Jailed Turkish scholar and journalist Ali Ünal honored at religious freedom summit in Washington - Stockholm Center for Freedom

RFI’s Ismail Royer Speaks at 2026 IRF Summit Support of Religious Prisoner of Conscience Ali Ünal

Ismail Royer, RFI’s Director of Islam and Religious Freedom, spoke Tuesday at a session at this week’s 2026 IRF Summit. Titled, “Forging Multi-Faith Partnerships in Our Communities and Nations,” the session was dedicated to Religious Prisoner of Conscience Ali Ünal. Royer introduced Dr. Ünal, a prominent Turkish religious scholar who for decades had “contributed to Turkey’s religious life through work focused on dialogue between faiths and coope…

Jailed Turkish scholar and journalist Ali Ünal honored at religious freedom summit in Washington - Stockholm Center for Freedom

Ali Ünal, a prominent Turkish Islamic scholar, Qur’an translator and longtime columnist for the now-closed Zaman newspaper, was honored this week at the International Religious Freedom (IRF) Summit in Washington, D.C., as one of several prisoners of conscience cited for their continued imprisonment over their faith and peaceful expression. According to Abdülhamid Bilici’s report published on Turkish Minute, the event took place at the Washington…