Christians face beatings, arrests, raids in Azerbaijan BAKU, Azerbaijan—Gennady is 67 years old and partially blind. It is a precious time for him when he can meet with a few fellow Christians, other Jehovah’s Witnesses, discuss passages from the Bible, and talk about hope and peace. And, on the books, it is legal to have such times for worship in his country, Azerbaijan. But for doing so, Gennady and his wife were arrested and questioned by police for four hours; their literature was confiscated and personal information was taken. On that occasion and others like it in the month of June alone, the media were invited to the police station, where they filmed and interviewed the detained Witnesses. Distorted news reports then ran on nationwide television. Jehovah’s Witnesses were portrayed as antigovernment, accused of not respecting State symbols, and in what is locally considered an insult, condemned for fraternizing with Armenians. In July and August further interference with the Witnesses’ public ministry and disruptions of their congregation meetings occurred, often at the hands of the police, and physical assaults were endorsed by authorities. Jehovah’s Witnesses were registered in Azerbaijan on December 22, 1999. On February 7, 2002, officials reregistered the Religious Community of Jehovah’s Witnesses in Baku. Nonetheless, they are experiencing increased intolerance as their meetings are being raided more often, even though these are the times they set aside to gather “to incite to love and fine works,” based on the Bible text Hebrews 10:24. The Witnesses have also been subjected to interrogations, arrests, malicious public misrepresentations and even beatings. In Azerbaijan, a country of eight million inhabitants, there are only some 450 Jehovah’s Witnesses. For their largest annual event, the Memorial of Jesus’ death, held this year on March 24, the Witnesses were joined by some 500 interested visitors.
Media Contact: Leonid Moroz, telephone
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