Uzbekistan

The executive director of Uzbekistan’s Bible Society is denying claims that people in Uzbekistan are prohibited from having Bibles in their homes.  This comes not long after a Christian in Uzbekistan had her Bible and other religious literature confiscated and criminal charges brought against her for the “Illegal production, storage, import or distribution of religious literature.” Individuals in Uzbekistan may only own government approved religious material in approved amounts. While Bibles are allowed in the country, the restrictions placed on the type and number one can own continues to be an infringement on their citizen’s rights to religious freedom.

“Fines have been imposed on people in the capital [of Uzbekistan] for meeting in a private home and having Christian literature, and for carrying a personal Bible and New Testament. Baptists have noted that the latter conviction is illegal in Uzbek law.”

“Sharofat Allamova, a Protestant from Urgench in north-western Uzbekistan, has been given one and half years of corrective labour, after being convicted under criminal charges brought for the ‘illegal production, storage, import or distribution of religious literature’. It has been stated that the NSS secret police compelled witnesses to make false statements against her.”

Uzbekistan's President Islam Karimov rules according to Communist Soviet methods, so society is heavily regulated. Revolutionary and jihadist Islam are real threats to his regime. Religious laws primarily targeting these Islamic groups are also used to persecute Protestant Christians whom the regime considers are threatening social cohesion. Small house churches are routinely raided by hostile security police. Protestants charged with breaching the religion law by possessing Christian literature, witnessing or worshipping without registration face exorbitant fines often 50 and 100 times the minimum monthly wage. These fines leave them destitute. This persecution has nothing to do with state security and everything to do with making Protestant Christianity undesirable to its members and to the masses. Despite this, Uzbekistan's Protestant and independent churches are growing. Please pray for them.

Numerous fines and raids on “religious believers” occurred in 2012 and have continued in 2013. Many of these were done in private homes, and even against members of officially registered churches. One believer was fined for discussing his religion with his neighbor after a judge deemed that “illegal missionary activity.”

A Christian couple in Uzbekistan had their house raided while they were out and the children were home with a babysitter. Their Christian literature was confiscated. Four days after the raid the couple and their babysitter, who they claim is not even a believer, were summoned to court. The Judge handed them “unbelievably high fines” 100 times the minimum salary, without a hearing.

Reports from Uzbekistan indicate that authorities are widening their crackdown on Christian converts from Islam. Details are just beginning to emerge regarding the most recent incident of police harassing a family of believers, while searching for a church leader.

Christians in Uzbekistan continue to face raids, confiscation of their personal religious materials, outrageous fines, and possible imprisonment.

A Christian man in Uzbekistan sought to “overturn a large fine” given to him for allegedly distributing religious literature illegally. The man had 1,300 books, 2,100 brochures, 450 leaflets, 50 magazines, 200 videos, and 350 audio cassettes confiscated from his home and “expertly analyzed” in one day. To be expertly analyzed, all of these items must be thoroughly read, listened to, and scrutinized; an impossible feat in that amount of time. Also, witnesses in his court case were fictitious.

At the beginning of December police raided a group of Christians who were meeting together for worship while on vacation. They confiscated their Christian songbooks and Bibles, and took everyone’s fingerprints. In addition to the fines they were charged with, the judge ordered their Bibles to be destroyed on Christmas Eve, the day when Protestants in Uzbekistan begin their Christmas celebrations.

After an illegal search of her home, police confiscated three Christian books and two DVD’s containing a Christian film and a sermon. Now, Sharofat Allamova, a Christian in Uzbekistan, faces up to three years in prison for the "illegal production, storage, import or distribution of religious literature".

In a continuation of the discussion of religious freedom in Uzbekistan, this article points out numerous instances including Christians songbooks confiscated, punishing people for reading their Bibles and more.

Uzbekistan continues to defy its human rights violations by making it illegal for anyone to share their faith. The religion law states, "Actions aimed at attracting believers of one confession to another (proselytism) are forbidden, as is other missionary activity." This makes it difficult for Christians to practice their faith with freedom.

In Uzbekistan it is illegal for Christians to gather and worship anywhere other than places registered and approved by the government. Recently, a gathering of 80 believers, who were on holiday together, was raided by police in plainclothes. The believers were exercising their right to freedom of religion, but were not in a building registered for religious purposes. They were threatened, verbally abused and fingerprinted by the police. Their Bibles and song books were confiscated and the leaders of the group are being charged on numerous counts, one  of which is “carrying out unauthorized religious activities”.

Following a terrifying ordeal, Pastor Makset Djabbarbergenov has not only been released from prison, he has also been reunited with his family and flown to Europe where he and his family will remain safely in an unnamed location.

After being held for three months in prison in Kazakhstan Pastor Makset Djabbarbergenov has been granted asylum in Europe. This is an answer to prayers of Christians around the world who have praying for his release. Djabbarbergenov is a native of Uzbekistan, but fled with his family to Kazakhstan, where he was later arrested and threatened with extradition.