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Azerbaijan government freed Baptist pastor from prison

Azerbaijan has freed one of its two religious prisoners of conscience, Baptist pastor Zaur Balaev on March 19th, reports Felix Corley, Forum 18 News Service. Balaev was arrested in May 2007 and jailed for two years in August, on what church members insist were false charges.

"It's a great joy to be free," Balaev told Forum 18 after his release. Since Balaev's jailing, a number of other Protestants have been threatened with jail, but these threats have not so far been carried out.

Ilya Zenchenko, head of the Baptist Union, welcomed Balaev's release. "We thank God and those who prayed and supported Zaur," he told Forum 18. "But there is a lot more work still to be done to defend religious freedom in Azerbaijan." State officials have refused to tell Forum 18 whether Balaev and his congregation will be safe from future official harassment, or to discuss Huseynov's case.

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[03/20/2008]

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