Imprisonment of an Azerbaijani pastor

While reading the World Net Daily web page, I read about the persecution of a Christian pastor in Azerbaijan, an overwhelmingly Muslim country. Earlier this month, an appeals court spent two minutes affirming a two-year work camp sentence for a Baptist pastor who was holding Christian church services, a case on which Voice of the Martyrs, the worldwide ministry to persecuted Christians, has reported.

The pastor, Zaur Balaev, had been in custody in Azerbaijan since his arrest in May. He was convicted in August under the national criminal code that punishes the threat of violence against a "state representative" carrying out his or her duties, and sentenced to prison.

Because the accusations were so outrageous – one pastor attacking five police officers – supporters had hoped for a positive result at the appeals court level, even though they didn't expect a complete exoneration because that would have been incriminating to the police officers who testified against him.

However, the pastor's supporters were surprised by the appellate court affirmation of the two-year sentence, which likely will be served in some unknown work camp.
It was reported that Blaev had been allowed to speak briefly in the hearing on the appeal, but the verdict followed immediately.

The pastor had been targeted for his activities, along with his congregation, in his village. Other Baptists in the village also have been targeted by authorities, who in Azerbaijan require that church groups be licensed by the state in order to operate.
They then can control church activities by denying licensing to groups they don't like.
After the sentencing, the pastor's wife and two children met with him briefly, and gave him warm clothes for the oncoming winter.

An appeal is being prepared to the nation's Supreme Court, or even the European Court of Human Rights if needed, officials said.

Balaev, 44, had been leading his Baptist congregation in the northwest corner of Azerbaijan near Georgia, but repeatedly was refused in his applications for legal status, a situation that led to harassment from local authorities for not having that permission.

He had been arrested May 20 during what police said was an "illegal" worship service. He then was accused of attacking five police officers.

Reports confirm that Balaev told the court the church teaches members not to resist with violence, and Balaev's father, who witnessed the raid, told the judicial officials it was the police who used violence.

It is now reported that with Balaev in prison, police have been harassing the leader of another Baptist congregation. Homes of several members have been searched by police, and religious literature was confiscated.

Estimates are that 200 million Christians around the globe are subject at any time to punishments up to and including death simply for believing. As the battle over the persecution of Christians worldwide rages so does the need for information for those who are not yet on the more violent front lines.

Voice of the Martyrs is a non-profit, interdenominational ministry working worldwide to help Christians who are persecuted for their faith and to educate the world about that persecution. You can stay abreast of these issues by subscribing to their online newsletter or email updates at http://www.persecution.com/.

Direct link to the article from which this posting is heavily excerpted on World Net Daily here.