UZBEKISTAN: Police Arrest Christian Converts and Set up TV Show Trial

Source: Barnabas Fund, November 6, 2018

Police in Uzbekistan arrested 43 converts to Christianity from Islam, including a number of teenagers, and later tried to get them to appear in court in front of TV cameras in an apparent show trial.

Police put considerable pressure on a number of the arrested converts, even attempting to recruit some to work for the police as informers. Several were forced into giving incriminating written statements against the organizers and leaders of the gathering. The converts face[d] charges of “illegal assembly” and potential fines of up to the equivalent of US$2,500 if found guilty.

[At the October 23] hearing many of the Christians facing charges refused to enter the courtroom because there were cameramen and TV journalists present, and they did not wish to be part of a show trial. The judge again postponed the hearing, which was eventually held on October 30.

The presiding judge ordered the TV journalists not to film the trial proceedings, but they were permitted to film the verdicts. All the Christians charged were found guilty, but only received minimum fines, equivalent to between US$75 [and] US$500. Police subsequently promised to reduce the fine for any of the converts who agreed to be interviewed for TV.

» Read full story.

» Read about the Silk Road Transmitter, a project to help support the persecuted church and make Bible programs available to some 60 million people in Central Asia (Trans World Radio, via Mission Network News).

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