Source: www.forum18.org
Date: April 11, 2023
Police raided the Baptist Church in Karshi during worship on Easter Sunday,
9 April. They "damaged the door of the prayer house, behaved crudely, and
arrested three church members", Baptists said. Police "brutally beat David
Ibragimov and a few more church members in front of our fellow believers"
and "used electric shock prods and other implements to incapacitate" church
members. Police refused to explain why they raided the church and tortured
church members. Open Prison No. 49 in Olmalyk banned prisoners from fasting
during Ramadan, threatening those that do.
UZBEKISTAN: Easter church raid, Baptists tortured, prison Ramadan fast ban
https://www.forum18.org/archiv
By Felix Corley, Forum 18
On Easter Sunday, 9 April, police raided the Council of Churches Baptist
congregation in Karshi in the southern Kashkadarya Region during their
morning worship meeting. "Police officers and officials damaged the door of
the prayer house, behaved crudely, and arrested three church members,"
Baptists told Forum 18 the same day.
Baptists state that police tortured church members. "Today police brutally
beat David Ibragimov and a few more church members in front of our fellow
believers," they said. "They also used electric shock prods and other
implements to incapacitate the brothers and sisters. Church members cried
and prayed during those difficult minutes." Video posted online shows
Ibragimov collapsing to the ground against a wall in the yard, and then a
police officer standing next to him (see below).
The United Nations (UN) Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman
or Degrading Treatment or Punishment requires the regime to arrest and put
on criminal trial for torture officials suspected of involvement in
torture. The regime routinely ignores this human rights obligation (see
below).
Local Baptists said 10 church members, including young people, were taken
to the police station. Video images show police officers holding one church
member Yokub round the neck as he was on the ground, and as they put him in
a police van. The officer warns another officer that a church member is
filming the arrest and a man runs towards the camera. Another church
member, Yusuf, was already in the police van in handcuffs (see below).
No official from the police, the Kashkadarya Regional Interior Ministry
(which oversees the police), or the district administration would answer
Forum 18's questions about the raid or the torture of Baptists (see below).
Church members say the raid followed the Church's attempts to rent 15 local
halls for presentations of the Christian faith to mark Easter. Visiting
German musicians were to be involved in these meetings. All the rental
attempts were blocked (see below).
On 10 April, police raided the special Easter worship meeting of the
Council of Churches Baptist congregation in Denov in Surkhandarya Region.
They said the meeting was illegal and forcibly dispersed those present. The
German Baptist musicians had travelled there from Karshi for the meeting.
As in Karshi, the Church had tried to rent a venue. "Invitations had been
handed out, but everywhere there was a ban on renting premises," church
members noted (see below).
Council of Churches Baptists fear that the authorities may disrupt further
events in the tour of Uzbek cities by the visiting German Baptists (see
below).
Prisoners in at least one prison have been warned not to fast during the
Islamic holy month of Ramadan, which began in late March and is due to end
on or about 21 April. The administration of Open Prison No. 49 in Olmalyk
in Tashkent Region banned Muslim prisoners from fasting during Ramadan (see
below).
"They threatened prisoners that, if they fast, they will be accused of
violating prison regulations and will be sent back to the prison camp," one
Muslim who asked not to be identified for fear of state reprisals told
Forum 18. "They also began to close the canteen for suhur, the morning meal
before the start of the fast" (see below).
Neither Major Shukur Jurayev, the acting head of Open Prison No. 49, nor
the Interior Ministry has been willing to answer Forum 18's questions about
why prisoners are banned from fasting during Ramadan, and why the prison
has closed the canteen for prisoners wanting to eat the pre-dawn meal (see
below).
On 20 February, Uzbek customs officials detained a Baptist from Kazakhstan,
Nikolai Smirnov, at the Gisht-Kuprik border crossing point, Baptists told
Forum 18. Border guards had found in his car 237 Christian books, including
calendars and Bibles. They seized all the Christian literature and handed
it over to the Religious Affairs Committee in Tashkent for an "expert
analysis". This found that there was nothing illegal in the literature, but
officials refuse to return it and Smirnov faces a possible fine for
"illegal" import of religious literature (see below).
