Christian CDs lead to government fines

Mosque in Kazakhstan.
(Photo courtesy of Ken and Nyetta/Flickr)

Kazakhstan (MNN) ― Do you own a Christian music CD? Have you ever given one as a gift? This may seem trivial, but it could get you heavily fined in Kazakhstan.

David Degterenko, a nine-year-old Kazakhstani, gave Christian CDs to two of his teachers, according to a recent report from a Voice of the Martyrs (VOM) source, Forum 18 News. One of the CD covers was labeled, “God loves you, too.”

A head teacher saw the Christian CD in the teachers’ lounge and immediately called the police. Degterenko was interrogated without his parents. When the investigator asked Degterenko who allowed him to bring the CDs to school, the boy replied, “My mother.”

David Degterenko’s mother, Tatyana Degterenko, has been heavily fined one-month’s wages for illegal religious activity. She appealed the fine on July 30, but the court held its verdict, according to VOM.

Kazakhstan’s population is 70% Muslim and just over 25% Christian. Most Kazakhstani Christians are Russian Orthodox. Open Doors USA says there is a bias in Kazakhstan against the Christian minorities who are partially denied registration. They are then deemed illegal by the state and face harsh religious laws.

Please pray for Tatyana and her son. Pray for the Christian music to touch hearts. Also pray, ultimately, for religious freedom in Kazakhstan.

More people punished for their faith

Kazakhstan (MNN) ― It's been a year since Kazakhstan expanded its Religion Law, and more people are being punished for their faith.

According to Forum 18 News, several large fines have been handed out since August, and two more are pending for local Baptists. Forum 18 says believers are being punished for "illegal missionary activity," and the fines are equal to seven months' wages, or $1,150 USD.

A few of the seven people punished for "illegal missionary activity" were sharing their faith on the street, while others were leading religious meetings within their communities. Forum 18 says prosecuted individuals include four Jehovah's Witnesses, two Muslims, and a Christian.

The two believers awaiting trial are part of Almaty's Council of Churches Baptist congregation, reports Forum 18. Along with accusing Yuri Bronitsky and Fedor Karabeinikov of violating Kazakhstan's new religion law, officials visited another Baptist church in the region.

"[Police] came during worship and photographed us," congregants complained to Forum 18. "They said they had an order…that now the new law has been adopted, they will close us down."

Elsewhere in Kazakhstan, reports Forum 18, courts fined a believer for handing out Christian books to people on the streets. The man expected a hearing for his case, but instead was taken directly to the court after work.

These are the latest cases in a series of crackdowns since Kazakhstan passed two new religion laws in October 2011. It was thought to be one of the freer countries in Central Asia, but with more and more cases surfacing, Kazakhstan is starting to look very similar to the other restrictive "Stan" countries.

Censorship tightened on religious materials

(Photo courtesy of Sefer Ibrahim)

Azerbaijan (MNN) ― The reins are tightening on what is and isn’t allowed to be sold in Azerbaijan—including religious materials.

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Christians in Azerbaijan face more restrictions with the amendment passed by parliament last month censoring all religious materials.

According to The Voice of the Martyrs, USA's source Forum 18 News Service, all religious materials in Azerbaijan must have a state-issued verification mark in the form of a sticker before they can be sold.

Religious materials subject to censorship include electronic and hard copy literature, audio, and video.

The amendment created a new Article in the Code of Administrative offenses. It says anyone found selling religious products without state verification can face fines and the materials confiscated.

Several religious committee members told Forum 18 that they rarely bring religious literature into Azerbaijan through customs for fear of having them confiscated.

A Tax Ministry spokesperson stated that the amendment was created to make sure all commercial religious literature is getting taxed. Censorship is not required for religious materials and books produced non-commercially.

This amendment adds to the compulsory censorship that religious materials are already subject to by the State Committee for Work with Religious Organizations. Shops selling religious literature have been subject to compulsory licenses since 2009.

The State Committee has the ability to restrict the number of copies which are printed or imported, check shop contents selling religious literature, and keep a list of banned religious materials.

The Expertise Department responsible for that list refuses to make it public.

A member of the Baku-based religious community told Forum 18, “This is just the latest measure to restrict religious activity.”

Pray for Azerbaijani Christians to persevere in their faith and in distributing God’s Word despite added difficulties.

Uzbekistan tightens grip on unregistered churches with series of raids

Uzbekistan (MNN) ―Uzbekistan has earned its spot as 7th on the Open Doors World Watch List for the persecuted church and is proving its keep.

