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Azerbaijan

• Christian Community Authorized to Meet After Many Years

  

  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.

• Court Appeals Rejected

  

  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.

• Christian Prisoner Needs Urgent Prayer

  

  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."

• Old Testament Banned by Authorities

  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.

• Pastors Fined for Worship Services

  Zaur Balayev; Hamid Shabanov

  At a recent court hearing that took place on Good Friday, the leaders of two small Baptist churches in Azerbaijan were given heavy fines for holding worship services. In addition, judges threatened them with even tougher penalties unless they cease holding services altogether.

  The two pastors, Zaur Balayev and Hamid Shabanov, have suffered persecution for more than 15 years, according to Archbishop Malkhaz Songulashvili of the Evangelical Baptist Church of Georgia: "They have also been warned that if they do not comply with the decision of the court and will in the future hold services, they will be either fined for a bigger amount or arrested." The two pastors plan to appeal this court decision. For further information on the struggles of believers in this country, review the Azerbaijan Country Report.

  Please pray that both pastors' appeals will be heard swiftly, leading to the fines being dropped and their religious rights upheld. Throughout the legal process, may God fill them with His perfect peace and the wonderful assurance that He is with them in this spiritual battle. Also pray that the Azerbaijan government will allow greater religious liberties so the represented congregations can worship freely with joy and thankfulness to the Lord.

• Denial of Church Registration Causes Mounting Pressures

  Many churches in Azerbaijan are facing further challenges due to the government's tough new regulations and, as a result, denial of official registration. To make matters worse, Christians who refuse to give or take bribes struggle to survive in a country where corruption is endemic; a struggle that's further compounded by discrimination while seeking employment.

  The law was initially amended in 2009 to require religious organizations to re-register with the authorities. (According to human rights lawyer, "Asad," the authorities have since increased the fines significantly.) In practice, applications for registration are often refused. This means churches that had previously been granted registration are now considered illegal.

  Pastor "Izzat" served 18 months behind bars after complaints by Muslim leaders. When 30 police officers and other officials turned up at his house, he was warned that it was illegal to spread the teachings of Jesus in Azerbaijan, even though freedom of religion is guaranteed under the constitution. Another church leader, Pastor Hamid, describes a police raid on his unregistered church: "They confiscated all our literature and our Bibles.... They sentenced me to a year's imprisonment. It's very hard to be in prison in Azerbaijan." To review previous reports, check the Azerbaijan Country Report.

  Despite the increasing pressures faced by Christians in this former Soviet republic, the church is steadily growing. In 1990, it was estimated that there were only about 40 Azerbaijani evangelical Christians in the world, with very few within the country itself. Today, there are approximately 10,000 evangelicals in Azerbaijan.

  "Please pray for us -- pray for freedom -- that believers can come together without being afraid of the government, the police, security services or extremists," requests one dedicated follower of Jesus. "Pray that Christians will be able to find work, as many are jobless, and pray too that there will be those who can represent and defend the rights of believers in Azerbaijan."

• Court Ruling Mandates Closure of Greater Grace Church

  Pray that the Religion Law will not stop the spread of the Gospel in Azerbaijan. Photo: s_falkow / Flickr

  On January 9th, Greater Grace Protestant Church in Azerbaijan's capital of Baku lost its final appeal against closure. This means that any further religious activity carried out by the church is now considered illegal according to the recent Supreme Court ruling. Unfortunately, those representing the congregation no longer have any more options available to further challenge this ruling through the court system.

  During the brief hearing, the appointed judge disregarded the church's appeal against an earlier court order that mandated its closure for violating the 2009 Religion Law. This harsh law requires that all religious communities re-register, including those previously registered through the Justice Ministry. Without state permission, such operations are considered illegal and, therefore, fined accordingly. (Fines for violations against the Religion Law have increased dramatically since 2010.) The outcome of this case now sets a worrying legal precedent for other Christian churches in Azerbaijan. For previous reports, go to the Azerbaijan Country Report.

