TERMEZ, Uzbekistan — Armed Uzbek police and secret police raided a Protestant summer camp Aug. 24, resulting in the detention of about 20 church members, many of whom were beaten, said sources who wished to remain anonymous for fear of reprisals.
The camp is located near the southern Uzbekistan town of Termez. Some of those detained were fined and most were freed within 24 hours. Five were held until Sept. 4, and one, Husan Primbetov, remains in detention. Yuri Stefanko from Ukraine, who was visiting the camp, is being prepared for deportation.
In a separate incident, Viktoria Khripunova, the wife of the pastor of Bethany Baptist Church in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, was deported Sept. 5.
Sources said the move was targeted at her husband, the church’s pastor and an Uzbek citizen. He left voluntarily with his wife, who has no citizenship.
The deportations make seven total deportations this year that Uzbek authorities have enacted in retaliation for religious activity this year.
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