Closing of Uzbek Protestant Church Upheld

Forum 18 reports today that a court in Uzbekistan's northwest province of Karakalpakstan has upheld the Justice Ministry's closure of the last legal Protestant church in the province. Authorities claimed that the Emmanuel Full Gospel Church held an illegal general meeting in a private home 125 miles away from its church building in Nukus. It has also been reported that authorities in the province have been encouraging private kangaroo court proceedings against Muslim converts to Christianity. Previous postings (1, 2, 3)have reported on the long-running religious freedom issues in Uzbekistan.