Uzbekistani police arrest pastor for incitement

ANDIJAN, Uzbekistan — Uzbekistani secret police arrested Protestant pastor Dmitry Shestakov at his church in Andijan Jan. 21, eight months after a prosecutor accused him of committing high treason. Now he is accused of "incitement of national, racial and religious enmity" under Article 156 of Uzbekistan’s penal code. If convicted, Shestakov could face up to five years in prison. Authorities began to harass him in May 2006 and then accused him of treason in June, apparently in reaction to the conversion to Christianity of some ethnic Uzbeks. In November 2006, John Hanford, U. S. ambassador for religious freedom, announced the addition of Uzbekistan to Washington’s annual list of Countries of Particular Concern for its "abysmal record on religious freedom and other human rights."