In Uzbekistan, police in Syrdarya Region have raided an unregistered Baptist church and are preparing an indictment against its members, Forum 18 News Service has learned. Police also confiscated religious literature for "expert analysis", although the books were purchased from the Uzbek Bible Society, which is legally registered, and the books were legally imported.
The Patriarch of the Russian Orthodox Church, Kirill, has spoken about the difficulties faced by his church. He specifically mentions the ban on missionary activity, the opening of Orthodox schools and the inability of the church to obtain permission to establish new parishes. The State Committee for Religious Affairs refuses to discuss this with Forum 18.
Elsewhere in the country, two Baptist prisoners of conscience serving short prison sentences have been released. Judge Bobojonov, as he introduced himself to Forum 18, from the court that sentenced these Baptists, changed his mind about what his name was after Forum 18 asked him why the Baptists had been imprisoned. Police Major Asliddin Mirzayev, who stopped the two Baptists hundreds of kilometers from his office, refused to explain why he had done this. "It's our secret," was his sharp reply to Forum 18.