Uzbek court fines religious center for legal violations

Tashkent, Uzbekistan - The Tashkent regional court has fined activists of the Christians of the Full Gospel center for the violation of a bill on freedom of conscience and religious organizations, the court told Interfax.

Andrei Shishkin, a businessman and an activist of the center, was ordered to pay 470,000 sum (1,226.63 sum/$1).

The court said that the religious center registered in Tashkent organized vacations for 70 activists on the territory of the Lakokrasochnyi camp on the territory of the Tashkent forest farm. "Shishkin was the senior despite not having a special religious education. The so-called holidaymakers held Bible hours and two lessons that lasted for eight hours. Then they would do homework for another two hours. Thus, the center violated the law that provides that religious ceremonies can only be held on special territory designated for that purpose," the court said.

"In addition, representatives of the center tried to distribute religious literature among the local residents, the majority of whom profess Islam," the court said.