Congolese political opposition member Paulin Makaya was sentenced to two years imprisonment and a fine of 3,800 Euros for taking part in an unauthorized protest. Paulin Makaya is a prisoner of conscience.

Jean Bigirimana was last seen in Bugarama, Muramvya province, on 22 July. There are indications that Jean Bigirimana was arrested by security forces. The police spokesperson has however denied these allegations.

Three Lao human rights activists have been arrested in what may constitute enforced disappearances. They remain in incommunicado detention since they appeared on national television on 25 May.

Three Lao human rights activists have been arrested in circumstances that may constitute enforced disappearances. They remain in incommunicado detention since they appeared on national television on 25 May in a report that confirmed that they had been arrested for threatening national security through social media postings.

On 29 July, the Atyrau City Court in Kazakhstan ruled to keep prisoners of conscience Maks Bokaev and Talgat Ayan in pre-trial detention until 31 August.

Ehsan Shah Ghasemi, a 25-year-old Iranian man who had been on death row since October 2014, was released from prison on 13 March after he was pardoned by the victim’s family in September 2015.

Jailed Chinese Human Rights Defender Yang Maodong (better known by his pen name Guo Feixiong) has been on hunger strike since 9 May in protest of his ill-treatment by the authorities.

Iranian human rights defender Narges Mohammadi, a prisoner of conscience, ended her hunger strike after 20 days on 16 July when she was allowed a 30-minute telephone call with her children.

Four men were executed in Indonesia on 29 July for drug-related offences. Nine other men and one woman received a last-minute temporary stay of execution after they were also taken to the execution grounds.

Human rights defender Wahid Baloch may have been subjected to enforced disappearance by state security forces in Karachi, Pakistan, on the afternoon of 26 July. His family does not know where he is or what has happened to him.