Tashkent, Uzbekistan — Uzbekistan’s state-sponsored media continues its routine of attacking and naming people who exercise the right to freedom of religion or belief which the state has made solemn international obligations to implement.
Media attacks are a routine and long-standing part of Uzbekistan’s attacks on freedom of religion or belief and other human rights.
The authors of media attacks are not only journalists. Judge Oltinbek Mansurov of Navoi City Criminal Court published an article in the Russian-language newspaper Banner of Friendship. In it the judge attacked two married couples.
Ten days later, Sept. 5, 2014, the judge fined one of the couples he attacked, Artur and Irina Alpayev, 50 times and 40 times their minimum monthly respective salaries for having allegedly “illegal” religious literature. Mansurov threatened the couple that “we will continue fining you unless you stop storing religious literature in your home.”
In his article Mansurov called the Council of Baptist Churches a “destructive sect,” urging people to “be careful. Remember that often the activity of nontraditional religions is destructive.” The article claimed Baptists meet for “illegal” worship in their private homes, “illegally” keep religious literature in their homes and “cloud the minds of young people.”
Mansurov also gave the names and addresses of the people he attacked and claimed they had been under surveillance by Navoi Regional Police since 2012. Close surveillance of people exercising their right to freedom of religion or belief is common.
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