WRITTEN QUESTION E-2486/03 by Maurizio Turco (NI) to the Commission. Violation of religious freedom in Uzbekistan with respect to Adventists and members of the Asia Protestant Church.
Date: 2003-07-25
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: EU relations, Uzbekistan, cooperation agreement (EU), freedom of religious beliefs, religious discrimination

C 88 E/414

Official Journal of the European Union

EN

8.4.2004

The international community must also work with the Government to ensure that the new Constitution
enshrines Human Rights for all, including women, and that these are enforced through the judicial system.
The Commission is contributing to the Law and Order trust fund and to the justice sector. This will help
finance judicial reform and ensure that laws are implemented effectively.

(2004/C 88 E/0420)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-2486/03

by Maurizio Turco (NI) to the Commission

(25 July 2003)

Subject: Violation of religious freedom in Uzbekistan with respect to Adventists and members of the Asia

Protestant Church

Given that:

(cid:1) five months after a raid on their small congregation in Nukus, capital of Karakalpakstan, an
autonomous republic in north-western Uzbekistan, and more than two months after being fined, a
group of Adventists has been summoned to appear in court in Nukus on 20 July 2003.

(cid:1) the Nukus Prosecutor, Sultan Ibragimov, is refusing to provide any information on the reasons for this

summons.

(cid:1) the official responsible for religious affairs, Nurula Jamalov, has admitted that the material confiscated

from the Adventists during the raid will not be distributed in Uzbekistan.

(cid:1) on 21 June 2003 Nelya Denisova, a member of the Asia Protestant Church, was questioned for four
hours by an official of the National Security Service (formerly KGB). The NSS has forbidden her to
divulge what was said at the interrogation.

(cid:1) the Asia Protestant Church has not yet succeeded in obtaining the registration which would allow it to
operate legally on the grounds that Article 8 of Uzbekistan’s Law on Religion requires pastors to
receive specific religious training.

In view of the excellent economic and trade relations between the European Union and Uzbekistan, will
the Commission state:

(cid:1) whether it is aware of the serious and repeated violations of religious freedom in Uzbekistan and of

the above incidents?

(cid:1) what measures could,

in its view, be taken within this cooperation framework as a serious and

effective means of encouraging Uzbekistan to respect religious freedom?

(2004/C 88 E/0421)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-2487/03

by Maurizio Turco (NI) to the Commission

(25 July 2003)

Subject: Violations of religious freedom in Turkmenistan and protection of Muslim and Russian Orthodox

communities

Given that:

(cid:1) on 27 May 2003, an operational group from the Ashgabad city division of the Ministry of the Interior
raided the home of a Hare Krishna female devotee, Gaurabhakta Devi Dasi, whose home was used as a
place of worship.

(cid:1) during the raid, two other devotees, Varshana Prabhu and Mishra Bhagavan Prabhu, were arrested. In
attempting to extract information from Mishra Bhagavan, the police beat him so hard that they drew
blood.