On August 23, approximately 20 Uzbek police officials raided the Donam Protestant Church in Tashkent, Uzbekistan during a Sunday worship service, according to an August 26 report from Forum18. The authorities claimed that the service was an "unauthorized" religious meeting and demanded that all those present submit their names and addresses. Although the church leaders presented all the necessary documents proving the church's registered status, the police ignored the documentation and continued with their threats and interrogations. A few hours later, police arrested Pastor Vladimir Tyo and seven other believers. Three of those arrested, were released within 24 hours. The next day, the court sentenced Pastor Tyo and the three others to 15 days in detention and ordered that the Christian literature and videos that were confiscated during the raid be destroyed. This is a significant setback to religious liberty in Uzbekistan as this incident marks the first time a legally registered church has been raided during worship and its leaders arrested.
Pray for persevering faith for these believers. Pray that Uzbek Christians will continue to courageously serving Christ amid great opposition.
To learn more about the plight of Christians in Uzbekistan, click here.
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.
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.
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
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 gr
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 fun
Tashkent, Uzbekistan Photo: Wikipedia / Atilin (c)
A Christian mother in Uzbekistan was killed by her husband on February 9th because she had recently accepted Christ. The attack happened at the Tashkent airport as she was attempting to flee the country.