Appeal overturns Kazakh court’s order to destroy Bibles
An appeals court in Kazakhstan has overturned a previous ruling to destroy Bibles and other Christian literature seized from a street evangelist, according to Barnabas Aid.
Christian Persecution – Russia & Former USSR
Jail for practicing your religion?
In Kazakhstan, anyone who shares their faith could be jailed under proposed new laws that would increase the penalties for those practicing their religion.
Kazakhstan Court Orders Destruction of Bibles, Christian Literature
A court in Kazakhstan has ordered the destruction of Christian literature, including Bibles, seized from a street evangelist.
Belarus: Religious kept within an invisible ghetto of state regs
Belarus continues to keep its religious communities confined within an invisible ghetto of regulations, according to Forum 18.
UZBEKISTAN: Holiday Singing, Bible Reading officially prohibited
This month in Uzbekistan, a dozen Bostanlyk policemen raided a gathering of 80 Protestants on holiday together at the Phoenix resort near the capital.
Kazakhstan: Unregistered Churches, Mosques Forced to Close
Churches and mosques in Kazakhstan are being forced to close as that nation’s deadline for mandatory re-registration expires, but many religious communities have complained that the procedures for their closures were both arbitrary and flawed.
Detained Uzbek Pastor Freed, Flown To Safety
A Protestant pastor who faced deportation from Kazakhstan to his native Uzbekistan and up to 15 years imprisonment for leading an unregistered house church has been flown to safety, his supporters confirmed.
Belarus Not To Evict Massive Evangelical Church
One of the largest evangelical congregations in Belarus confirmed that authorities at the last moment decided not to evict them from their building, following years of judicial wrangling.
Kazakhstan Adopts Oppressive Religious Law
An oppressive religious law adopted by Kazakhstan last year has reduced the number of officially recognized religions from 46 to 17, according to Eurasianet.
Church fire under investigation in Turkmenistan
Some churches in Turkmenistan have literally come under fire after the Baptist House of Prayer in Turkmenbashi was recently razed, according to Slavic Gospel Association spokesman Joel Griffith.
Uzbekistan: Refugee Pastor Facing Up to 15 Years
Uzbekistan is seeking to extradite refugee Makset Djabbarbergenov from Kazakhstan on charges that carry a maximum 15-year jail term.
Crackdown On Evangelicals In Central Asian States
Authorities in three Central Asian nations have launched a crackdown on evangelical Protestant churches and several believers are reportedly mistreated, fined and detained.
Uzbek Math: 2 Bibles = 5 years
In Uzbekistan, having more than one Bible can make you a missionary, and being a missionary in Uzbekistan can get you five years in jail.
Moscow Destroys Russian Pentecostal Church
A congregation of evangelical Christians in Russia’s capital Moscow were without a church building Tuesday, September 11, after workers with bulldozers and other equipment destroyed their Holy Trinity Pentecostal Church complex, protected by local police, witnesses said.
Kazakhstan Acquits Pastor; Azerbaijan Church Threatened With Closure
Kazakhstan’s Supreme Court has acquitted an evangelical pastor on charges of “severe damage to health due to negligence” after praying for an ill man, but devoted Christians in another former Soviet republic, Azerbaijan, were awaiting whether a high court would ban their church.
Fines for “Unsanctioned Meeting in Private Home”
The Baptist Council of Churches refuses to register their churches with Uzbekistan; the Council views registration as a precondition for exercising freedom of religion to be against the binding international human rights agreements Uzbekistan formally promised to implement.
Azerbaijan Judge to “liquidate” church?
A court in Baku will decide next week whether Greater Grace Protestant Church – which has been registered with the state for 19 years – should be liquidated, according to Forum 18 News Service.
Pakistan Among World’s Worst Violators of Religious Freedoms
The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom recommended that the Secretary of State name Pakistan as a Country of Particular Concern in its 2012 Annual Report.
Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan Crackdown On Evangelical Churches
Authorities in Azerbaijan continued preparations Tuesday, March 13, to close down an evangelical church in the first such reported incident since the former Soviet republic introduced harsh religious legislation in 2009, rights activists said.
Baptist Church Raided in Uzbekistan
Secret police officers and other officials raided the Sunday worship service of an unregistered ethnic Korean Baptist Church in the town of Chirchik in Tashkent Region on Feb. 5.