist Sharjeel Imam as “a prisoner detained for his religious freedom advocacy”, triggering backlash on social media.

In a post on X, the commission linked Imam's detention to his participation in protests against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA) in December 2019 and January 2020. Its website describes his participation in the protests as peaceful and characterises the legislation as religiously discriminatory.

However, the commission's profile also lists charges against Imam, including criminal conspiracy, hate speech, murder, attempted murder, terrorism, treason and sedition.

The post drew criticism from several X users, who questioned USCIRF's assessment and cited allegations that Imam had called for the isolation of Northeast India by disrupting the Siliguri Corridor, also known as the Chicken's Neck.

One user wrote, “There’s a literal fucking video of that bastard saying he wants to cut my country into pieces! And you guys have the audacity to tell it’s religion freedom?? My foot. Focus on real matters instead of propagandist activism.”

Another questioned whether the US was supporting radicals and wrote, “Is the US supporting radicals? Isn’t this hypocrisy? How can someone who threatens to divide a nation with the help of radical groups receive such support?”

Imam, a former Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) research scholar, has been in Tihar Jail since his arrest in connection with the 2020 Delhi riots case. Delhi Police has accused him and fellow activist Umar Khalid of involvement in a conspiracy behind the violence, which left more than 40 people dead and displaced hundreds.

Imam has repeatedly sought bail, but courts have rejected his applications.

The trial in the case has yet to begin.