Tashkent (AsiaNews/F18) – Talking about one's religion would be a crime punishable with up to eight years in jail should a new bill now before the Uzbek parliament be approved. The proposal was made at an August 4 meeting of religious leaders in the capital Tashkent, called by the state Religious Affairs Committee.

Those attending represented state-registered religious organisations, including the Spiritual Administration of Muslims in Uzbekistan, the Russian Orthodox Diocese of Central Asia, the Catholic Church in Tashkent, the Jewish community, the Baptist Union and the Full Gospel Church, a Pentecostal church. All unregistered religious activity is "illegal" in Uzbekistan.

The state Religious Affairs Committee told the religious leaders that they and their clergy must stop their members and those who regularly attend places of worship from sharing their beliefs with anyone outside places of worship sanctioned by the state.

Anyone sharing their beliefs outside of the places would be fined between 200 and 600 times the minimum monthly salary (which averages US$ 10). Second time offenders—and the leader of their religious community who would be considered objectively responsible for their relapse—would be jailed for between three and eight years.

Fearful of reprisals against their communities by the authorities, religious leaders did not oppose the proposal. A crackdown on religious believers of many faiths is currently underway in Uzbekistan.

The new bill will now go to Uzbek President Islam Karimov.

The proposals to fine and jail people for sharing their beliefs outside places of worship violates Article 18 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR)—to which Uzbekistan is committed as a UN member. The article recognises that everyone has the right "to manifest his religion or belief in teaching, practice, worship and observance. Moreover, the proposals would violate Tashkent's commitments as a member of the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE).

Unregistered religious groups are currently victims of a virtual campaign of persecution. People can be arrested and jailed for membership in such groups or participating in unauthorised their prayer meetings. For the authorities they undermine the country's constitution or amount to "setting up, leading or participating in religious extremist, separatist, fundamentalist or other banned organisations".

Possession and distribution of bibles or religious literature are punished because printing and distributing such documents "pose a threat to public safety and public order".

On July 4, a judge in Urganch in north-western Uzbekistan fined local Protestant clergyman Sergei Lunkin for breaking the law on religious organisations because he owned religious books, including 32 copies of the New Testament, which had been legally printed by and purchased from the Bible Society of Uzbekistan. All the material was confiscated.

Criminal charges were launched against a Protestant clergyman in Uzbekistan in June in punishment for religious activity in the small town of Muinak, in the north-western region of Karakalpakstan. Rev Lepes Omarov was arrested for talking to his fellow-believers about religious matters. Since Protestant activity is banned in the area, Reverend Omarov was charged with breaking the law on religious organisations.

Recently, Ivan Bychkov, a Baptist, was deported by officials from the Interior Ministry's Visa and Registration Department. Although a Russian national, Mr Bychkov was born and bred in Tashkent, where his family still lives.

He led a youth group at the Bethany Baptist Church, which is part of the Council of Baptist Churches and which refuses on principle to register with the authorities in post-Soviet countries.

"Bychkov has not been given a reason for his deportation, but his only 'crime' was that of actively preaching the Gospel," a Tashkent Protestant, who preferred not to be named, told news agency Forum 18.  (PB)