UZBEKISTAN: "We look for men in beards as we are searching for terrorists"

From March onwards, Muslim men wearing long beards nationwide have been arrested, had their beards forcibly shaved, and been fined. The fines imposed range between about one month's to just over a week's average wages for those in work. Some Muslim men have told Forum 18 that they have since March kept their beards "trimmed and very thin" to avoid such punishments. Police have claimed shaving beards stops young men being "radicalised".

https://www.forum18.org/archive.php?article_id=2938

#UKRAINE: About 300 criminal cases against conscientious objectors, 89 cases in court

The number of new criminal cases against conscientious objectors has surged since summer 2024 after the General Prosecutor's Office wrote to local prosecutors. About 300 conscientious objectors now face criminal investigations which could lead – if cases reach court and end in convictions – to a 3 to 5 year jail term. Of the 89 cases that have already reached trial (listed in this article), courts handed down 9 jail terms (only one conscientious objector is currently in jail), with 11 suspended sentences. Trials are underway in a further 66 cases.

https://www.forum18.org/archive.php?article_id=2939

#KAZAKHSTAN: Constitutional challenge to sharing faith ban

Courts have twice fined Zhangazy Biimbetov, a Jehovah's Witness from Oskemen, 2 months' average wages for sharing his faith. In July he challenged the constitutionality of the ban on and punishments for sharing faith. The Constitutional Court accepted the case on 4 October but has not yet set a date for a hearing, which will be held in public. No one was available at the regime's Religious Affairs Committee to explain why individuals continue to be punished for talking to others about their faith.

https://www.forum18.org/archive.php?article_id=2940

#KAZAKHSTAN: Religious Affairs Department "fighting against a quote from the Koran?"

Astana's Religious Affairs Department is seeking to punish Nurtas Adambay for quoting from the Koran in a video discussion on Islam on Instagram. "Frankly, I didn't know that in our country it is not allowed to quote a translation of the Koran," he wrote. Astana Inter-District Specialised Administrative Court has not yet heard the case. Department Head Kairolla Keshkali would not say why Adambay should be punished. Courts in Atyrau Region fined two people 3 weeks' average wage each for quoting from the Koran online.

https://www.forum18.org/archive.php?article_id=2941

#KAZAKHSTAN: Court bailiffs burn book seized at border, owner fined

On 12 July, border guards seized "Selected Hadiths" by Muhammad Yusuf Kandhlawi from Russian-based Kyrgyz citizen Sardor Abdullayev. The same day a court fined him 6 weeks' average wages for the book containing "social, national, clan, racial, or religious discord" and ordered it confiscated "with subsequent destruction". Asked what had happened to Abdullayev's book, Raikhan Nurzhalpova, head of North Kazakhstan Regional Justice Department's Implementation of Court Decisions Department, responded: "It was burnt." Under the strict religious censorship system, travellers can import only one copy of any religious book.

https://www.forum18.org/archive.php?article_id=2942

#RUSSIA: Pentecostal pastor, Buddhist in pre-trial detention for anti-war remarks

Under arrest since 18 October, Moscow Pentecostal pastor Nikolay Romanyuk faces up to 6 years' imprisonment if convicted for preaching in September 2022 that believers should not go to fight in Ukraine "on the basis of Holy Scripture". His arrest came after early-morning armed raids on church members' homes. Under arrest since 22 June is Ilya Vasilyev, director of the Moscow Zen Centre. He is being prosecuted for an online post about Russian rocket attacks on Ukrainian cities which he made "solely out of religious conviction", his lawyer told Forum 18.

https://www.forum18.org/archive.php?article_id=2943

#UZBEKISTAN: Religious communities blocked from using own buildings, registering

A wide range of religious communities continue to be blocked from using or repairing their own buildings, forcibly closed, gaining state registration, or having their grounds seized without compensation. These include Bukhara's registered Baptist Union Church, Tashkent Region's Abu Zar Mosque, Gazalkent's local Baptist Union Church, Gulistan's Baptist Church, Urgench Council of Churches Baptists, Jehovah's Witness communities nationwide, and the country's only functioning Buddhist temple in Tashkent. Officials do not answer their phones, refuse to answer, or give evasive excuses when questioned by Forum 18 about this.

