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Russian-speaking churches in US condemn authorities of Uzbekistan

In the USA, Russian-speaking churches express indignation against actions of the authorities of Uzbekistan where in recent days closing of churches, penalties and prison sentences to believers and burning of Bibles became a usual bureaucratic routine, Christian Telegraph reports.

According to one of the oldest and the most trusted in its area human rights organizations Forum 18, for the last years a plenty of churches were divested of registration, home groups were knocked off with believers arrested and their property seized. Christians are imposed unreasonable fines, and confiscated Bibles and CD are burnt.

Vlade Kusakin

"It is nothing but repeating of the practices of fascists who burnt Jewish books from 1930 to 1940.The Bible is written by Jews too, and today it survives the same destiny as works of Jews in Nazi Germany eighty years ago", – says a blogger from New York Vlade Kusakin who has published the majority of facts of prosecution of Christians in Uzbekistan, and also forms of appeal to the President of Uzbekistan and the ambassador of Uzbekistan in the USA on his blog at http://hebrews13-3.info/.

Peter Novik

"I remember this time in the Soviet Union", – says Peter Novik, the pastor of the Slavic Pentecostal Church from Springfield, Massachusetts."Communists tried to etch the Gospel out from the country through the violence. Pastors were put into prisons, and their families subjected to pressure in every possible way.And they did not succeed.Moreover, the communism is now in shame, and the Church still exists.I cannot understand why the Uzbekistan authorities did not learn this lesson.We know facts of lawless courts and unfair sentences to servers, such as Tohar Hajdarov who got 10 year sentence for a fabricated case and Dmitry Shestakov, who got 4 years in prison for service to the Lord.Our Church prays to the Lord for our brothers and sisters in Uzbekistan, and also we have signed the appeal to the President of Uzbekistan and the Ambassador of this country in the USA with the demand to immediately free all prisoners who suffer for their belief".

Pastor Vasily Malets and an elder Vitaly Rjabikov

"With great distress we hear the facts of cruel prosecution of Christians in Uzbekistan", – states the appeal made on behalf of the God's Grace Church of Minneapolis, Minnesota by pastor Vasily Malets and an elder Vitaly Rjabikov."First, as a church, we use all legal resources to influence the government of this Asian state.Secondly, we willingly react to an appeal of Uzbek Christians to the international community, and express our condemnation to infringements of human rights for the religious liberty.We strongly reckon on the president Islam Karimov and believe he becomes the valid guarantor of constitutional freedoms for citizens of his country.Certainly, we pray for ministers and pastors in Uzbekistan who with huge risk for themselves and their relatives, continue to bear the Holy Light of the Gospel to their people.We are convinced that blood of martyrs is a seed of revival, and, despite all prosecutions, the Lord will plentifully visit the Uzbek people".

Vadim Privedenjuk

"As Christians, we cannot and must not stand aside when our brothers are unfairly put in bonds", – says Vadim Privedenjuk, expressing the opinion of the Board of Elders of the New Generation Church in Springfield, Massachusetts."The Scripture, in Hebrews 13-3, points us that we must remember those who are in bonds for our Belief.And not just remember, but act as if we were in bonds together with them.My father was sentenced for the Christian faith in the Soviet Union, therefore I not by hearsay know what it means – to be a child in a large family which the father was incriminated for no reason.We, first of all, appeal to the Lord with a prayer for out brothers and sisters in Uzbekistan and as citizens, we address to the Congress of the USA with the request to urge this country to respect Paragraph 18 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.We hopefully address to the President of Uzbekistan and believe that the aspiration to strengthen human rights declared by this country will at last start to be put into life".

Alexander Prokopchik

"We are the one Church – when one person suffers, the entire body suffers too", – says Alexander Prokopchik, the senior pastor of the “International Christian Center” Church in Los Angeles, California."This is a struggle of the darkness against the light, the devil against the Lord.We understand it, and will devote our time for prayers for Uzbekistan and, especially, for believers there.This situation is very close to me – my father was exiled for his faith in Jesus Christ.It was a hard time for our large family.And I can imagine what can suffer, for example, a pensioner, our sister, from the city of Almalyk, who was committed to the managerial responsibility by a criminal court – she must pay a penalty of 50 minimum wages ($1000) with the confiscation and destruction of Christian books, among which the Bible is".

"Today I signed the appeal to President Karimov from our multinational church that includes Japanese, Portuguese, American, Armenian and Russian-speaking services, and I deeply felt how close do representatives of all nationalities united in the One Body take the another's trouble to heart", – Alexander Prokopchik added.

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TAGS: USA Uzbekistan Russian-speaking churches closing of churches persecution freedom of religion

[06/29/2010]

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