Pastor threatened with jail over children attending services

The threats against Elshan Samedov in Azerbaijan were revealed today by the Norwegian-based Forum 18 News Service.

They say that police in Azerbaijan's second city Gyanja have threatened the Adventist pastor with jail if he refuses to ban children from attending worship services and does not halt worship in two church-owned properties.

"People don't have the right to meet for religious purposes just where they want," Major Alovset Mamedov told Forum 18 News Service, "they need to have permission."

Mamedov "threatened to imprison me for turning people into Christians," Samedov stated. "He violates our rights to worship God - and he insulted my personal dignity. Who gave him the right to violate my rights?"

Major Mamedov demanded that Pastor Samedov sign a statement that he would prevent children from attending services in future, but he refused to do this. Following a separate raid in the capital Baku, police tried to pressure eight Adventists into giving up their faith and fined them under the Administrative Code for holding meetings "not connected with the conducting of religious rituals with the aim of attracting young people and youth."

/Religious Intelligence Ltd/