Pastor Dmitry Shestakov released from prison!

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Pastor Shestakov
Photo from Forum 18

We received a report this week that Uzbek Pastor Dmitry Shestakov was released from prison last Friday. Praise God!

VOM sources report that Pastor Shestakov was released at 3 p.m. local time on January 21. No official church representatives went to meet him--only two courageous elders from the Andijan Church.

Shestakov is the pastor of the officially registered Full Gospel Church. He was taken into custody by secret service officials on January 21, 2007, and accused of "incitement of national, racial and religious enmity" under Article 156 of Uzbekistan's penal code. He had been serving a four-year, work camp sentence.

Praise the Lord for Pastor Shestakov's release! Pray he will be reunited with his family, friends and church members. Pray the Holy Spirit will use Shestakov's faithful witness to bring many of his neighbours, friends and even persecutors to Christ (Romans 12:14, 21).

Find out more about the persecution of Christians in Uzbekistan at the Uzbekistan Country Report.

Uzbekistan Information

  • Current Ministry Project

    VOMC has been working with project partners over the past couple of years to affirm and equip Christian women for continued ministry and to encourage unity among them.

    Project Fund: Equipping the Saints

  • Country Information

    Population
    31,360,836 (2023 est.)

    Ethnicity (%)
    Uzbek (83.8), Tajik (4.8), Kazakh (2.5), Russian (2.3) Karakalpak (2.2), Tatar (1.5), other (4.4)

    Religion (%)
    Islam (88), Eastern Orthodox (9), other (3)

    Leader
    President Shavkat Mirziyoyev (2016)

    Government type
    Presidential republic; highly authoritarian

    Legal system
    Civil law system

    Source: CIA World Factbook

  • Pray for Uzbekistan

    Thank you for praying on behalf of our brothers and sisters in Uzbekistan who are undergoing severe mistreatment by those governing over them. Ask the Lord to remind these persevering believers that they are truly His beloved children. As their Heavenly Father, He is the One who governs their souls and eternal destiny. May they have a heightened awareness of His abiding presence, everlasting love, help in times of trouble – and whatever else they specifically need – as conveyed through the infallible promises of His powerful Word.

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Uzbekistan News

  • Proposed Law Introduces New Punishments for Religious Education
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    Children in Uzbekistan.
    Photo: Flickr / eatswords (cc) 

    A draft law, which is purported to "further strengthen the rights of children," recently passed its first reading in Uzbek parliament. However, the proposed legislation seeks to punish parents or guardians who allow their children to receive "illegal" religious education before reaching the age of 18.

    Read more...

  • Easter Worship Services Raided
    Entry to a building; a pillar with intricate carvings is in the foreground.
    Pray for wisdom as Uzbek Christians gather.
    Photo: VOMC

    While members of the Baptist church in Karshi, Uzbekistan, were gathered for worship on Easter Sunday, April 9th, police broke open the door and forced their way inside. Using electrical prods, they incapacitated some of the attendees while others cried and prayed. Ten members, including young people, were taken to the police station where they were held in custody until mid-afternoon. The detained believers were released after records of offence were drawn up against them.

    Read more...

  • Christian Fined for Distributing Magazines
    Magazines

    This past Christmas, a neighbourhood celebration in Uzbekistan was hosted by Tatyana Akhmadiyeva, a member of a local Baptist church. At the event, she offered Christian magazines to 15 of her neighbours. Local authorities received a report about the distribution and summoned Tatyana for questioning. She was told that the publications had been imported illegally, since they had not been evaluated by the "Struggle with Extremism and Terrorism Department." As a result, the officials confiscated the magazines, which they claimed were unlawfully distributed, and fined Tatyana the equivalent of two weeks' average wages.

    Read more...

  • Registration Applications Denied
    Evangelical Lutheran Church in Tashkent - Photo: Wikimedia Commons https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Evangelical_Lutheran_Church_in_Tashkent_15-12.JPG Bobyrr, CC BY-SA 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
    A Lutheran church in
    Tashkent, Uzbekistan.
    Photo: Wikipedia / Bobyrr (cc)

    Although religious communities in Uzbekistan would like to obtain official permission (to exist), as required by the state, all their applications have been blocked. Protestant churches, Shia Muslim communities, along with groups of other minority religious affiliation, have not only had their registrations denied, but now they are being subjected to subsequent fines, torture and other punishments.

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