  Pray for the members of Greater Grace Church as they now consider their future. In the process, may they experience a strong sense of God's presence, in addition to His wisdom and guidance in this situation. Also pray that Azerbaijan's state officials will put an end to the abuses against religious rights, including those officially upheld in the country's constitution.

• Update: Church's appeal rejected

  Pray that Azerbaijan’s Religion Law will not discourage believers from worshipping Him. Photo: s_falkow / Flickr

  The Greater Grace Protestant Church in Azerbaijan has lost its bid to overturn a court decision to forcibly close their church. On July 31, a panel of three judges at Baku Appeal Court upheld the decision to liquidate the church (for more information, click here).

  All unregistered exercise of religion or belief is illegal under the country's Religion Law. The church had state registration with the Justice Ministry since 1993, but the State Committee argued the church should be liquidated for failing to gain re-registration in 2009, even though it applied to do so. Hundreds of re-registration applications lodged in 2009 were either rejected or have not been answered. The State Committee has approved only six registration or re-registration applications since the beginning of 2012.

  Church members say they will appeal the decision to Azerbaijan's Supreme Court and will take their case to the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg if necessary.

  Please pray that this church will not be closed down. Pray that church members will resolve to worship God together, despite opposition. Please pray that officials in Azerbaijan will encounter Jesus and turn away from opposing the Church.

  For more on the persecuted Church in Azerbaijan, please visit the Azerbaijan Country Report.

• More restrictions on religious materials

  Pray that Azerbaijan’s government will respect religious freedom. Photo: Sefer Ibrahim/Flickr

  Azerbaijan's parliament has passed an amendment that says religious materials must have a state-issued verification mark before they can be sold. Those selling religious materials -- literature in electronic or hard copy form as well as audio and video products -- without the verification mark may face fines and confiscation of the materials.

  The amendments to the Code of Administrative Offences create a new Article which punishes those who sell products without verification. What is perhaps even more troubling to Christians in the country is that the amendments also allow authorities to confiscate the entire stock of unmarked products. A spokesperson for the Tax Ministry insisted that the provisions were created to ensure that tax is paid on commercial production of literature.

  Religious literature already undergoes compulsory censorship from the State Committee for Work with Religious Organizations. All religious literature must be approved by the State Committee, which dictates the number of copies that may be printed or imported, checks the contents of shops selling religious literature, and maintains a list of banned religious literature which the Expertise Department -- which is responsible for the list -- will not make public. Compulsory licenses for shops selling religious literature were introduced in May 2009.

  Please pray that the gospel message will continue to spread throughout Azerbaijan despite attempts to restrict religious materials. Pray that those in authority will come to Christ and will respect religious freedom for all. Pray that Christians in Azerbaijan will rejoice in the opportunity to grow in Christlikeness through the ongoing opposition they face (James 1:2-4).

  For more on the persecuted Church in Azerbaijan, please visit the Azerbaijan Country Report.

• Christians detained for distributing religious literature

  Police in Azerbaijan have threatened six Christians with criminal prosecution for sharing their beliefs with others and handing out religious literature. In Azerbaijan, all religious activity without state permission is illegal. Religious literature can only be given away or sold if it has passed through compulsory state censorship and only then in specialized state-approved shops. Heavy punishments are imposed for breaking these restrictions.

  Three of the Christians were detained in Khachmaz Region on the morning of June 23. They were held until 1 a.m. the following morning. At last report, the believers were at home expecting to be summoned for further questioning. Three others were detained the month before on May 17 in the town of Kusar. A car belonging to one of the believers was confiscated along with Christian literature.

  Thank the Lord for the faithfulness of these believers in Azerbaijan who have chosen to follow the Great Commission rather than the rules of men. Ask Him to strengthen their faith. Pray that they will not face charges or fines. Pray that their passion for Christ will be the light that draws others to Jesus (Matthew 5:14-16).

  For more on the persecuted Church in Azerbaijan, please visit the Azerbaijan Country Report.