Mongolia;Turkmenistan; Uzbekistan;

FORUM 18 NEWS SERVICE, Oslo, Norway http://www.forum18.org/

The right to believe, to worship and witness The right to change one's belief or religion The right to join together and express one's belief

9 December 2003 AZERBAIJAN: PRESSURE MOUNTS ON IMPRISONED IMAM'S SUPPORTERS http://www.forum18.org/Archive.php?article_id7 Members of a committee to defend imprisoned religious freedom activist and imam Ilgar Ibrahimoglu have come under threat of arrest, Forum 18 News Service has learnt. Two committee members have been summoned to local police stations tomorrow (10 December), where they fear that, just like Ibrahimoglu, they will be arrested. Another committee meber held by police was told that "if his name was published abroad it would be bad for him and his family." Ilya Zenchenko, head of the Baptist Church, has told Forum 18 of Baptist's indignation at Imam Ibrahimoglu's arrest and the value they place on his work. Forum 18 has also learnt that another prisoner, prominent opposition leader Rauf Arifoglu, has been denied access to the Koran, prison guards forcibly confiscating a copy. Reliable sources have told Forum 18 that Azer Ramizoglu, leader of the 'Devamm' religious freedom society, is in hiding from the authorities, who are trying to arrest him.

12 December 2003 BELARUS: PASTOR FINED FOR LEADING UNREGISTERED WORSHIP http://www.forum18.org/Archive.php?article_id=212 The Pentecostal Church in Kobrin, near Brest in south western Belarus, has told Forum 18 News Service that it will continue to meet for worship - even though their Pastor was yesterday (11 December) fined after police attended the unregistered church's worship. Pastor Nikolai Rodkovich told Forum 18 that "we have no intention of halting our services. We're ready for anything." Under the harsh new religion law, which came into force in November 2002, unregistered religious activity is illegal. But Pastor Rodkovich's fine is the first fine known to Forum 18 since this summer. The state official in charge of religious affairs in Brest region has declined to discuss with Forum 18 why religious communities cannot function without registration.

10 December 2003 KAZAKHSTAN: AUTHORITIES PRESSURE LEGAL HARE KRISHNA COMMUNE http://www.forum18.org/Archive.php?article_id9 Even though they abide fully by Kazakhstan's laws, members of a Hare Krishna outside the commercial capital Almaty have told Forum 18 News Service that they have been subjected to a series of investigations, during which police and procuracy officials have stated their determination to expel the community. The authorities have categorically denied to Forum 18 that they are pursuing a deliberate policy against the Hare Krishna community. However the horticultural association, on whose land the Hare Krishna commune is situated, have come under heavy pressure from the authorities to make a statements against the community. The Hare Krishna community intends to defend vigorously its right to protection from "such pseudo-guardians of the law".

8 December 2003 MONGOLIA: RELIGIOUS FREEDOM OASIS? (PART 1 OF 2) http://www.forum18.org/Archive.php?article_id5 Forum 18 News Service has found a remarkable degree of agreement amongst state officials, cultural figures, Christians and Buddhists in Mongolia with the sentiments of a Mongolian member of parliament, who told Forum 18 that "Chinghis Khan invited Muslims, Christians, Buddhists and Daoists here back in the thirteenth century. Mongolians are very tolerant in the religious sphere - I've never come across anything like it anywhere else." This embraces freedom to witness and state registration of churches, which are difficult issues in surrounding countries. A Russian Buddhist source commented to Forum 18 that the Buddhist reaction to someone becoming a Christian would be "It is their karma - let them." However, some Protestants (see subsequent F18News article), have raised very serious concerns.

8 December 2003 MONGOLIA: RELIGIOUS FREEDOM OASIS? (PART 2 OF 2) http://www.forum18.org/Archive.php?article_id6 Although Protestants did not exist in Mongolia before 1990, they then seem to have experienced a boom due to the country's relatively large degree of religious freedom, Forum 18 News Service has found. However, the president of the Mongolian Evangelical Alliance told Forum 18 that "it is impossible to build in Ulaanbaatar, even if a church is registered," and state registration appears to be a particular problem for indigenous Mongolian churches. Churches seeking registration may be the target of demands for bribes from local officials, or denied registration on non-legal grounds. They may also reportedly be fined - apparently for not having state registration, even though it is not compulsory under the 1993 religion law. Demands for money may also be made by local officials, even after registration has taken place. The US Embassy complains if US-led churches receive such requests, Forum 18 has been told.