https://www.forum18.org/archive.php?article_id=2944

#BELARUS: Concern and secrecy surround compulsory re-registration process

Officials and most religious leaders Forum 18 reached refuse to discuss how the compulsory re-registration of the more than 3,500 registered religious communities by the deadline of 5 July 2025 is proceeding. The Religious Board of Muslims, a registered religious association, will have to be liquidated as it does not meet new legal requirements. Nor will many village religious communities. Officials so far re-registered only one religious organisation. Officials are to go to court to liquidate all registered communities that fail to gain re-registration by the deadline.

https://www.forum18.org/archive.php?article_id=2945

#UZBEKISTAN: Demands to reopen, not demolish, church and mosque

Urgench Council of Churches Baptist Church and Tashkent's Shaykhontohur District Imam al-Bukhari Mosque are being simultaneously demolished. The Baptist Church is being demolished by the Bailiff's Department, and the Mosque by an unknown person or company with the full co-operation of the regime. By 5 December most of the roof, walls, and floors of the Baptist Church were destroyed, and most of the walls, roof, and dome of the Mosque were destroyed. Baptists and Muslims in both cities insist to Forum 18 that they want the demolitions stopped and their buildings returned, so they can use them to meet for worship.

https://www.forum18.org/archive.php?article_id=2946

#KYRGYZSTAN: Repressive new Religion Law passes first reading

Parliament has given first reading approval to two draft new laws increasing freedom of religion or belief restrictions. Among many other restrictions, the draft Religion Law makes it impossible for communities with fewer than 500 adult members to legally exist. Violations Code amendments sharply increase fines. "This is a very dangerous law," a religious community leader who wished to remain anonymous for fear of state reprisals told Forum 18. "They seem to be in a rush, and this is alarming," a human rights defender who wished to remain anonymous for fear of state reprisals told Forum 18.

https://www.forum18.org/archive.php?article_id=2947

#KYRGYZSTAN: Muslim's jail term increased, raids on Jehovah's Witness, Hare Krishna, Protestant events

On 28 October, the Supreme Court restored the three-year jail term for 36-year-old Muslim prisoner of conscience Asadullo Madraimov which a lower court had earlier halved. He has been jailed since October 2023 for criticising the authorities for closing Kara-Suu District's Al-Sarakhsi Mosque. Police and NSC secret police raided Jehovah's Witness worship meetings in two southern towns 8 days apart in August, insisting the meetings were "illegal". Officials raided and closed down a Hare Krishna meeting in Bishkek in November and a Protestant conference in June, with summary fines for both.

https://www.forum18.org/archive.php?article_id=2948

OCCUPIED #UKRAINE: Masked, armed men in third raid on church's worship meetings

Armed, masked men broke up worship meetings of a Council of Churches Baptist church in Russian-occupied Melitopol three times between October 2023 and November 2024. They checked members' passports and church literature. Police questioned the church's Pastor Dmitry Malakhov, insisting he led a religious service without informing the authorities and conducted illegal missionary activity. On 18 December, a court closed one case because of the statute of limitations, issued a warning in another and set the third for 21 January. Russian-controlled courts continue to hear "illegal missionary activity" cases. A Military Brotherhood official vandalised a seized Jehovah's Witness place of worship.

https://www.forum18.org/archive.php?article_id=2949

#RUSSIA: Fined for citing Vatican, Scottish Episcopal texts

A Moscow court fined an Anglican Christian three weeks' average wage under Russia's "gay propaganda" law for social media posts citing a Vatican declaration condemning "unjust discrimination" on the basis of sexual orientation and a Scottish Episcopal Church essay on equal marriage. This is the first known time a court imposed such a fine for sharing church documents. Amid ever-tightening laws for opposing Russia's war against Ukraine, a Buddhist is on criminal trial and a Pentecostal Pastor in pre-trial detention (despite suffering a mini-stroke). Courts fined two religious leaders for violating the "foreign agents" law.

