Jehovah’s Witnesses

For Immediate Release
November 29, 2002

Uzbek Court convicts Jehovah’s Witness for religious beliefs

TASHKENT, Uzbekistan—Today, Marat Mudarisov, a 26-year-old Jehovah’s Witness, was convicted on criminal charges for his religious beliefs. Judge Sherzod Usmanov of the Akmal Ikramovskiy Court accepted the prosecutor’s request that Mudarisov receive a three-year suspended sentence since he has no previous criminal record.

In his closing statement to the court Mr. Mudarisov referred to the Bible. “I believe in Jesus’ words that we should love our neighbor as ourselves. Rather than incite to religious hatred, his teaching promotes respect for adherents of other religions.”

“Today’s decision is a serious blow to religious freedom in Uzbekistan,“ said Rustam Satdanov, defense attorney. “There is no reasonable basis to say Mudarisov was inciting religious hatred, an offense under Article 156.1 of the Criminal Code. The sum of the prosecution’s evidence was that Marat Mudarisov believes in the Bible. The suspended sentence means Mudarisov is not in prison today, but may well be tomorrow unless he abandons his faith. I anticipate a wave of criminal prosecutions, as there are at least 90 Jehovah’s Witnesses who have received administrative fines over recent months for alleged ‘illegal religious activity’. The ruling is an ominous precedent for all religious minorities.”

Authorities in the cities of Fergana and Chirchik legally registered Jehovah’s Witnesses in 1994. However, efforts to register in the capital, Tashkent, have met with bureaucratic resistance, including this latest prosecution.

Jehovah’s Witnesses are an international Christian religious organization with over 6 million members worldwide, including many thousands in Central Asia. Their activity is legally recognized in over 150 countries worldwide.

Contact: J. R. Brown, telephone: (718) 560-5600