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Pastor Salavat, seen here with his daughter,
has been harassed for his Christian witness


On July 9, security police harassed a pastor and confiscated his laptop while he was waiting for his wife at a market. As Pastor Salavat waited for his wife in their car, two men in military uniforms approached the pastor and asked him to step out of the car. The men grabbed Salavat and treated him roughly. Salavat demanded to see their IDs, which they showed him before searching his car without permission or cause. "It looked as though they were looking for something specific," Salavat said. It soon became clear that they were searching for his laptop, which they confiscated without offering a warrant or receipt. Ten days later, Salavat's laptop was returned without explanation.

Pastor Salavat spent six months in prison for leading an unregistered church in Uzbekistan. He was later sentenced to a year of forced labour for continuing his Christian work (for more information, click here).

Pray for peace and strength for Salavat and his family. Pray that those who oppose Christians will be moved by their steadfast faith. Pray that Uzbekistan's leaders will respect freedom of religion.

To learn more about the challenges believers face in Uzbekistan, go to the Uzbekistan Country Report.

Current Ministry Project

VOMC has been collaborating with project partners over the past couple of years to provide Christian women needed affirmation and training so they can be more fully equipped for ministry and further encouraged to serve the Lord and others with a greater sense of comradery and unity.

Project Fund: Equipping the Saints

Country Information

Population
30,842,796 (July 2021 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

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