Basic religious rights have been defied multiple times in Uzbekistan over the last couple of months. According to Forum 18, last month police raided an unregistered church and confiscated literature, pianos, and church property. A week later, the church pastor was fined $3,421 -- a cost of 100 times the minimum monthly wage.

Just a few days before the raid on the church, a woman's home was raided. She was fined 20 times the minimum monthly wage, and her Christian books were handed over to Samarakand Regional Muslim Board.

Just a couple of weeks later, a Baptist congregation in the southern town of Mubarek was raided and will be fined.

These types of raids are not new to Uzbek Christians, and especially not to members of unregistered churches. Alleged "expert analyses" are routinely used by authorities to confiscate religious material, Forum 18 reports.

The number of serious raids and fines that took place in recent weeks has some concerned. "It really does seem like Uzbekistan is beginning to step up its campaign against unregistered churches and groups of any kind," says Joel Griffith with Slavic Gospel Association. "Of course we're watching to see what kind of trickle-down this has on even the registered churches."

Griffith agrees that raids like this could be indicators of worse persecution to come. Already, pastors have been arrested all across Central Asia.

The number of basic rights that have been denied is disconcerting. Uzbekistan and surrounding, oppressive nations continue to bring concern to human rights watch groups.

Despite the influx of persecution and more likely to come, the church is standing strong. SGA has to be discrete about what they've seen, as far as church growth is concerned. But Griffith does say this: "You could look on a global perspective: typically, the more they try to stamp the church out, the more it grows."

Pray for boldness for church members, especially those who are younger. Griffith says many older members of the church remember well what it was like to live under the oppressive Soviet regime, but younger Uzbeks don't. Pray for church growth despite persecution. 

Authorities falsify 'tax evasion' charges against a church in Uzbekistan

Uzbekistan (SGA/MNN) ― In Uzbekistan, it seems that the success of an earlier case is being used as a template for an attack on another church.

Joel Griffith with the Slavic Gospel Association explains that in 2009, "There was a problem a couple of years ago where one of the children's camps that SGA helps sponsor called ‘Camp Joy' had been raided by authorities as well. In the aftermath of that, the Uzbek authorities forced the leadership of the Uzbek Baptist Union to step down."

The recent case stems from a similar move against another church in Tashkent. According to Forum 18 reports, "One of the key Baptist Churches in the capital of Tashkent was raided in the spring. A couple of weeks ago, the Uzbek authorities issued an indictment against the pastor, Konstantin Malchikovsky."
  
The case was filed on July 15, and a local judge heard the case July 27. Griffith notes the similarities of the charges which both sets of church leaders confronted. "They're officially accusing him of 'not paying in monies from church offerings and book sales.' Baptist leaders say these charges are completely false and have been fabricated by the authorities, and the pastor could get up to two years in jail if he's convicted."

With a charge like tax evasion, "It seems like a similar situation to what they were charging Camp Joy with as well (in 2009). Baptist leaders there are denying that such a thing took place."

The raid on the Tashkent property yielded money and tens of thousands of Christian books, as well as printing equipment. At the time, Pastor Malchikovsky and three other church members were fined between 50 and 100 times the minimum monthly wage.

The actions of the Uzbek government have prompted protest by SGA and others. The government has typically responded with what sounds like a reasonable security concern. "Basically, they're concerned about religious extremism, and they seem to try to push back against all religious groups. We do know that other churches have received similar pressure."

However, Griffith says, "It really seems to us now that this is an increasing push against Christian churches. Whether it's motivated by Islam, or whether it's by a secular government trying to keep its thumb on all religions, it's really hard to say at this point. But it does seem like Christians are getting the brunt of it."

In the meantime, SGA contacted their Congressman's office and asked him to look into this situation.  They've also asked Advocates International to investigate. It's unclear what good will come of the requests. "Uzbek authorities, thus far, seem to turn a deaf ear in the fact that when Western nations step up criticism, it also seems like Uzbek authorities step up their crackdowns."

Please join us in regular intercessory prayer for Pastor Malchikovsky and evangelical churches across Uzbekistan. The Christians in this area are bold. The stronger the crackdown, says Griffith, the more creative believers get in living the Gospel. He adds that "they will probably have to recommence some of the things that they did during the Soviet period, in terms of learning how to do things more quietly."

Griffith urges a solidarity stand. "Pray for great wisdom, not only for Uzbek churches, but also for western Christians and governments as they respond, that they would respond in the right way and in such a way that it would not put our brothers and sisters there at more risk."