Religious Affairs Committee officials did not answer their phones each time
Forum 18 called to question them about the incident (see below).
Karshi: Police raid on Baptist Church
Police raided the Council of Churches Baptist congregation in Karshi in the
southern Kashkadarya Region during their morning worship meeting on Easter
Sunday, 9 April. Council of Churches Baptists do not seek state permission
to exercise their freedom of religion or belief, as is their right under
international human rights law (https://www.osce.org/odihr/13
Baptist musicians from Germany were among those taking part in the worship
meeting.
Officials arrived during the service, refusing to say who they were except
that they were from the mahalla (local district) committee. They said they
were acting in accordance with a circular from the Religious Affairs
Committee in Tashkent (signed by Deputy Chair Dilshod Mamadkulov) and the
Culture Ministry in Tashkent (signed by Deputy Minister Bahodir Ahmedov)
saying events involving the musicians from Germany were not allowed. The
officials then called in the police.
"Police officers and officials damaged the door of the prayer house,
behaved crudely, and arrested three church members," Baptists told Forum 18
the same day.
Video of the raid posted online show church members trying to prevent the
police coming in from the yard through a church door the police broke down,
while musicians carry on singing a Christian song at the front of the
packed place of worship.
Further images show six or seven uniformed police walking through the
congregation with the large letters "PPX" (which indicates police who
patrol local areas) on the backs of their jackets. The video also shows a
church leader asking a man in plain clothes, who appears to be leading the
raid, if he is from the Hokimiyat (district administration).
Karshi: Police torture Baptists
Baptists state that police tortured church members. "Today police brutally
beat David Ibragimov and a few more church members in front of our fellow
believers," they said. "They also used electric shock prods and other
implements to incapacitate the brothers and sisters. Church members cried
and prayed during those difficult minutes."
Video posted online shows Ibragimov collapsing to the ground against a wall
in the yard, and then a police officer standing next to him.
Local Baptists said 10 church members, including young people, were taken
to the police station. Video images show police officers holding one church
member Yokub round the neck as he was on the ground, and as they put him in
a police van. The officer warns another officer that a church member is
filming the arrest and a man runs towards the camera. Another church
member, Yusuf, was already in the police van in handcuffs.
Police held all those they had detained until 3 pm. They drew up records of
an offence before releasing them. They threatened one of them, Yokub
Boboyev with a criminal charge of injuring a police officer, accusations
church members insist are false.
The head and deputy heads of Kashkadarya Regional Interior Ministry (which
oversees the police) did not answer their phones each time Forum 18 called
on 10 April. The man who answered the phone of press secretary Major Javlon
Bakhtiyev put the phone down as Forum 18 began to ask about the raid on the
Baptist Church's Easter service and torture of church mebers.
The United Nations (UN) Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman
or Degrading Treatment or Punishment
(https://www.ohchr.org/en/inst
requires the regime to arrest and put on criminal trial for torture
officials suspected of involvement in torture.
The regime routinely ignores
(https://www.forum18.org/archi
obligation, for example in relation to the torture of Muslim prisoner of
conscience Fazilkhoja Arifkhojayev
(https://www.forum18.org/archi
The duty officer at Karshi City Police on 10 April referred all enquiries
to the city's 2nd Police Station, in whose area the Baptist church is
located. The 2nd Police Station duty officer put Forum 18 through to
another officer, who put the phone down as soon as Forum 18 began to ask
about the raid on the Baptist Church's Easter service and torture of church
members. All the officers refused to give their names.
Anvar Kobilov, the Deputy Head of Kashkadarya Regional Hokimiyat
(administration) responsible for youth policy, social development and
spiritual and educational affairs, put the phone down as soon as Forum 18
began to ask about the raid on the Baptist Church's Easter service and
torture of church members.