11 December 2003 MONGOLIA: NO CHANGES TO RELIGION LAW - FOR NOW http://www.forum18.org/Archive.php?article_id=210 At present there are no official plans to change Mongolia's 1993 religion law, Forum 18 News Service has been told. Some of its existing restrictive provisions are apparently unenforced, such as the article prohibiting religious activities organised outside Mongolia "to introduce foreign religions within Mongolia." Reportedly Buddhist-backed proposals, however, have included a ban on all unregistered religious activity and authority given to local councils to determine the percentage of minority religious organisations in relation to Buddhist organisations. Concerns have been expressed about Christian activity in Mongolia, partially due to suggestions from some Buddhists that "Christians teach that if someone commits suicide they receive eternal life." A Mongolian member of parliament commented to Forum 18 "So what can be done? Be concerned, that's all."

9 December 2003 TURKMENISTAN: BAPTISTS THREATENED AS HARSH NEW LAW USED TO BITE http://www.forum18.org/Archive.php?article_id8 In the first instance known to Forum 18 News Service of the use against believers of Turkmenistan's harsh new religion law, which came into force in November, police raided a Baptist Sunday service and took everyone present, including children, to a police station. Forum 18 has learnt that everyone present was accused of breaking the new religion law by worshipping without state registration, warned they would be fined 10 times the minimum wage for the first two such cases in a year, and then face criminal charges. One women was threatened that her children would be taken from her and then put in a children's home. Turkmenistan only allows Sunni Muslim and Russian Orthodox communities to have state registration.

11 December 2003 UZBEKISTAN: DEATH ROW PRISONERS DENIED CLERGY ACCESS http://www.forum18.org/Archive.php?article_id=211 Uzbekistan is denying clergy access to death row prisoners, Tamara Chikunova, head of the Uzbek NGO Mothers Against the Death Penalty and Torture, has told Forum 18 News Service. This denial violates two articles of the Uzbek Criminal Code, which specifically allow those sentenced to death the right to meet a member of the clergy. Fr Nikolai Rybchinsky, of the Central Asian diocese of the Russian Orthodox Church, told Forum 18 that in the case of two death row prisoners "so far at least, Orthodox priests have not been allowed access to these prisoners. We have made an official appeal on this matter to the state administration for carrying out punishments, but have received no reply from there." Fr Rybchinsky also said that "in general, priests face significant difficulties gaining access to prisons." Forum 18 has learned that death row prisoners are denied access to religious literature. When a Muslim death row prisoner asked a senior prison official to give him a Koran, the official reportedly replied: "Are you joking? After all, that is a political thing." * See full article below. *

11 December 2003 UZBEKISTAN: DEATH ROW PRISONERS DENIED CLERGY ACCESS

http://www.forum18.org/Archive.php?article_id=211 By Igor Rotar, Central Asia Correspondent, Forum 18 News Service

Uzbekistan's prison administration is denying clergy access to death row prisoners, Tamara Chikunova, head of the non-governmental Uzbek organisation Mothers Against the Death Penalty and Torture, told Forum 18 News Service on 6 December in the capital Tashkent. She complained that the denial of access violates Article 12 of the Criminal-Implementation Code, which declares that those sentenced to death have the right to a meeting with a member of the clergy, as well as Article 137 of the same code, according to which "a person sentenced to death may, before the sentence is carried out, be offered the opportunity to perform the rituals required in such a situation and may call in a minister".

Uzbekistan retains the death penalty for a range of offences, but statistics on the number executed remain a state secret. In a November report on the death penalty in Uzbekistan, Amnesty International said it knew of 32 people executed in 2001, the same number in 2002 and at least 14 in the first seven months of 2003. However, it cited estimates that the true figure could be as high as 400 each year.

Chikunova maintains that her organisation's attempts to win from the authorities the right of access for clergy to death row prisoners is supported by Orthodox, Catholic, Protestant and Jewish ministers. However, she reports that the Spiritual Administration of Muslims in Uzbekistan takes a "wait-and-see" position on this issue, not wishing to be at odds with the authorities.

