Uzbekistan court says sharing Bible texts SAMARKAND, Uzbekistan—On April 7, 2004, the Samarkand Regional Criminal Court upheld a lower court's conviction of Vladimir Kushchevoy for teaching religion without a special religious education under Article 229-2 of the Criminal Code of Uzbekistan. The Appeals Court ordered a one-year suspended sentence with the possibility that if he is convicted again, he can be sentenced to three years of corrective labor and seizure of 20 percent of his monthly salary. "It was a first for me in 20 years of litigation," said associate defense attorney John Burns. "The appeals court assembled advocates and prosecutor at the scene of the 'crime,' the apartment of 68-year-old Raisa Chernova. She was too ill to testify in court." Burns added, "Chernova, sitting in her housecoat on the edge of her bed, testified that she invited Kushchevoy and Rustam Diarov into her apartment. She explained that she was interested in their message from the Bible and that they had shared encouraging words with her and were not aggressive." "As it now stands," Burns continued, "this is a crime in Samarkand." "If Kushchevoy is convicted again for talking to anyone about the Bible, I fear it will be prison for him," said defense attorney Arli Chimirov. "We are seriously reviewing the decision as to further appeals, including an application to the United Nations Human Rights Commission. Uzbekistan is subject to this human rights tribunal; it has signed on to the International Convention on Civil and Political Rights." Jehovah's Witnesses are legally recognized in the Uzbekistan cities of Fergana and Chirchik but not in Samarkand. Mayor Bagishamol denied Jehovah's Witnesses registration on June 24, 2002, explaining in his letter that there were already ten registered religious minorities and the city did not need any more. Jehovah's Witnesses have been recognized worldwide as peace-loving, law-abiding citizens, and over six million of them carry out their Bible-educational work in more than 230 lands. English-speaking contact: Christian Presber
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