Source: www.forum18.org
Date: December 6, 2024
https://www.forum18.org/archiv
By Mushfig Bayram, Forum 18
On 25 April 2024, two buildings under construction belonging to Urgench
Council of Churches Baptists were ordered to be destroyed and were
partially demolished. The demolition was halted after protests, but the
Baptists were not permitted to repair the damage or complete the
construction of the buildings. Regime officials stated, though, that they
are "determined to complete the demolition sooner or later". This threat is
now being carried out.
On 4 December, Bailiffs came with police and demolition vehicles and
equipment to destroy the buildings. By 5 December most of the roof, walls,
and floors of the Baptist Church were destroyed. The regime is "intent on
tearing down the second building after finishing the destruction of the
first building", Baptists said (see below).
On 2 December, the person Baptists bought the land for their Church from
received a letter from Dovron Aitov of Urgench Bailiffs Department that the
Department will demolish the buildings, Baptists who wish to remain
anonymous for fear of state reprisals told Forum 18. None of the other
owners of buildings on adjoining land bought from him are being threatened
with demolition (see below).
Local Baptists told Forum 18 that both the buildings, one of which was
close to completion for use as a church, are one-storey buildings which are
each about 270 square meters (2,900 square feet) in area. Local Baptists
insist to Forum 18 that they want the demolition stopped and their
buildings restored, so they can use them to meet for worship (see below).
Neither Bailiff Aitov, nor Khorasm Regional Bailiffs Department, nor the
Land Cadastre Department answered their phones whenever Forum 18 called
between 5 and 6 December (see below).
Tashkent's Shaykhontohur District's Muhammad Ismoil Mosque, known locally
as the Imam al-Bukhari Mosque, is also being demolished at the same time as
the Urgench Baptist Church. The building is being demolished by an unknown
company or person with the full co-operation of the regime, Muslims who
wished to remain anonymous for fear of state reprisals told Forum 18.
Sometimes the Mosque had as many as 2,000 Muslims coming to worship before
it was closed, local Muslims told Forum 18. The Mosque is a roughly 25
metre (27 yard) high brick building, which is about 900 meters (9,700
square feet) in area, local Muslims said. Demolition of the Mosque began on
27 November, witnesses told Forum 18.
By 5 December almost half of the Mosque building - including most of the
walls, roof, and dome - had been demolished. Local Muslims have insisted to
Forum 18 that they want the demolition stopped and their Mosque restored,
so they can use it to meet for worship (see below).
The Imam al-Bukhari Mosque was opened in 1995 but forcibly closed by the
regime in 2009. Police "without giving any explanation came one day and
told the Imam that the Mosque will be closed down." One of the Muslims
stated that "we were not happy, but local police falsely told local
residents that the Mosque will reopen soon." Another Muslim told Forum 18
that "we all were very unhappy our Mosque was closed down in 2009, and we
made many official complaints to the authorities." Local police visited the
mahalla several times after the complaints to talk to residents. "Each time
they promised that it would reopen. Just be patient, they told us. But they
were lying" (see below).
Tashkent Administration in 2016 transferred the mosque and its land to a
car wash company, which in 2022 sold it on to an unknown person or company.
Demolition workers in December 2024 also refused to reveal the identity of
the new owner to local residents, but said that a business centre will be
built on the land (see below).
The new owner also attempted to demolish the Mosque in 2023, but did not do
this after local residents wrote many complaints to local prosecutors and
the Prosecutor General's Office (see below).
A human rights defender, who asked to remain anonymous for fear of state
reprisals, linked the demolition of Tashkent's Shaykhontohur District Imam
al-Bukhari Mosque to Prime Minister Abdulla Aripov's June 2024 statement
threatening to confiscate mosques for business use. "This could have
encouraged the owner to demolish the Mosque now," the human rights defender
told Forum 18 on 5 December. Muslims, who asked to remain anonymous for
fear of state reprisals, have told Forum 18 that they have observed that
the demolition is being carried out with the full co-operation of the
police (see below).
No official answered their phones whenever Forum 18 called between 5 and 6
December.
Urgench Baptist Church's buildings being demolished
On 25 April 2024, two buildings under construction belonging to Urgench
Council of Churches Baptists were ordered to be destroyed
(https://www.forum18.org/archi
demolished. The demolition was halted after protests, but they are not
being permitted to repair the damage
(https://www.forum18.org/archi
construction of the buildings, local Baptists told Forum 18 on 21 November.
Regime officials stated, though, that they are "determined to complete the
demolition sooner or later"
(https://www.forum18.org/archi
being carried out (see below).
Local Baptists told Forum 18 that both the buildings, one of which was
close to completion for use as a church, are one-storey buildings which are
each about 270 square meters (2,900 square feet) in area.
Khorezm Regional Administration officials, and Zafarbek Khojaniyazov of the
Land Cadastre Department (who is responsible for dealing with complaints),
did not answer their phones whenever Forum 18 contacted them between 21 and
25 November. So Forum 18 was not able to ask them why they are refusing to
give permission (https://www.forum18.org/archi
the Baptists to repair the damage the regime has caused and complete the
construction work.
The Baptists bought a plot of land from local resident Atajan Kurbanov in
Shakkasholikor village of Urgench District on the southern edge of the
city's airport in early 2023. Kurbanov sold part of the land to the
Baptists and the rest to other people. Many of the purchasers then
constructed buildings on their newly-acquired land. Baptists bought the
land and constructed the buildings with donations from fellow believers.
