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Pastor Hamid Shabanov, who was arrested in late June for allegedly possessing an illegal weapon (click here for more details), has been convicted and sentenced to two years of corrective labour. According to a February 12 report from Forum 18, Shabanov and local Christians are determined to continue the fight to clear his name.
For more information on the persecution of Christians in Azerbaijan, click here.
Population
10,420,515 (2023 est.)
Ethnicity (%)
Azerbaijani (91.6), Lezghin (2), Russian (1.3), Armenian (1.3), Talysh (1.3), other (2.4)
Religions (%)
Islam (97.3), Christianity (2.6), other (0.1)
Leader
President Ilham Aliyev (2003)
Government type
Presidential republic
Legal system
Civil law system
Source: CIA World Factbook
Pray for peace within the hearts of the Azerbaijani people who are living amid political instability. May the country's governmental authorities be willing to grant Christians their fundamental freedoms, enabling them to worship freely and share their faith openly with others of their communities.
The Baptist community in the village of Aliabad understands what it means to wait patiently. For 25 years, these believers have sought legal status but were repeatedly ignored or denied. Police have regularly raided their church meetings and seized religious literature. Despite the opposition, the church continued to gather for teaching and worship while attempting to get official status.
Pastor Hamid Shabanov has known suffering for more than two decades, as he seeks to lead his church in Aliabad, Azerbaijan. He has been arrested on multiple occasions. For a 2013 report on the fines facing him, see this report. In December 2016, he was fined again for hosting religious meetings without permission. This opposition comes despite the fact that the church has been seeking legal registration since 1994.
It has been brought to our attention by credible ministry partners that a Christian worker, who was imprisoned last May in the neighbouring country of Georgia, is now greatly in need of prayer. They strongly believe that "Shimon" (not his real name due to security reasons) is facing false charges for possession of drugs. A trusted correspondent of Release International reports that "his health is very bad and he needs urgent help -- medically, spiritually and materially."
The Old Testament found within this Azeri Bible is listed among the banned books in Azerbaijan. |
In early May, the Old Testament was included on a list of banned religious books in the country. State police and "expert analysts" reportedly produced the list which was published by a news agency. Along with the Old Testament, another 27 titles on the list were described as "some of the most radical and dangerous" religious books.
