From: Justin Burke (JBurke@sorosny.org)
Date: Thu Jun 06 2002 - 09:45:42 EDT
UZBEKISTAN: HARSH MEASURES AGAINST PROTESTANTS
IN KARAKALPAKSTAN
Authorities in Karakalpakstan, an autonomous republic in the north-west of
Uzbekistan, are trying to halt the spread of Christianity among Karakalpakstan's
historically
Muslim native peoples, according to Protestant Christians Keston
News Service spoke to - on condition of anonymity - in the republic's
capital Nukus at the end of May. Seeking to find out details of the
incident in which several Protestants were detained in Nukus
following an investigation into the sources of Christian literature in
Central Asian languages, Keston found that the majority of those
detained were ethnic Karakalpaks, Uzbeks or Kazakhs. Keston's
correspondent also found himself the object of attention of the local
security organs.
UZBEKISTAN: HARSH MEASURES AGAINST PROTESTANTS
IN KARAKALPAKSTAN
by Igor Rotar, Keston News Service
The authorities in Karakalpakstan, an autonomous republic in the
north-west of Uzbekistan, are trying to halt the spread of Christianity
among Karakalpakstan's native peoples (Uzbeks, Kazakhs and
Karakalpaks, who are historically Muslims), Protestant told Keston
News Service in the republic's capital Nukus at the end of May.
Seeking to find out details of the incident in which several Protestants
were detained in Nukus following an investigation into the sources of
Christian literature in Central Asian languages (see KNS 27 May
2002), Keston found that the majority of those detained were ethnic
Karakalpaks, Uzbeks or Kazakhs. Native Protestants were frightened
to speak to Keston in public, fearing persecution from the authorities,
and those who did speak insisted on remaining anonymous.
On 27 May a Christian from Nukus, told Keston that on 13 May
members of the "Novaya Zhizn" ("New Life") Protestant church held
a meeting in a private home in Nukus. There were 17 people at the
meeting, among them two foreigners: a US citizen and a Russian
citizen. Suddenly six policemen appeared at the meeting and
proceeded to search all those present, including the women, which
according to local custom is a grave insult. All the participants in the
meeting were taken to the city administration of internal affairs. The
foreigners were released within an hour, and received an apology, but
the local Christians were held for six hours. Moreover, the policemen
threatened the Christians with physical reprisals, saying "the
foreigners will leave, but you will stay with us". They also threatened
to plant drugs on one of the detainees. On 16 May four of the
participants at the meeting were sentenced by the city court to fines of
between 19,000 sum (26 US dollars or 18 British pounds) and 27,000
sum (37 USD or 25 GBP) for organising an illegal meeting.
"The 'Novaya Zhizn' church has not been registered at the Ministry of
Justice of Karakalpakstan, and therefore it has no right to hold
religious meetings. The police actions were within the law," said
Shamurat Sapartayev, head of the department for the fight against
terrorism at the Ministry of Internal Affairs in Karakalpakstan
Republic, speaking to Keston by telephone on 27 May. "I am not
going to pass comment on the court's decision concerning the
'Novaya Zhizn' church. If the Protestants are unhappy, then they can
appeal against the city court's decision at the Supreme Court of the
republic," Keston was told on 28 May by Aibek Tureyev, acting
chairman of the city court.
The Protestants who spoke to Keston suggested that the fact that most
of the "Novaya Zhizn" members come from Karakalpakstan's native
peoples may be the reason behind the authorities' harsh actions
against them. In 1999 drugs were planted on three native Protestants,
who were sentenced to 10 years' imprisonment and released only after
six months under pressure from the international community, after
writing a request for a pardon. It is noteworthy that the chairman of
one of the mahallas (a city sector with private dwellings) declared
openly to Keston that he would not give permission for a Karakalpak
Christian community to operate, on the orders of the city authorities.
(According to Uzbekistan's law "On freedom of conscience and
religious organisations" this permission is necessary in order for a
community to be registered.) The representative for religious affairs at
the cabinet of ministers of Karakalpakstan Husnuddin Hamidov did
not support a project by local Protestants to publish an existing
translation of the Bible into the Karakalpak language.
Overall, one may conclude that in Karakalpakstan the authorities are
pursuing an even harsher policy towards Christian communities than
in other regions of Uzbekistan. In the whole of Karakalpakstan just
one Christian community has been registered - "the Church of
Christians of the Full Gospel 'Emmanuel'". (correction to KNS 30
May where it was stated that no Christian groups are registered in the
republic)
Keston's journalistic activity aroused the intent interest of the local
security organs. On 31 May two men entered the Keston
correspondent's hotel room in Nukus, saying they were employees of
the Department of Visas and Registration of the Ministry of Internal
Affairs of Karakalpakstan. They told Keston that "a routine check on
foreigners was under way". They were amazingly well-informed,
however, and knew about Keston's telephone conversation with
Sapartayev. Moreover, they asked Keston's correspondent where he
had been on 30-31 May (that day he had left for the north of the
republic, reserving his room in Nukus). Keston's correspondent
managed to ascertain from hotel staff that during the "routine check
on foreigners" the employees from the Department for Visas and
Registration had for some reason spoken only with him, although
there were other foreigners staying in the hotel. Moreover, the hotel
staff told him that several days before "employees from the
Department for Visas and Registration" had asked in which room a
telephone Keston's correspondent had used was located. The hotel
staff supposed that this information was needed in order to monitor
the journalist's telephone conversations. (END)
Copyright (c) 2002 Keston Institute. All rights reserved.
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