Uzbek Jehovah’s Witness facing criminal charges released from custody

Associated Press, Nov. 21, 2002
http://yellowbrix.com/

TASHKENT, Uzbekistan (AP) — A Jehovah’s Witness being tried in Uzbekistan on charges of inciting ethnic and religious hatred was released from custody on Thursday.

Arli Chimirov, a lawyer for Marat Mudarisov, said the defense team was unexpectedly called to court Thursday afternoon to hear that their plea to release their client from custody had been upheld.

An earlier request to release Mudarisov from custody was turned down.

Mudarisov, 26, was arrested July 19 and faces up to five years in prison for charges including incitement, membership in an unregistered religious organization, and disseminating views insulting to Uzbeks’ national and religious feelings.

This is the first case of a Jehovah’s Witness’ being accused of a criminal offense in predominantly Muslim Uzbekistan.

Prosecutors at the trial, which began Oct. 16, have focused their case on an Uzbek-language pamphlet allegedly found in Mudarisov’s possession that argues of the superiority of the Bible over the Quran.

However, Mudarisov’s mother, Nuria, said her son, an ethnic Tatar, doesn’t speak Uzbek and his defense argues that the pamphlet, titled “Truth, The Only Truth,” was planted on their client.

Uzbekistan has been internationally criticized as persecuting some Muslim factions in its quest to stem extremism. Human rights groups hope Mudarisov’s case will be thrown out, setting a precedent for the handling of other religious rights cases.

Chimirov said the court might hand down its verdict at the next hearing scheduled for Friday.

There are more than 3,000 Jehovah’s Witnesses in the former Soviet Central Asian republic, group members say. They have been allowed to register in two cities, but have failed to get registration in the capital Tashkent.

Read Another Article

Court defers verdict in Falun Gong case
Former sect members ‘gutted’

Related News Articles Topic(s): Jehovah's Witnesses Subscribe to Religion News Blog updates Subscribe to Religion News Blog [What is this?] Get Religion News Blog's headline by Email [What is this?] Follow Religion News Blog at Twitter Find Related Information Use our custom search engines to find additional research resources on religions and cults: ApologeticsSearch.com: Search for apologetics articles, books, videos, and other research resources across 135 Christian apologetics websites and blogs. CounterCultSearch.com: Search for information about (religious) cults, cult-like organizations, and cults experts -- as well as paranormal-, New Age, and pseudoscientific claims -- across 260+ websites, blogs and forums dedicated to cult research, spiritual abuse, ex-cult counseling & support. Find Related Religion & Spirituality Books at Amazon.com Jehovah's Witnesses Possibly related... or Most Popular Religion News Articles Kent Hovind: Evangelist arrested on federal charges Beast’s real mark devalued to ’616′ Muslim Woman Gives Sex Advice on Arab TV Michael Jackson Confirms Conversion to Islam Kent Hovind, ‘Dr. Dino,’ guilty on all counts The fall and rise of Carlton Pearson Search False prophet Harold Camping sets another date for rapture: May 21, 2011 Watch the film Theo van Gogh was murdered for Kent Hovind — Dr. Dino — sentenced to 10 years in prison

Search Religion News Blog