Tag: Azerbaijan

‘Complex labyrinth of “legal” restrictions’ for religious communities in Azerbaijan

November 12, 2018 Azerbaijan Azerbaijan, Baku, Human rights, Religious freedom

Azerbaijan’s government continues to claim its “tolerance” but restrictions of freedom of religion and belief, censorship of religious literature and jail sentences for prisoners of conscience are ongoing, Forum 18 reports. According to Forum 18’s recent survey, the exercise of freedom of religion and belief in the country is impinged . . . Read More

Azerbaijan court turns down Baptist pastor’s appeal

February 13, 2018 Azerbaijan Aliabad, Azerbaijan, Baku, Hamid Shabanov

Hamid Shabanov in 2007. (Photo: World Watch Monitor)

Azerbaijan’s Constitutional Court in the capital, Baku, has informed Baptist pastor Hamid Shabanov that it will not be considering his appeal against a large fine for meeting for worship without state permission, reports regional news agency Forum 18. He cannot appeal to the higher Supreme Court because his offence was . . . Read More

Azerbaijan: Baptist leader pays fine but continues challenge to religious freedom

December 18, 2017 Azerbaijan Aliabad, Azerbaijan, Hamid Shabanov, Zakatala

A Baptist church leader has agreed to part pay his state fine for holding a worship meeting despite disagreeing with the court’s decision, reports regional news agency Forum 18. In December, officials demanded that Mehman Agamammadov, who helps lead a church in Aliabad, a village in the Zakatala district of . . . Read More

Kazakhstan’s new restrictions to ‘flagrantly’ violate religious rights

December 1, 2017 Kazakhstan Azerbaijan, Censorship, Central Asia, Children, Education, Human rights, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Nursultan Nazarbayev, Religion Law, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan

At the facility of one of the presbyterian Churches in Kazakhstan

Kazakhstan is set to pass a new set of restrictions on freedom of religion or belief that violate international human rights obligations, according to regional news service Forum 18. The proposed amendments to Kazakhstan’s religion law are currently with the Prime Minister and are expected to be signed into law . . . Read More

Azerbaijan: ‘no fair trial’ for house-church leader appealing against fine

October 19, 2017 Azerbaijan Aliabad, Azerbaijan, Baku, Hamid Shabanov, House churches, Religious freedom

An Azerbaijani man fined for leading a “house church” without state permission has not been treated fairly during his appeal against the fine, a local source has told World Watch Monitor. The source, who wishes to remain anonymous, said there have been “multiple violations of law and process” against Hamid . . . Read More

More than 80 countries ‘favour’ one religion over others – Pew Research Center

October 5, 2017 Global News -- No Particular Country Apostasy, Armenians, Assyrians, Azerbaijan, Bhutan, Cambodia, Central Asia, China, Comoros, Converts, Cuba, India, Iran, Islamic extremism, Israel, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Lebanon, Maldives, Mauritania, Middle East, Mongolia, Myanmar, Nepal, North Africa, North Korea, Saudi Arabia, Soviet Union, Sri Lanka, Syria, Tajikistan, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Vietnam

Over 80 countries favour a specific religion, either officially as a state religion or tacitly through special treatment, according to a new report by the US-based Pew Research Center. Islam is the most common state religion – 27 countries have it as their official religion, including 16 of the 20 . . . Read More

Silence on human rights ‘deafening’ as Turkmenistan hosts Asian Games

September 15, 2017 Turkmenistan Ashgabat, Azerbaijan, Baku, Caucasus, Central Asia, Human rights, Turkmenistan

The Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) – and by virtue so too the International Olympic Committee – has come under fierce criticism for allowing Turkmenistan to stage the fifth Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games, beginning this Sunday (17 September) in Ashgabat, while making “no visible efforts to urge the . . . Read More

Iran sentences four more Christians to 10 years in jail for ‘missionary activities’

July 6, 2017 Iran Amin Afshar Naderi, Azerbaijan, Bahram Nasibov, Converts, Eldar Gurbanov, Hadi Asgari, Naser Navard Gol-Tapeh, Tehran, Victor Bet-Tamraz, Yusif Farhadov

One Iranian and three Azerbaijani Christians have been found guilty of “missionary activities” and “actions against national security” in Iran and sentenced to 10 years in prison. World Watch Monitor understands that the three Azerbaijanis – Eldar Gurbanov, Yusif Farhadov and Bahram Nasibov – are unlikely to serve their sentences . . . Read More

Turkmenistan’s secret additions to already restrictive Religion Law

May 18, 2017 Turkmenistan Azerbaijan, Central Asia, Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov, Islamic extremism, Pentecostals, Seventh-day Adventists, Turkmenistan

It’s been over a year since the Central Asian state of Turkmenistan added further restrictions to its Religion Law, but the changes were introduced in such secrecy that few knew about them until well after the event. It wasn’t until January this year that regional news agency Forum 18 shed . . . Read More

UPDATE: Iran allows Azerbaijani Christians home on ‘conditional’ release

November 8, 2016 Iran Azerbaijan, Bahram Nasibov, Eldar Gurbanov, Naser Navard Gol-Tapeh, Yusif Farhadov

Three Azerbaijani Christians, accused by Iran of “missionary activities”, were allowed to go home on Sunday (6 Nov.), after more than four months in prison, Middle East Concern (MEC) said. Eldar Gurbanov, 48, Yusif Farhadov, 51, Bahram Nasibov, 37, and an Iranian, Naser Navard Gol-Tapeh, have been released from prison, . . . Read More

Catching Our Eye