B a k u – Pressure on Azerbaijan’s Baptist minority continues. According to reports from Elnur Jabiyev (Baku), the Baptist Union’s General-Secretary, the Baptists have been described as enemies of the state and had their names mentioned in national media. Jabiyev described that Baptists from Dallas/Texas had visited the Union in late March. During their visit, three members of the Baptist congregation in Baku had driven with the two Americans to a Baptist mission station located 300 kilometres (200 miles) away in the provincial capital of Agdash. There they played with 15 or 20 children from the neighbourhood and told them Bible stories - until police closed down the gathering. The five Baptists were then arrested and interrogated for five hours. More than 500 pamphlets, 40 CD’s and a CD-recorder were confiscated. The local Baptists were fined roughly 10 Euros each. They and the two Americans, who were not fined, were then released.

The following day, the locals were again interrogated by the Office of the Public Prosecutor. According to Jabiyev, media were also informed about the incident. National media reported in depth on the incident in Agdash and accused local Baptists of being enemies of Islam and the nation. The private addresses of those involved were shown. Jabiyev called on the world’s Baptists to pray that the authorities in his country might grant the country full religious freedom.

In January, a Baptist World Alliance-supported group of experts on religious liberty visited the country and concluded that religious freedom was only partially accorded. Muslims and Orthodox Christians continue to meet virtually without restriction – which is not true for the Baptists. Nevertheless, a Baptist pastor living under house arrest in Aliabad, Hamid Shabanov, was released following that visit.

Ninety percent of Azerbaijan’s eight million residents are Muslim. Twenty-five congregations with 3.100 members make up the country’s Baptist Union.