Posts
Uzbekistan pastor Dimitry Shestokov was sentenced to four years in a labour camp for illegal religious activities. The verdict said that several years of internal exile is necessary because re-education is possible only if he is isolated from general society.
The court ruled that Shestakov had to be deprived of his freedom "given the absence of the possibility of re-educating him without isolation from society".
Pastor Shestokov has appealed his sentence and will be held in an Andijan prison until his hearing, for which no date has as yet been set. Petty regulations have been imposed, apparently in an attempt to prevent him from practicing his religion.
Forum 18 has learnt that the prison administration, which is headed by Lieutenant-Colonel Pulatov, has banned Shestakov from kneeling to pray and confiscated his copy of the New Testament. Instead of the New Testament, he has been offered the Koran to read.
For some reason, I don’t think he will find spiritual sustenance in the Qur’an. (Quite the opposite, in fact.) And, fortunately, Christians are not required to kneel while praying, although Muslims apparently are.
Forum 18 has been unable to find out why those small-minded restrictions have been imposed on Shestakov and other prisoners in Uzbekistan.
Pastor Shestokov will turn 38 on 9 April, the day following the church’s celebration of our Lord’s resurrection.
Previous related posts:
Can we exile & re-educate the Council of General Synod (ACC) ?!
If only!
[...] Uzbek court says pastor must be re-educated [...]
[...] Pastor Shestakov tortured in Uzbekistan prison By StatGuy Pentecostal pastor Dmitry Shestakov was sentenced to four years in an Uzbekistan labour camp on trumped-up charges of illegal religious activities. After serving only a few months in harsh conditions, he has already lost 15-20 kilograms (33-44 pounds). He is subjected to constant abuse and torture in an attempt to make him renounce the Lord Jesus. Drinking water is contaminated with sand and salt. Guards beat the detainees with truncheons and press them to publicly renounce the “crimes” they were convicted of and to “forbidden religions”. Discipline is “maintained” by the prisoners themselves and there are criminal gangs that tyrannize the rest. Those imprisoned because of “religious extremism” are detained apart, with worse working and living conditions. [...]