Post by Michael on Mar 13, 2004 4:58:56 GMT -5
Authorities in the Khorezm region recently closed a church because the congregation had been working with children. Last month, the Urgench Evangelical-Christian Baptist Church was shut down after authorities claimed that the work took place without parental consent, Forum 18 News Service reported.
But parents reportedly had given their consent. However, the secret police pressured them into denying the approval.
"It's true that some parents made statements saying that their children had come to summer camp without their permission, but they did this under pressure from the secret police, and then these same parents came to see us in church and asked our forgiveness," pastor Oleg Bader told Forum 18.
The church's closure came after a hearing in November when Bader was fined the equivalent of $23, which is about two-thirds of the average monthly earnings for the nation in central Asia, located north of Afghanistan.
At the hearing, officials ordered the church to bring its statute into line with a religion law within two months. Uzbekistan's law on religion forbids "the enticement of underage children into religious organizations ... against their or their parents' will."
Bader said their work with children was included in the church's statute, which was registered on December 1999. He believes authorities have been looking for an excuse to remove the church's registered status. With the closure of Urgench Baptist, the only other church in the region is the Protestant Korean Church, Forum 18 reported.
But parents reportedly had given their consent. However, the secret police pressured them into denying the approval.
"It's true that some parents made statements saying that their children had come to summer camp without their permission, but they did this under pressure from the secret police, and then these same parents came to see us in church and asked our forgiveness," pastor Oleg Bader told Forum 18.
The church's closure came after a hearing in November when Bader was fined the equivalent of $23, which is about two-thirds of the average monthly earnings for the nation in central Asia, located north of Afghanistan.
At the hearing, officials ordered the church to bring its statute into line with a religion law within two months. Uzbekistan's law on religion forbids "the enticement of underage children into religious organizations ... against their or their parents' will."
Bader said their work with children was included in the church's statute, which was registered on December 1999. He believes authorities have been looking for an excuse to remove the church's registered status. With the closure of Urgench Baptist, the only other church in the region is the Protestant Korean Church, Forum 18 reported.