The official who answered the phone at the City Hokimiyat (administration)
refused to put Forum 18 through on 10 April to any official there.
Church members say the raid followed the Church's attempts to rent 15 local
halls for presentations of the Christian faith to mark Easter. The visiting
German musicians were to be involved in these meetings. All the rental
attempts were blocked.
Karshi: Earlier raids on Baptist Church
On 19 February, officials from the town Hokimiyat (administration) and the
police raided Karshi's Council of Churches Baptist congregation during its
Sunday morning meeting for worship, Baptists told Forum 18.
The Karshi congregation has existed for 30 years. It completed its new
building and held a special service to dedicate it on the afternoon of 21
November 2021. Police and local officials came into the yard as the special
service was underway. They tried to halt the service and force their way
into the building to disperse those present, but church members prevented
them from entering.
Police brought a bus to the church building and threatened to take away
church members who were blocking their entrance. However, they did not do
so. Church members said the police mostly behaved correctly, though some
jostled church members as officers tried to gain entry. One officer tried
to seize the mobile phone from a church member who was filming what they
were doing.
Police also threatened to record personal details of any foreign citizens
who were at the service, to ban them from further entry to the country.
However, they did not do so. Police left mid-afternoon and the special
dedication service continued undisturbed until the evening.
Police and other officials have raided the Church on numerous earlier
occasions and fined church members, including in 2013
(https://www.forum18.org/archi
(https://www.forum18.org/archi
(https://www.forum18.org/archi
(https://www.forum18.org/archi
Denov: Worship meeting raided, banned
On Monday 10 April 2023, police raided a special Easter worship meeting of
the Council of Churches Baptist congregation in Denov in Surkhandarya
Region. They said the meeting was illegal and forcibly dispersed those
present.
The German Baptist musicians had travelled there from Karshi for the
meeting. As in Karshi, the Church had tried to rent a venue. "Invitations
had been handed out, but everywhere there was a ban on renting premises,"
church members noted. They decided to hold the worship meeting in their own
church.
More tour events to be banned?
Council of Churches Baptists fear that the authorities may disrupt further
events in the tour of Uzbek cities by the visiting German Baptists.
"We would like them to take part in several meetings for worship in various
cities of Uzbekistan over the next three days," Baptists told Forum 18 on
10 April. "The authorities have promised to follow this group in all its
meetings with local Baptists."
Prisoners banned, threatened over Ramadan fasting
Prisoners in at least one prison have been warned not to fast during the
Islamic holy month of Ramadan, which began in late March and is due to end
on or about 21 April. Muslim prisoners have in the past been tortured for
praying the namaz or fasting during Ramadan
(https://www.forum18.org/archi
The United Nations Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners
(known as the Mandela Rules, A/C.3/70/L.3
(https://www.unodc.org/documen
requires the regime to respect prisoners' exercise of freedom of religion
or belief. Rule 2 includes the provision: "The religious beliefs and moral
precepts of prisoners shall be respected."
Yusup Bahodyr, Deputy Head of the Medical Division of the Interior
Ministry's Chief Directorate for the Enforcement of Punishments, claimed to
Forum 18 in December 2021
(https://www.forum18.org/archi
heard of the Rules. Please e-mail them to us."
The administration of Open Prison No. 49 in Olmalyk in Tashkent Region
banned Muslim prisoners from fasting during Ramadan. "They threatened
prisoners that, if they fast, they will be accused of violating prison
regulations and will be sent back to the prison camp," one Muslim who asked
not to be identified for fear of state reprisals told Forum 18 on 4 April
2023. "They also began to close the canteen for suhur, the morning meal
before the start of the fast."
Prisoners in an open prison can be sent to a prison with harsher conditions
for violating the prison regime. Human rights defenders told Forum 18 that
prison administrations can easily fabricate alleged violations of prison
regulations when they want to increase a prisoner's punishment. One told
Forum 18 that the administration of Open Prison No. 49 has already sent two
prisoners to a prison camp in late March, and is preparing to send two
more.
