Jehovah's Witnesses registered in Azerbaijan On January 21, 2000, Jehovah's Witnesses in Azerbaijan were notified formally by the Ministry of Justice of their registration as a religion. Previously, Jehovah's Witnesses in Azerbaijan had suffered harassment, beatings and deportation. "We are pleased that the government of Azerbaijan has come to recognize the peaceful and beneficial nature of our religious activities," said Arno Tungler, a representative for Jehovah's Witnesses in Central Asia. "We look forward to practicing our faith freely and ministering to the spiritual needs of the people of Azerbaijan." For the past several years, repeated attempts by Jehovah's Witnesses to become legally registered were ignored despite the fact that the Constitution of Azerbaijan provides for freedom of religion for all faiths. Registration will now allow them to operate public places of worship and to engage in their public ministry. Jehovah's Witnesses have been present in the lands of the former Soviet Union for more than a century. Jehovah's Witnesses have six million members worldwide and are legally registered in more than 90 countries.
Contact: Arno Tungler (Tbilisi, Georgia)
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