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IN AZERBAIJAN, JEHOVAH'S WITNESSES CAN FACE UP TO FIVE YEARS IN PRISON FOR DISTRIBUTING RELIGIOUS LITERATURE
20:15 24/02/2015 >> SOCIETY
A Judge in the Azerbaijani capital Baku ordered two female Jehovah's
Witnesses to be held for three months in the National Security Ministry
secret police investigation prison, according to the decisions seen
by Forum 18 News Service. Irina Zakharchenko and Valida Jabrayilova
face up to five years' imprisonment if convicted of offering religious
literature without state permission.
"This is a gross violation of the human rights of two innocent women,
who are currently imprisoned because of their religious beliefs. The
court's decision contradicts both Azerbaijani and international law,"
complained Jehovah's Witnesses members.
According to the article trouble began for Jehovah's Witnesses
Zakharchenko, a 54-year-old pensioner, and 38-year-old Jabrayilova on
5 December 2014. They were going from door to door to discuss their
faith and offer copies of Jehovah's Witness publications in Pirallahi.
One of the residents reportedly filed a complaint against them to
the district police for illegal distribution of religious literature.
However, the State Committee for Work with Religious Organisations -
which implements the compulsory state censorship of all religious
literature published in or imported into Azerbaijan - approved import
of this publication on 11 August 2014. State Committee Deputy Chair
Gunduz Ismayilov authorised the State Customs Committee to allow the
import of 2,000 copies of the book, the Forum 18 notes.
As noted in the article the women's relatives (Zakharchenko's son and
Jabrayilova's mother) came to the investigation prison to try to meet
them. However, prison officials refused them. As the article notes,
this is the first time Jehovah's Witnesses have been imprisoned
on criminal charges not connected to refusal to serve in the armed
forces, Forum 18 notes. In recent years the only non-Muslim prisoners
of conscience jailed for exercising the right to freedom of religion
or belief have been Jehovah's Witness conscientious objectors to
compulsory military service, Forum 18 notes. In recent years several
Protestant Christians have also served prison sentences to punish
them for exercising the right to freedom of religion or belief.
According to the article it was among Azerbaijan's prisons visited by a
delegation from the Council of Europe's Committee for the Prevention of
Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment in December
2012. However, the Azerbaijani government has refused to allow the
Committee to publish its report of the visit.
Forum 18 reminds that a Judge in Sumgait sentenced Sunni Muslim Zohrab
Shikhaliyev to six months' imprisonment to punish him for maintaining
a prayer room in his home. "Shikhaliyev established a Sunni Muslim
prayer room in his home more than two years ago as no other Sunni
mosque exists in Sumgait. The government is hostile to Sunni Muslims,"
the publication reads.
The representative of the State Committee for Work with Religious
Associations refused to discuss the problem with the "Forum
18." The article notes that Many Muslims are in prison or on trial
for exercising their right to freedom of religion or belief. The
largest single group consists of those imprisoned to punish them
for protesting on the streets of Baku in October 2012 against a
2010 Education Ministry ban on girls wearing a headscarf (hijab)
in schools. Ten are still imprisoned.
http://www.panorama.am/en/politics/2015/02/24/azerbaijan-jehovah-witnesses/
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress
20:15 24/02/2015 >> SOCIETY
A Judge in the Azerbaijani capital Baku ordered two female Jehovah's
Witnesses to be held for three months in the National Security Ministry
secret police investigation prison, according to the decisions seen
by Forum 18 News Service. Irina Zakharchenko and Valida Jabrayilova
face up to five years' imprisonment if convicted of offering religious
literature without state permission.
"This is a gross violation of the human rights of two innocent women,
who are currently imprisoned because of their religious beliefs. The
court's decision contradicts both Azerbaijani and international law,"
complained Jehovah's Witnesses members.
According to the article trouble began for Jehovah's Witnesses
Zakharchenko, a 54-year-old pensioner, and 38-year-old Jabrayilova on
5 December 2014. They were going from door to door to discuss their
faith and offer copies of Jehovah's Witness publications in Pirallahi.
One of the residents reportedly filed a complaint against them to
the district police for illegal distribution of religious literature.
However, the State Committee for Work with Religious Organisations -
which implements the compulsory state censorship of all religious
literature published in or imported into Azerbaijan - approved import
of this publication on 11 August 2014. State Committee Deputy Chair
Gunduz Ismayilov authorised the State Customs Committee to allow the
import of 2,000 copies of the book, the Forum 18 notes.
As noted in the article the women's relatives (Zakharchenko's son and
Jabrayilova's mother) came to the investigation prison to try to meet
them. However, prison officials refused them. As the article notes,
this is the first time Jehovah's Witnesses have been imprisoned
on criminal charges not connected to refusal to serve in the armed
forces, Forum 18 notes. In recent years the only non-Muslim prisoners
of conscience jailed for exercising the right to freedom of religion
or belief have been Jehovah's Witness conscientious objectors to
compulsory military service, Forum 18 notes. In recent years several
Protestant Christians have also served prison sentences to punish
them for exercising the right to freedom of religion or belief.
According to the article it was among Azerbaijan's prisons visited by a
delegation from the Council of Europe's Committee for the Prevention of
Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment in December
2012. However, the Azerbaijani government has refused to allow the
Committee to publish its report of the visit.
Forum 18 reminds that a Judge in Sumgait sentenced Sunni Muslim Zohrab
Shikhaliyev to six months' imprisonment to punish him for maintaining
a prayer room in his home. "Shikhaliyev established a Sunni Muslim
prayer room in his home more than two years ago as no other Sunni
mosque exists in Sumgait. The government is hostile to Sunni Muslims,"
the publication reads.
The representative of the State Committee for Work with Religious
Associations refused to discuss the problem with the "Forum
18." The article notes that Many Muslims are in prison or on trial
for exercising their right to freedom of religion or belief. The
largest single group consists of those imprisoned to punish them
for protesting on the streets of Baku in October 2012 against a
2010 Education Ministry ban on girls wearing a headscarf (hijab)
in schools. Ten are still imprisoned.
http://www.panorama.am/en/politics/2015/02/24/azerbaijan-jehovah-witnesses/
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress