2004: U.S. Still Using Uzbekistan Bases
UZBEKISTAN: BAPTISTS FORCED TO PAY FOR PRISON TERM
Saturday, August 30, 2003
UZBEKISTAN: BAPTISTS FORCED TO PAY FOR PRISON TERM
Unregistered Christians reportedly persecuted in ex- Soviet republic
By Stefan J. Bos
Special Correspondent, ASSIST News Service
BUDAPEST / TASHKENT (ANS) -- Officials
of Uzbekistan have warned Christians not to hold private meetings after five
Baptist men received prison sentences and were forced to pay for their
detention, ASSIST News Service monitored Saturday, August 30.
The Forum 18 News Service (F18News) said a local court sent E. Kim, S.
Stanislavsky, A. Tyan, N. Zuldikarov and O. Solijonov to prison for ten days
while forcing them to pay 816 Sums (about eight U.S. Dollars) for each day of
detention in temporary cells in Namangan.
They and three Baptist women were arrested August 15 during a service in a home
in the village of Khalkabad in Namangan region, part of an Uzbekistan controlled
area in the Fergana valley, said F18News which monitors religious persecution.
Judge Bahtierjon Batyrov of the regional criminal court was quoted as saying the
fine and jail term were handed out "strictly in accordance with the
law," and article 240 of the Criminal Code, which punishes "breaking
the law on religious organizations."
MESSAGE
Although in most cases Christians receive only fines, Batyrov suggested he
handed out a prison term to send a message to other believers amid reports of
growing "unregistered" Christian activity in the region.
"It is true that the courts generally hand down more lenient sentences to
such offenders. But in our (Pap) district the number of such cases has increased
lately and for this reason I decided to sentence the offenders to a harsher
punishment," he told F18News.
Despite the pressure there were no indications the Baptists of the Khalkabad
congregation would back down. Their church belongs to the Council of Churches
(or unregistered Baptists), which split from the All-Union Council of Baptists
in 1961 when further state-sponsored controls were introduced by the then
Baptist leadership.
ISLAM
The church has refused state registration ever since, believing that such
registration leads to unwarranted state interference. According to one of its
pastors in Moscow, it has 3,705 congregations throughout the former Soviet
Union, F18News said.
Uzbekistan, a predominantly Islamic republic of roughly 24 million people, is
one of five republics in Central Asia which were once part of the Soviet Union.
Human rights workers have observed an increase of persecution of especially
Evangelical Christians of different denominations throughout the region, despite
the collapse of Communism and Atheistic systems.
Still More information about Sharia Law used against Christians
February 20th 2003
ANY EXCUSE TO CLOSE UZBEK CHURCHES
Jubilee Campaign has recently received reports of increasing discrimination and persecution against Christians in Uzbekistan. Despite being properly registered the Generation of Faith Assembly of God Church in Chircik was ordered to close on February 4th 2003. It was registered in 1993 and then forced to re-register in 1998 because of a new law requiring them to do this. The Department of Justice for the Tashkent region at the Ministry of Justice sent a letter to this church in February 2003, ordering them to stop having meetings and claiming that their registration was incorrect.
There has been ongoing pressure by the Uzbek authorities to stop churches preaching and singing in the local Uzbek language, in an attempt to stop the Gospel spreading among the predominantly Muslim population of the country. For example, pressure by the Uzbek authorities has been put on the Generation of Faith Assembly of God Church in Chircik and on the Full Gospel Church in Chilansar, Tashkent, to stop having meetings because they were singing and preaching in Uzbek. One Uzbek official at the Department of Justice for the Tashkent region is even reported to have stated, "we are looking for any excuse to close churches".
Asanbayev Kuralbai Jangabayevich and Keulimjayev Rashid Tajibayevich were reading a Bible with 2 others in their home in the city of Muynak on December 16th 2002 when police raided their meeting, beat them and took Asanbayev and Keulimjayev to prison where they were held for 5 days.
Jubilee Campaign is lobbying the Uzbek government to stop the repression against Christians. Jubilee's Researcher and Parliamentary Officer, Wilfred Wong, says, " It is appalling that Christians in Uzbekistan can't even have a Bible study without being subjected to a police raid and imprisonment. Uzbekistan has a long history of discrimination and persecution against Christians and although in recent years the Uzbek authorities have tried harder to present a more moderate face to the international community, it is clear that anti-Christian persecution still exists in that country."
source: Jubilee Campaign
THERE IS NOT ONE CHRISTIAN NATION ON EARTH WHERE MUSLIMS ARE PERSECUTED.
Yet in most nations where the majority of the population are Muslims, there is systematic
government persecution of Christians.
"Everyone has the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion; this right includes freedom to change his religion or belief, and freedom, either alone or in community with others and in public or private, to manifest his religion or belief in teaching, practice, worship and observance."
--Article 18 of the Universal
Declaration of
Human
Rights--
Christian Conversions - According to the Bible - Can NEVER be forced.
Any Conversion to Christianity which would be "Forced" would NOT be recognized by God. It is in
His True and KIND nature, that those who come to Him and choose to believe in Him, must come to Him OF
THEIR OWN FREE WILL.
Don't Let anyone tell you that Christians support Forced Conversions.
That is False. True Christianity is NEVER forced.
Core Universal Rights
The right to believe, to worship and witness
The right to change one's belief or religion
The right to join together and express one's belief
Work for TRUE Human Rights !!!
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