UZBEKISTAN: “Leave only one spoon, one mug and one mattress for each”
ICC Note:
A Baptist family in Uzbekistan had more than just their “illegal” religious material confiscated when police invaded their house. A Senior Bailiff is quoted as saying, “Leave only one spoon, one mug and one mattress for each.” Uzbekistan publically says that they support freedom of religion, but in action they consistently deny church registration, forcing church goers to either stop going to church or go to church “illegally” and face fines, raids and jail time.
By Mushfig Bayram
09/18/2012 Uzbekistan (Forum18)- Police in Uzbekistan have continued to raid private homes, confiscating religious literature, and have raided a meeting for worship as it was not conducted in the location the religious community was officially registered. Courts then fined those who were subjected to raids. In one case court bailiffs confiscated items such as a refrigerator, washing machine and dining table from a Baptist family, and have threatened to confiscate more household items as they will not pay an unjust fine. This has been taken place alongside state media attacks on the same people.
State-controlled television has also told its viewers to buy and read only state-authorised religious books, warning of those who allegedly “misuse people’s interest in reading books”. It also claimed that only two publishers were allowed to publish religious books – but did not name the publishers or state which beliefs the publishers cover.
“Leave only one spoon, one mug and one mattress for each”
Three Navoi Regional Court Bailiffs on 11 September confiscated from husband and wife Artur and Irina Alpayev their dining table, refrigerator, piano and DVD disk player. The couple are members of a local unregistered Baptist Church, and have refused to pay a fine imposed on them on 9 June by Judge Oltinbek Mansurov of Navoi City Criminal Court for “illegally” keeping Christian books in their private flat.
The three Bailiffs with two other colleagues had already taken away the family’s washing machine on 8 August, Alpayev complained to Forum 18 on 13 September. The couple have five children.
The order for the confiscation came from Senior Bailiff Laziz Isayev, who instructed his subordinates to “leave only one spoon, one mug and one mattress for each member of the family,” Alpayev told Forum 18.
Bailiff Isyaev’s order also instructed the Bailiffs to make an inventory of the property of Nikolai and Larissa Serin, another couple from the same Church who were also handed large fines at the same time. During the 8 August inspection, the Bailiffs placed a restraining order on – but did not remove – their couch, two armchairs, and refrigerator (the Serins have two children). On 11 September the Bailiffs returned to take away the Serins’ property. However, they were unsuccessful since the family is away from the city on a visit, explained Alpayev.
Both the Alpayev and Serin families were told by the Bailiffs that the arrested property will not cover the June administrative fine, so they “may come back later and make a more detailed inventory of all that is left”.
Raid, confiscation, fines
Trouble began for the Alpayev and Serin families on 22 April, when the Alpayev’s home was raided. Navoi Police came under the guise passport-regime check-up, and confiscated Christian literature, including a personal Bible, Children’s Bible and Christian song-book. Alpayev told Forum 18 that the Police took the names of the Serin couple who were visiting them, and on the same day raided their home, also confiscating Christian books.
On 9 June, about a month later, Judge Mansurov fined them for possession of the literature under the Code of Administrative Offences’ Article 184-2 (see below). Each of the men were fined 50 times the minimum monthly wage, or 3,146,000 Soms (about 9,176,950 Norwegian Kroner, 1,230 Euros, or 1,600 US Dollars at the inflated official exchange rate). Mansurov also fined their wives each 40 times the minimum monthly wage, or 2,516,800 Soms (about 7,335 Norwegian Kroner, 980 Euros, or 1,280 US Dollars). Judge Mansurov also ordered that the confiscated literature be transferred to the state Religious Affairs Committee for “expert examination”.
Alpayev said that after its “expert examination” of the books, the Religious Affairs Committee decided to retain the books as the books “are only for use inside a registered religious community”. “Even the personal Bibles were not returned,” Alpayev lamented.
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