Protestant Pastor confined for 4 years “for his sermons”
Pastor Dale Morgan
UZBEKISTAN
*Protestant Pastor confined for 4 years “for his sermons”
*
That’s the penalty inflicted on pastor Shestakov, detained since
January; according to local sources he is “guilty” of having carried out
many conversions. Police film and interrogate anyone who attends Church.
Tashkent (AsiaNewsWires) – The Andijan court yesterday condemned
Protestant Pastor Dmitry Shestakov to 4 years confinement for his
religious activities. Meanwhile across the country persecution of
Christians is on the increase, they are registered threatened and put on
trial. Forum 18 agency reports that Shestakov was accused of “illegally
organising religious groups”, “inciting ethnic, racial or religious
hatred” and “distributing materials containing ideas of religious
extremism”.
According to local sources, the proof used against him consists of two
religious sermons recorded in June 2006, by a professor at Andijan
University, and for having carried out religious services for the Full
Gospel Church, an authorized religious organization. Forum 18 points out
however that the pastor has been operative in the country for quite some
time and that the charges were only laid against him following his
conversion of entire families to Christianity.
During the trial Shestakov was not assisted by his defence lawyer, taken
ill, but by a state lawyer. National media repeatedly reported the
pastor and his followers to be drug and alcohol addicts as well as
religious fanatics. The location where Shestakov - in prison since
January 21 – will spend his confinement term is unknown.
Meanwhile secret police operations against Christian communities
continue. On February 25 that about ten police secret police officers
armed with video-cameras raided a Pentecostal church's Sunday worship
service in the southern city of Karshi. After the congregation finished
the service, secret police officers began interrogating them to reveal
why they had become Christians and where the church received its money.
Police also searched all the rooms and seized Christian literature and
audio and video recordings. The Pentecostal Church has been seeking
registration for over 7 years, but it still has not been granted; for
this reason its activities are judged “illegal”. Only the Islamic and
Christian Orthodox faiths are permitted in the region, the protestant
communions are still deemed illegal.