Azerbaijani shops still unable to sell religious books

BAKU, Azerbaijan — An official of the State Committee for Work with Religious Organizations — which operates Azerbaijan’s harsh religious censorship system — admitted in mid-April that about 100 shops wishing to sell religious books are still waiting for the necessary licenses. Only 16 such licenses have been issued since the system’s introduction in 2009. 

Selling religious books without a license risks a maximum punishment for a first offense of two years’ imprisonment. Baku’s Metro, the rapid transit system, banned the sale of religious books in early April. One religious publisher said that after the compulsory licensing system was introduced, several bookshops returned books as they were too afraid to sell them without a license.