A human rights defender, who wishes to remain anonymous for fear of state
reprisals, told Forum 18 that prisoners state that such transfers to
harsher regime camps are made on the orders of the State Security Service
(SSS) secret police (https://www.forum18.org/archi
Forum 18 called Major Shukur Jurayev, the acting head of Open Prison No.
49, on 10 April to find out why prisoners are banned from fasting during
Ramadan, and why the prison has closed the canteen for prisoners wanting to
eat the pre-dawn meal. After Forum 18 introduced itself and began asking
the questions, he put the phone down. Subsequent calls were not answered.
Major Jurayev has not replied to written questions.
An official who refused to give his name of the Interior Ministry's Chief
Directorate for the Enforcement of Punishments
(https://www.forum18.org/archi
responsible for prisons) put the phone down on 10 April as soon as Forum 18
began asking about the ban on fasting during Ramadan in Open Prison No. 49.
Administrative prosecution, confiscation follow literature seizure on
border
On the evening of 20 February, Uzbek customs officials detained a Baptist
from Kazakhstan, Nikolai Smirnov, at the Gisht-Kuprik border crossing
point, Baptists told Forum 18. Border guards had found in his car 237
copies of a book of children's stories "God's Miracle", about 60 copies of
another children's book, 199 calendars and 31 Bibles, as well as postcards.
They seized all the Christian literature and handed it over to the
Religious Affairs Committee in Tashkent for an "expert analysis"
(https://www.forum18.org/archi
Customs officials questioned Smirnov and then released him that evening.
The following day they summoned him again to the border post for further
questioning. On 24 February, they allowed him to leave Uzbekistan. Smirnov
has relatives who live in Uzbekistan and fears the Uzbek authorities might
ban him from entering the country.
The Religious Affairs Committee "expert analysis" found nothing illegal in
the books. "Officials said earlier that if the expert analysis finds
nothing illegal in the books they would hand them back," Smirnov told Forum
18 from Kazakhstan on 11 April. "But then they said they wouldn't return
them as they were brought into Uzbekistan illegally. I would like them
back."
On 7 March, officials drew up a case against Smirnov under Administrative
Code Article 184-2 (https://www.forum18.org/archi
This punishes "Illegal production, storage, or import into Uzbekistan, with
the intent to distribute or actual distribution, of religious materials"
with a fine for individuals of 20 to 100 base units (currently 6,000,000 to
30,000,000 Soms, two to 10 months' average wage) plus confiscation of the
materials.
Officials then handed the case against Smirnov to Tashkent Administrative
Court. However, no date has yet been set for a hearing, Smirnov told Forum
18.
Religious Affairs Committee
(https://www.forum18.org/archi
Begzod Kadyrov, head of the Department for Non-Islamic Faiths, did not
answer their phones each time Forum 18 called on 10 April. (END)
Full reports on freedom of thought, conscience and belief in Uzbekistan
(https://www.forum18.org/archi
For more background, see Forum 18's Uzbekistan religious freedom survey
(https://www.forum18.org/archi
Forum 18's compilation of Organisation for Security and Co-operation in
Europe (OSCE) freedom of religion or belief commitments
(https://www.forum18.org/archi
Follow us on Twitter @Forum_18 (https://twitter.com/forum_18)
Follow us on Facebook @Forum18NewsService
(https://www.facebook.com/Foru
Follow us on Telegram @Forum18NewsService
(https://t.me/s/forum18newsser
All Forum 18 text may be referred to, quoted from, or republished in full,
if Forum 18 is credited as the source.
All photographs that are not Forum 18's copyright are attributed to the
copyright owner. If you reuse any photographs from Forum 18's website, you
must seek permission for any reuse from the copyright owner or abide by the
copyright terms the copyright owner has chosen.
© Forum 18 News Service. All rights reserved. ISSN 1504-2855.