Two Protestant Christians in southern Uzbekistan have been given 15 day jail terms

Uzbekistan: April 29, 2010, (PCTV Newsdesk)

Two Protestant Christians in southern Uzbekistan have been given 15 dayjail terms, local sources have told Forum 18 News Service. Azamat Rajapovand Abdusattor Kurbonov were apparently sentenced for unregisteredreligious activity and began their jail terms on 23 April. No notice wasgiven of the trial and the first the prisoners' families and friends knewwas a brief telephone call from one informing them the two were in jail for15 days. The cases mark a resumption of the policy of using 5 to 15-dayjail sentences against selected Christians and Jehovah's Witnessesexercising their right to freedom of religion or belief. In a separate casethe head of the police in Almalyk, near the capital Tashkent, has continuedsending letters threatening religious believes with criminal charges. Inincidents unrelated to these two cases, Forum 18 continues to be made awareof women (and sometimes men) detained for their religious activity beingtargeted by male officials with overt or implied threats of sexualviolence. Forum 18 notes that it is highly unusual for victims to want todocument their experiences publicly. 

For further information visit www.forum18.org