Court orders Uzbekistan preacher into 'exile'
Pastor Dale Morgan
Court orders Uzbekistan preacher into 'exile'*
Evangelical punished despite government's claim of 'religious tolerance'
Posted: March 15, 2007
Voice of the Martyrs
Pastor Dmitry Shestakov, sentenced to exile for leading Christians in
Uzbekistan
A Christian leader under persecution for his faith has been ordered
exiled by the Uzbekistan government, after prosecutors alleged he was
preaching without government authorization, a new report from Voice of
the Martyrs has revealed.
The organization, which advocates on behalf of persecuted Christians
worldwide, said Pastor Dmitry Shestakov was sentenced at a court hearing
just days ago to four years in exile.
"This is an example of what our Uzbek brothers and sisters face in their
country," said Todd Nettleton, director of media development for VOM.
"This is a government that says they give their citizens religious
freedom, but that is clearly not the case."
The report follows by just a week a report of another instance of
persecution in Uzbekistan, also documented by VOM. In that case, police
officers were dispatched to break into the meeting of a church in Qarshi
and confiscate literature. They also demanded to know who was providing
funds for the meetings and why people chose to be Christian.
The Uzbek government has a formal policy that "religious toleration and
forbearance have always been and remain to be the most important
component of the state policy of the Republic of Uzbekistan."
But the latest incidents, including the Shestakov decision, appear to
disprove that.
"According to The Voice of the Martyrs contacts in Uzbekistan, the
location to which he will be exiled has not been determined. It is not
clear if his family will be able to go with him," said the organization
founded by a man who endured prison and punishment for his belief in Christ.
Pastor Shestakov had been arrested in a raid of his congregation in
Andijan in January, officials said.
"Uzbekistan's Religious Affairs Committee claims Shestakov, an
evangelical pastor, is not an authorized leader of any officially
recognized religious organization in Uzbekistan. They describe him as an
'imposter' leading an underground group identified as 'charismatic
Pentecostals' engaged in proselytizing under Shestakov's leadership,"
VOM officials confirmed.
That conclusion was delivered by the government even though the church
he works with is affiliated with the Full Gospel Church, which is
documented as a registered church.
"Our prayers will continue to be with our brother as he faces this
sentence, and we pray that the gospel work in Andijan will continue and
grow," Nettleton said.
At least one earlier persecution incident was documented by a VOM source
in Uzbekistan with a camera.
Officers standing guard during church service in Uzbekistan (Voice of
the Martyrs photo)
The organization said in the Qarshi case, police officers arrived with
video cameras to record the service, but Pastor Sergei Shandyyayey
didn't panic and just continued the worship.
"After the service finished, the officers shut the doors and began to
question the believers gathered there, especially asking why they had
become Christians," VOM said.
According to the U.S. State Department, Uzbekistan is a "country of
particular concern" because of its persecution of Christians, including
multiple raids that have been conducted in recent months.
In one case, officers raided a church in Tashkent, confiscating video
and audio recordings as well as books and Bibles, and taking several
young people to police headquarters. One member, Risto Dyachkov, was
convicted of violating Uzbekistan's "religion law" and fined, Voice of
the Martyrs said.
In another case Christians who happened to be in a café and were
discussing their faith were ordered to admit that they were not
authorized to hold such a meeting.
Judges have concluded in their decisions that national law does not
allow unregistered religious groups to operate, so any musical
equipment, books, literature or other items that are confiscated are not
returned. That, authorities concluded, was "material evidence."
Voice of the Martyrs is a non-profit, interdenominational ministry
working worldwide to help Christians who are persecuted for their faith,
and to educate the world about that persecution. Its headquarters are in
Bartlesville, Okla., and it has 30 affiliated international offices.
It was launched by the late Richard and Sabina Wurmbrand, who started
smuggling Russian Gospels into Russia in 1947, just months before
Richard was abducted and imprisoned in Romania where he was tortured for
his refusal to recant Christianity.
He eventually was released in 1964 and the next year he testified about
the persecution of Christians before the U.S. Senate's Internal Security
Subcommittee, stripping to the waist to show the deep torture wound
scars on his body.
The group that later was renamed The Voice of the Martyrs was organized
in 1967, when his book, "Tortured for Christ," was released.