Client: He wanted to practice Christianity without fear

This client, who did not wish to be named, came to the U.S. from Mauritania in 2013 on a tourist visa. He came here because he wanted to practice Christianity without fear. While studying abroad in Tunisia, he converted from Islam to Christianity. He began translating religious videos into Arabic, and published them on YouTube.

After returning to Mauritania, he was arrested for spreading Christianity – a criminal offense in that country – and spent 100 days in prison. Mauritanian police interrogated and threatened him, ordering him to convert back to Islam. While holding him in a cell, officers beat and tortured him on three separate occasions for his religious beliefs and his refusal to convert to Islam.

To protect him from further abuse, his father applied for him to get a visa to the U.S. He arrived in 2013, working and living most recently in the Atlanta area. That came to an abrupt end when he was arrested for loitering. He was transferred to ICDC in early October 2017.