UZBEKISTAN: Singing and reading Bibles on holiday prosecuted
ICC Note:
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”.
12/17/2012 Uzbekistan (Forum18)– Uzbekistan continues to raid people exercising freedom of religion or belief without state permission, Forum 18 News Service has learned. Police on 1 December raided a group of about 80 Protestants on holiday together in the Simurg (Phoenix) resort, in Bostanlyk District in Tashkent Region around the capital. Charges under six different articles of the Code of Administrative Offences have been brought against four of the group, who were meeting together discussing their faith and singing Christian songs. Police also confiscated three Bibles and 100 Christian songbooks, insulted the group, and took their fingerprints of all present.
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Singing and reading Bibles on holiday prosecuted
On 1 December police in Bostanlyk District raided a group of Protestants on holiday together, Forum 18 has learned. The group of about 80 Protestants were on holiday at the Simurg (Phoenix) resort, in the village of Sailyk, when 12 police raided them as they were meeting together discussing their faith and singing Christian songs. “Only four of them were in uniforms, but the rest were in plain clothes”, local Protestants who wished to remain anonymous for fear of state reprisals told Forum 18 on 5 December. “The officials claimed that they came to check internal passports.”
After confiscating three Bibles and 100 Christian songbooks, police “insulted the believers with abusive words like stupid asses, and threatened that they could bring criminal charges against the believers unless they wrote statements”, local Protestants told Forum 18. Police then “took fingerprints from every holidaymaker”.
Worship “only in registered places specifically set up for religious purposes”
People must worship “only in registered places specifically set up for religious purposes”, police officer Kamil (who did not give his last name), the senior officer on duty at Bostanlyk Police, told Forum 18 on 17 December. He told Forum 18 that administrative charges have been brought against “some from the group who led the unsanctioned religious worship.”
Local Protestants told Forum 18 that Gennady Chen, Vladimir Zhikhar, Aleksandr Lokshev and Gennady Timoyev have been charged under the Code of Administrative Offences’ Articles Article 184-2 (“Illegal production, storage, or import .. with a purpose to distribute or distribution of religious materials..”); Article 194, Part 1 (“Failure to carry out the lawful demands of a police officer..”); Article 201, Part 2 (“Violation of the procedure for holding religious meetings, street processions or other religious ceremonies”); Article 202 (“Granting to the participants of unsanctioned .. meetings .. premises or other property (means of communication, copying and other machines, equipment, transportation), or the creation of other conditions for conducting such activity”); and Article 240 (“Violation of the Religion Law”) Part 1 (“Carrying out of unauthorised religious activity, evasion by leaders of religious organisations of registration of the charter of the organisation, the organisation and conduct of worship by religious ministers and of special children’s and youth meetings, as well as vocational, literature and other study groups not relating to worship”); and Article 241 (“Teaching religious beliefs .. without permission .. as well as teaching religious beliefs privately”).
(See base of this article for the full text of Administrative Code articles and possible punishments.)
Why?
Asked why the authorities punish people whose only “offence” was to read their Bibles and sing Christian songs on holiday, police officer Kamil reiterated that people “must do it only in registered places specifically set up for religious purposes”. He declined to comment further to Forum 18 on why police violate the right to freedom of religion or belief. “I am not authorised to give more comments”, he stated.
Officer Kamil also refused to give more specific details of the case, including when a court hearing might be held.
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