Azamat became a Christian in the early days of Uzbekistan’s independence, soon after the 1991 collapse of the Soviet Union, when, he says, the country ‘was a much freer place than it is now’.
Azamat, now in his 40s with a wife and two children, talks about his long-running battle to keep his church going under severe oppression from the authorities.
‘I was born a Muslim, but I had some Christian friends. They had converted to Christianity. At first, they had been like me, drank and smoked, but they changed.’
Christmas party
Azamat attended a Christmas party they invited him to. There were children and adults from very different backgrounds. They sang Christmas songs and recited poems.
People prayed for Azamat at the party and, although he soon wanted to know more about Christianity, he wouldn’t read a Bible.
Soon after, Azamat became sick with terrible stomach pains. He went to another party where Christians prayed he would be healed, but it made no difference. He went for tests, but was told he was healthy and only wanting an excuse not to work.
Azamat decided to pray that night, making a commitment to Christianity, and his stomach pains went.
The secret comes out
The first few months, he hid his Bible and said nothing about his faith to his parents. But his life changed when he was robbed on the way home from a Christian conference.
‘I had to tell my parents where I had been and what had happened. They were unhappy, to say the least, and the word about my faith quickly spread. Even my parents were harassed for my faith. People swore at us on the street. Sometimes people would throw rocks at our house.’
Azamat joined his friends’ church, but the congregation shrank when some German members decided to move back home.
Three students who used to belong to the church went to a Bible school, and Azamat hoped that one of them would return to lead the church. But someone in the church told Azamat that he should lead, despite his lack of theological training. He accepted the role, and the church grew to more than 100 people.
Police notice growing church
The Uzbek authorities noticed the membership growth. Police and security officials raided the church when Azamat wasn’t there.
A policeman told him the following day: ‘I’ve closed 13 mosques already. I will close your church too.’
He was then summoned to the station daily, because they said someone ‘needed to be punished’. Police tried to force him to write a statement about the church and why the members met.
‘I knew it was a trap and the police would use it against me in court, so I refused. They wanted to know how often we met, how big our meetings were, and what we discussed. They threatened to put me in jail for 15 days. In the end, I wasn’t sent to prison, but our church registration was withdrawn. This meant that our church was officially closed.’
Azamat and the other leaders decided to meet in small groups in homes instead.
Not long after the official closure of the church, he was abducted while walking home. He was forced into a car and driven for half a kilometre, then he was dragged out of the car onto a deserted street and beaten.
Azamat said: ‘I couldn’t talk to them. It hurt so much. I felt so much fear and hatred. They beat and kicked me for seven minutes.’
When he got home, he was alone. Azamat sat on the grass and broke down in tears. ‘That month, ever since the police had raided the church service, had been so stressful. And now this happened. When my wife and children came home, I didn’t tell them anything. I still haven’t told my wife about what happened that day. I don’t want her to panic. I only shared my story with a handful of leaders in our church,’ he says.
Underground work
When Azamat’s church closed he decided to start up special house groups for children, teenagers and youth, even though teaching religion to children in Uzbekistan is forbidden. Azamat continues his ‘underground’ work in poor health. He has constant headaches and needs surgery on his nose because he can’t breathe properly, he says.
‘The last time I was questioned by the police, I thought I should just give up. I wanted to sign a paper that said I wouldn’t serve as a pastor anymore. But I didn’t give up.’
Today, other nationalities are still allowed to openly practice Christianity, but Uzbek Christians run a high risk of being jailed for their faith and their persecution is predicted to become ‘even worse’ under the country’s new leader, Shavkat Mirziyoyev.
