Uzbekistan: Baptists forced to pay massive fines, “taxes” and removed from posts
By Mushfig Bayram
1/22/2010 Uzbekistan (Forum 18) – Uzbekistan continues to attack the country’s registered Baptist Union, local Baptists have told Forum 18 News Service. One Baptist, Valery Konovalov, has been forced to pay a fine imposed in his absence, after he was forced to appear as a witness in the trial of three leaders of the Baptist Union. The three have themselves been forced to pay what the same court claimed was unpaid tax and two were removed from their posts. Uzbek state TV has broadcast a programme focussing on the Baptist trial. After the programme, parents whose children attended Protestant churches were summoned to schools and warned. “The children were made to write statements promising that they would stop attending churches,” a Protestant who wished to remain anonymous for fear of state reprisals told Forum 18. “People are afraid to talk to us when they find out we are Christians.” This is part of frequent state-sponsored media attacks on religious believers of all faiths and freedom of religion and belief.
