Bible Endangers Security & Order
In recent days, I have received a number of confidential emails from friends in Uzbekistan reporting on human rights abuses there. While I am not in a position to quote specific details, I can point you to a typical report that has appeared online:
Interfax states that the leader of an "illegal religious organisation" has been sentenced to four years in prison after being found guilty of establishing an illegal organisation and of distributing materials endangering security and order.
The illegal religious organisation was a Protestant church and the dangerous materials included the Bible and Bible study materials.
For its part, the Uzbekistan Foreign Ministry has responded to recent accusations of human rights abuses by suggesting that claims concerning the routine torture of prisoners are "cliché, biased and counterproductive."
2 comments:
RIA Novosti has an interesting analysis: Does Protestantism threaten Central Asia? including the claim that “Protestant missionaries are among the most effective disseminators of globalization.” More details about your Interfax story can be found at Spero News, which also reports on the case of another Church that “has been seeking registration for over 7 years, but it still has not been granted; for this reason its activities are judged “illegal”.”
Some friends in Uzbekistan had their Easter sunrise service raided by the security services and were detained for a number of hours. Five believers are still being held and five others have had their passports confiscated.
Post a Comment