A Protestant church that applied for required state registration five months ago is not only being denied a progress report but is also being told that the church cannot meet until registration is approved.
Peace Church in Sumgait — which is north of Baku, Azerbaijan’s capital — is one of five Protestant churches with applications for registration languishing in the State Committee for Work with Religious Organizations, reports the rights group Forum 18.
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Some of those churches have been waiting as long as two years for the committee to make a decision about their applications, attorney Murad Aliyev informed Forum 18.
According to Azerbaijan’s religion law, “all exercise of freedom of religion and belief by a group of people is illegal unless it has obtained state registration,” notes Forum 18. “To apply for permission to exist, a group must have at least 50 adult founding members.”
Fear of harassment, reprisals
Plus, all 50 founding members have to go at the same time to a notary office to have their identification verified, Forum 18 continued. “Many people are afraid to sign such registration applications for fear of harassment and reprisals by the regime.”
Religious groups that try to meet without state registration or while awaiting approval of their application risk being raided by police and State Security Service secret police, states Forum 18.
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