Easter Service Raided in Nukus

In July 2005, authorities in the autonomous region of Karakalpakstan in Uzbekistan revoked the registration of the Emmanuel Full Gospel Church in Nukus (click here for more details).  Members of the congregation gathered at the Khoja Hotel on April 30 for an Easter celebration when as many as fifty police officers stormed the meeting.  According to Forum 18, police demanded that everyone there write a statement, as they were issuing threats and frightening young children present. On the same day, police also raided land owned by the church.  The caretaker, Azat Kaldybekov was severely beaten and is being treated for a broken arm.  The Karakalpakstan Justice Ministry is demanding that the property be turned over to the government.

In the wake of the raids, children who were present at the Easter service are being summoned to the Prosecutor's Office where they are being pressured to sign statements renouncing their faith and saying they will no longer attend Christian meetings. Parents are being pressured to give statements that they will no longer "attract their children to Christianity." Failure to comply could mean their children will be taken from them.

Pray that Azat Kaldybekov will soon recover from his injuries. Pray that these believers, regardless of their age, will not give in to fear but will stand firm in the faith (2 Timothy 1:7). Ask God to work in the minds of those in authority to allow Christians to meet freely and maintain Christian homes. Pray that these believers will rely on the Holy Spirit's wisdom in answering their accusers (Luke 12:12).

For more information on persecution of Christians in Uzbekistan, click here.

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

  • 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.

    Read more...

  • Obstacles to Registration
    Prayer in the desert
    Join Uzbek believers in prayer as they seek the Lord for wisdom in these cases.

    A small number of religious communities in Uzbekistan received their registration in late 2019. However, many others are encountering major obstacles in their attempts to obtain registration, which would allow them to function legally. While Christians are one of the religious communities affected, other groups are facing similar impediments -- including bribe demands, land use permits and outright rejection. Some have chosen not to apply at all, believing they will be rejected anyway.

    Read more...

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