Uzbekistan - Threats, raids and violence against religious believers

Uzbekistan: February 24, 2010, (PCTV Newsdesk)

Three members of the unregistered Greater Grace Protestant Church have beengiven heavy fines in Samarkand in central Uzbekistan, Forum 18 News Servicehas learned. The fines followed a police raid on a private home, afterwhich children and teenagers were illegally interrogated without theirparents being present. A church member was also threatened with jail unlesshe confessed that he taught the Bible, which would have rendered him liableto prosecution for teaching religious doctrines without the permission ofthe state and a registered religious organisation. The church has beenunsuccessfully seeking state registration since 2000. Church members alsocomplained that the NSS secret police has been closely watching themrecently. A Muslim refugee has also complained to the BBC of NSS attemptsto recruit him as an informer. In a separate case, two Protestant women ineastern Uzbekistan are facing charges after a raid, and one of the womenwas beaten up when she refused to confess to missionary activity, acriminal offence in Uzbekistan.

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