A senior official of the Muslim spiritual administration denies Chikunova's assertion. "The spiritual administration is not opposed to working with death row prisoners, but so far no-one has made an appeal on this issue," Abdulla Ismailov, the head of its international department, told Forum 18 on 4 December at a conference on freedom of conscience in Central Asia organised by the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe in the Kyrgyz city of Osh.

However, Chikunova insisted to Forum 18 that many Muslims sentenced to death would like to see members of the clergy, but cannot make their request known to them.

There are today two official appeals on record for visits from clergymen from prisoners sentenced to death. The secretary of the Central Asian diocese of the Russian Orthodox Church, Fr Nikolai Rybchinsky, told Forum 18 that death row prisoners Yevgeni Gugnin and Vazgen Arutyunyants had appealed to him to send priests to them. "Yet, so far at least, Orthodox priests have not been allowed access to these prisoners," he noted sadly. "We have made an official appeal on this matter to the state administration for carrying out punishments (SACP), but have received no reply from there." Fr Rybchinsky also stressed that "in general, priests face significant difficulties gaining access to prisons", and he "could not recall an instance where clergy had been allowed access to death row prisoners".

Chikunova told Forum 18 that Arutyunyants had swallowed two crosses in protest against the refusal to allow a priest access to him, and was now in the prison hospital.

But SACP deputy head Norbobo Mirahimov denied any difficulties. "There are no obstacles to access by clergy to prisoners in Uzbekistan," he told Forum 18 on 9 December. He confirmed he had received an appeal from the Central Asian diocese concerning access by priests to Gugnin and Arutyunyants.

"Arutyunyants communicated his request to allow a priest access to him through his lawyer, but according to the regulations he should write a request on this subject direct to the director of the prison in which he is situated," Mirahimov claimed. "So he must do everything in line with the proper procedures before a priest will be allowed to see him. As far as Gugnin is concerned, there is no problem with him. We have sent a letter to the diocese stating that they can send a priest to Gugnin." When Forum 18 commented that the diocese had not received a letter from the SACP, Mirahimov responded: "That means it hasn't got there yet."

However, speaking to Forum 18 on 9 December, Chikunova expressed scepticism over whether the SACP had indeed allowed a priest access to Gugnin. "So long as no letter has arrived, it's too early to come to any conclusion," she declared. "You can't believe a word these people say."

As well as refusing death row prisoners access to clergy of their choice, the authorities have also prevented them from having copies of the scriptures or other religious literature of their choice. Lawyers and families told Amnesty International that it is impossible to pass on religious literature through the prison administration. When death row prisoner Iskander Khodoberganov's family asked a senior prison official to pass on a copy of the Koran to him, the official reportedly responded: "Are you joking? After all, that is a political thing."

Chikunova - whose own son Dmitry was denied access to a priest and a copy of the Bible before his secret execution in July 2000 - has faced obstruction from the authorities in her work for death row prisoners. An international conference her organisation was to host in Tashkent on 5 December on the death penalty in Uzbekistan was cancelled at the last minute by the authorities, who claimed it could not go ahead as Mothers Against the Death Penalty and Torture is not registered with the authorities. The authorities have denied repeated registration applications, and Amensty International reports that the authorities have issued death threats against some of Mothers Against the Death Penalty and Torture's prominent members.

For more background information see Forum 18's latest religious freedom survey at http://www.forum18.org/Archive.php?article_id=105

A printer-friendly map of Uzbekistan is available at

http://www.nationalgeographic.com/xpeditions/atlas/index.html?Parent=asia&Rootmap=uzbeki (END)

© Forum 18 News Service. All rights reserved.

You may reproduce or quote this article provided that credit is given to F18News http://www.forum18.org/

Past and current Forum 18 information can be found at http://www.forum18.org/

SUBSCRIBE here: http://www.forum18.org/Subscribe.php and enter your e-mail address for either the full or the weekly edition.

- Or send an e-mail to (for the full edition):

(for the weekly edition):

with the following text in the subject or body of the email:

subscribe

UNSUBSCRIBE here: http://www.forum18.org/Subscribe.php and enter your e-mail address for either the full or the weekly edition.

- Or send an e-mail to (for the full edition):

(for the weekly edition):

with the following text in the subject or body of the email:

unsubscribe

If you need to contact F18News, please email us at:

Forum 18 Postboks 6663 Rodeløkka N-0502 Oslo NORWAY