Religious Tensions Increasing in Uzbekistan
In its annual report to the Secretary of State earlier this month, the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom once again included Uzbekistan, a former Soviet Republic in Central Asia, in the list of countries that “have engaged in or tolerated particularly severe violations of religious freedom” in the past year. Noting a law that “severely limits the ability of religious communities to function,” the commission recommended that Uzbekistan be designated a Country of Particular Concern by the United States State Department.
These findings are in line with the report issued earlier in the year by Open Doors International. Their 2006 World Watch List ranks Uzbekistan twelfth on the list of countries with the least religious freedom. (See a PDF document with the complete list and further explanations.) According to Open Doors the situation in Uzbekistan is worsening. “The level of monitoring churches has increased, with local authority and secret police officials visiting and inspecting churches. Several Protestant pastors have been placed under secret police surveillance and have been threatened with arrest if they do not shut down their unregistered churches.”
RMM has ties to workers in this region and within the past week they have reported an increased level of pressure from governmental authorities. Join with us in praying for their ongoing ability to work in this country and for the Uzbek Christians who continue to live in this difficult climate of suspicion and persecution.