https://www.forum18.org/archive.php?article_id=2950

#TURKMENISTAN: First conscientious objector punishment since 2021

On 7 January, Mary Regional Court on appeal punished 21-year-old Jehovah's Witness conscientious objector Arslan Wepayew with two years' corrective labour, with 20 per cent of his earnings to be taken by the regime. Also, 51-year-old Muslim prisoner of conscience Myratdurdy Shamyradow is in poor health in a strict-regime labour camp. "He can't stand and is almost paralysed. Health care in the camp is inadequate," Forum 18 has been told. His family have repeatedly asked for his sentence to be reduced. "These pleas have been ignored."

https://www.forum18.org/archive.php?article_id=2951

#BELARUS: "Low status" prisoners denied prison church visits

The administration of Labour Camp No. 2 in Bobruisk deemed political prisoner Vadim Yermashuk to be "low status" (alongside more than 100 other prisoners) and thus banned from attending the camp's Orthodox church. "When my brother died I was not even allowed to go to light a candle for him." Another political prisoner, Yahor Martsinovich, expressed shock at the ban. Forum 18 was unable to reach camp officials. Political prisoners are particularly targeted for denial of rights. Protestant political prisoner Vladimir Matskevich has had no visit from a pastor since his 2021 arrest.

https://www.forum18.org/archive.php?article_id=2952

#UZBEKISTAN: Eight Muslim prisoners of conscience tortured, handed long jail sentences

A judge in Karshi jailed 8 Muslim men for between 6 and 10 years for exercising freedom of religion or belief. Four are former prisoners of conscience. The regime has used all the Criminal Code articles used in this case to jail – with as in this case the use of an informer - groups of Muslim men who met informally to pray and discuss their faith. Torture has also been used in such cases. Police threatened the men's families that if they appeal the jail terms will be increased.

https://www.forum18.org/archive.php?article_id=2953

#RUSSIA: Getting Alternative Civilian Service "a hellishly difficult task"

Military officials deny many young men Alternative Civilian Service (ACS), rather than military service, despite their demonstrating their pacifist convictions. A Krasnoyarsk Region court fined Baptist conscientious objector Zakhar Asmalovsky three weeks' average wages in November 2024. He is appealing against the conviction. German Strelkov, another Baptist, is on his fourth round of legal proceedings to try to realise his right to conscientious objection. "After the war began, the situation changed dramatically, and now it has become very difficult to obtain ACS," Seventh-day Adventist Andrey Bondarenko told Forum 18.

https://www.forum18.org/archive.php?article_id=2954

#KYRGYZSTAN: Repressive new Religion Law in force from 1 February

In defiance of international human rights obligations, the new Religion Law signed by President Sadyr Japarov on 21 January bans religious communities that do not have 500 adult citizen members, and bans unregistered religious activity and places of worship and sharing faith in public. State censorship of all religious materials continues. The Amending Law – which takes effect in early February – increases Violations Code fines. "The new Law does not make anything better or easier for us to practice our faith, but makes it more difficult," a Protestant laments.

https://www.forum18.org/archive.php?article_id=2955

#CRIMEA: Two more Jehovah's Witness prisoners of conscience jailed

On 14 January, a Russian-controlled court in the occupied Ukrainian city of Sevastopol jailed two Jehovah's Witnesses, 53-year-old Sergey Zhigalov and 55-year-old Viktor Kudinov, for six years each for organising the activities of a banned "extremist" organisation. They have appealed against the sentence. Nine of the 13 jailed Crimean Jehovah's Witnesses have been illegally transferred to Russian prisons. Two other trials against 5 Jehovah's Witnesses are underway, including against 69-year-old Tamara Brattseva. It is illegal under international law for Russia to enforce its own laws in occupied Ukrainian territory.

https://www.forum18.org/archive.php?article_id=2956

#RUSSIA: Multiple trials, convictions, for criticising invasion of Ukraine

Christian preacher Eduard Charov's trial for repeatedly allegedly "discrediting" the Russian Armed Forces and state bodies is due soon. Buddhist Ilya Vasilyev is on trial for allegedly spreading "knowingly false information" about the Armed Forces "on grounds of hatred or enmity". Pastor Nikolay Romanyuk, tortured while arrested, is under investigation for preaching that "on the basis of Holy Scripture" Christians should not fight in Ukraine. On 27 January, Christian bard Andrey Buyanov received possibly the largest total fine yet for criticising from a religious perspective Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

https://www.forum18.org/archive.php?article_id=2957