Uzbekistan Pastor Remains Jailed; Family in Hiding

By BosNewsLife News Center in Budapest

TASHKENT/BUDAPEST (BosNewsLife) — An evangelical pastor remained behind bars in Uzbekistan Monday, February 5, more than two weeks after he was detained by secret police on charges of “incitement to hatred on national, racial or religious grounds.”

Dmitry Shestakov, 37, was captured Sunday, January 21, by secret police who visited him in his Full Gospel Church in the tense town of Andijan, fellow Christians said.

Adijan was also the scene of heavy fighting in May 2005 when Uzbek troops fired into a crowd of protesters in an attempt to quell anti-government protests in the eastern city. At least hundreds and possibly up to 1,000 people were killed, human rights groups estimate. Government officials have denied these figures.

If proven, Pastor Shestakov could face five years imprisonment, experts said. His supporters have linked the detention to his involvement in distributing Christian literature and concerns among authorities about the “many people” who become Christians in his Adijan church. His wife and three daughters have reportedly fled their home and are in hiding.

CHRISTIANITY “THREAT”

Christianity is apparently seen as a threat to the powerbase of authoritarian President Islam Abduganiyevich Karimov who has ruled this predominantly Muslim nation since 1990. Already in June last year Shestakov along with his wife and three daughters were forced to go into hiding after a prosecutor reportedly accused him of “treason.”

They fled after the pastor was apparently ordered to list all of his church members, which he refused to do so. “It was clear that the National State Security were going to find something to charge me with and remove me from my position as a Christian pastor,” Shestakov said in an interview.

Forum 18, an international religious rights group, said there was hope that Shestakov would be freed under an Amnesty Law. “Yet prosecutors refused to release him as they claim he is a member of a “banned religious organization”, despite the fact that the Full Gospel Church has written a declaration that he is one of their officially-accredited pastors and is part of a registered congregation,” Forum 18 noted.

Shestakov has in the past refused to leave Uzbekistan, saying he wants to continue with the church he began four years ago. It was not immediately clear when a trial would begin, as prosecutors have so far refused to mention a date. His case has underscored international concerns about a reported crackdown on Christians and other religious minorities. (BosNewsife Special Correspondent Eric Leijenaar contributed to this story. www.bosnewslife.com)

Copyright 2007 BosNewsLife. All rights reserved.
This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed without our prior written consent.

Lift this up in Prayer

17

people are currently praying.

Latest Worthy News

Fair Use Notice:This site contains copyrighted material the use of which has not always been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. We are making such material available in our efforts to advance understanding of environmental, political, human rights, economic, democracy, scientific, and social justice issues, etc. We believe this constitutes a 'fair use' of any such copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright Law. In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, the material on this site is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes. For more information go to: http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml. If you wish to use copyrighted material from this site for purposes of your own that go beyond 'fair use', you must obtain permission from the copyright owner.

Books by George Whitten

Identity in Messiah Revealed https://identityinmessiah.com

Identity in Messiah is a 60-day devotional journey designed to help you exchange the world’s labels for Heaven’s declaration. Each devotional combines rich Biblical teaching, Hebraic insights, practical application, and carefully selected Scripture passages to lead you into a deeper understanding of your position in Messiah.

Get it on Amazon

The Biblical Fall Feasts https://biblicalfallfeasts.com

In The Biblical Fall Feasts Revealed, George Whitten leads readers on a stirring devotional journey along the Hebrew month of Elul, the Feast of Trumpets (Yom Teruah), the Days of Awe (Yamim Nora'im), the Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur), the Feast of Tabernacles (Sukkot), and the Eighth Day (Shemini Atzeret). With Scripture as the foundation, each chapter uncovers the prophetic beauty threaded into God’s calendar and shows how these sacred seasons still speak with urgency and hope today.

Get it on Amazon