Forum 18 Search/Archive: "This article was published by F18News on: 13 November 2008
AZERBAIJAN: New excuses for mosque closure, new raid on Jehovah's Witnesses
By Felix Corley, Forum 18 News Service
Azerbaijan continues to obstruct religious worship, Forum 18 News Service has found. Police in the capital Baku have put forward new claims as to why the Abu-Bekr mosque cannot be reopened. The latest police claims, for which no evidence has been produced, are that there is a threat of terrorist attack, that local people object to the mosque, and that it was built illegally. However, Deputy Police Chief Alekper Ismailov claimed to Forum 18 that that the authorities do not want to keep the mosque closed. A nationwide 'temporary' ban on praying outside mosques also remains in force. Separately, Baku police have also raided a legal Jehovah's Witness meeting for worship, confiscated legally imported literature, and detained two people for five hours as part of a 'passport check.' Police Chief Firuddin Jamalov initially claimed to Forum 18 that 'it was not us', but in the face of evidence changed his claim to 'this is not the subject of a phone conversation.' Meanwhile, the trial of Baptist pastor Hamid Shabanov is due to resume in Zakatala on 17 November."