"We have all the legal papers that we can construct the buildings on the
land," local Baptist Konstantin Kim told Forum 18 in August 2024
(https://www.forum18.org/archi
Yet, on 2 December, Kurbanov received a letter from Dovron Aitov of Urgench
Bailiffs Department that the Department will demolish the buildings,
Baptists who wish to remain anonymous for fear of state reprisals told
Forum 18 on 5 December. None of the other owners of buildings on adjoining
land bought from Kurbanov are being threatened with demolition. On 4
December, Bailiffs came with police and demolition vehicles and equipment
to destroy the building.
By 5 December most of the roof, walls, and floors of the Baptist Church
were destroyed. The regime is "intent on tearing down the second building
after finishing the destruction of the first building", Baptists added.
Local Baptists insist to Forum 18 that they want the demolition stopped and
their buildings restored, so they can use them to meet for worship.
Neither Bailiff Aitov nor Khorezm Regional Bailiffs Department answered
their phones whenever Forum 18 rang between 5 and 6 December.
Khojaniyazov of the Land Cadastre Department (who is responsible for
dealing with complaints) also did not answer his phone whenever Forum 18
called between 5 and 6 December.
Tashkent's Shaykhontohur District's Imam al-Bukhari Mosque also being
demolished
Tashkent's Shaykhontohur District's Imam al-Bukhari Mosque, on the inner
ring road to the west of the city centre, is being demolished by an unknown
company or person with the full co-operation of the regime, Muslims who
wished to remain anonymous for fear of state reprisals told Forum 18.
Demolition of the Muhammad Ismoil Mosque, known locally as the Imam
al-Bukhari Mosque, began on 27 November, witnesses told Forum 18. By 5
December almost half of the Mosque building including most of the walls,
roof, and dome had been demolished.
Local Muslims insist to Forum 18 that they want the demolition stopped and
their Mosque restored, so they can use it to meet for worship.
Mosque opened in 1995, forcibly closed in 2009
The Muhammad Ismoil (Imam al-Bukhari) Mosque was recognised by the
state-controlled Religious Affairs Committee
(https://www.forum18.org/archi
the Tashkent Justice Department registered the Mosque on 15 April 1999. The
Religious Affairs Committee appointed an imam for the Mosque in 1995, Imam
Muhammad Rakhmonov who was from the same mahalla (local district) as the
Mosque.
"Respected elders of our mahalla spent their own money to buy the land in
1991 and paid for the construction of the Mosque," local Muslims, who asked
to remain anonymous for fear of state reprisals, told Forum 18 on 4
December 2024. They stated that sometimes the Mosque had as many as 2,000
Muslims coming to worship. The Mosque is a roughly 25 metre (27 yard) high
L-shaped brick building, on a 900 square meters (9,700 square feet) site,
local Muslims said.
However, in 2009 the regime forcibly closed the Mosque. Police "without
giving any explanation came one day and told the Imam that the Mosque will
be closed down". One of the Muslims stated that "we were not happy, but
local police falsely told local residents that the Mosque will reopen
soon." Another Muslim told Forum 18 that "we all were very unhappy our
Mosque was closed down in 2009, and we made many official complaints to the
authorities."
Local police visited the mahalla several times after the complaints to talk
to residents. "Each time they promised that it would reopen. Just be
patient, they told us. But they were lying."
Transfer to car wash company, then sold on to unknown owner
Tashkent Administration on 23 September 2016 transferred the mosque and its
land to a car wash company. The owner of the company told Forum 18 on 4
December that in 2022 he sold the land and Mosque to another person. When
Forum 18 asked the car wash company's owner how Tashkent Administration
could give him the Mosque and its land, and who the person he sold it to
is, he did not answer and put the phone down.
Local residents told Forum 18 that they know of this 2022 sale, but do not
know the identity of the new owner. Demolition workers in December 2024
also refused to reveal the identity of the new owner to local residents,
but said that a business centre will be built on the land.
The new owner also attempted to demolish the Mosque in 2023, but did not do
this after local residents wrote many complaints to local prosecutors and
the Prosecutor General's Office.
In written 2023 replies (which Forum 18 has seen), both Tashkent Deputy
Prosecutor, E. Inamjanov and City Prosecutor Erkin Yuldashev claimed that
Tashkent Administration's decisions are lawful as no claims were made about
the ownership of the land and building in due time. Both Prosecutors stated
that Shaykhontohur Inter-District Civil Court on 14 February 2011
confiscated the land and the Mosque building for the state.
Neither the Prosecutor General's Office, nor Tashkent Prosecutor's Office,
answered their phones whenever Forum 18 called between 5 and 6 December
2024.
Abdurakhim Kadyrov of the Religious Affairs Committee
(https://www.forum18.org/archi
for work with Mosques confirmed to Forum 18 on 29 November that the Mosque
was registered until 2009, when its registration was revoked. He would not
explain why the Committee has done nothing to help the Mosque or stop the
demolition. "Those decisions were made not by us but by Tashkent
Administration. You need to talk to them," he claimed.
Neither Tashkent Administration nor Shaykhontohur District Administration
answered their phones whenever Forum 18 called between 3 and 6 December.
In another Tashkent place of worship demolition case, it was suggested
confidentially to Forum 18 that corruption may have been a factor in a
long-threatened demolition by a private company of Tashkent's Ashkenazi
Synagogue. No official was willing to explain how a company could be handed
property that belongs to a religious organisation whose ownership is
recorded on the State Land Registry. The threat to the synagogue was only
withdrawn in August 2020
(https://www.forum18.org/archi
attracted international attention.
Corruption has long been endemic
(https://www.uzbekforum.org/ca
country, including in relation to freedom of religion or belief violations
(https://www.forum18.org/archi
to discuss corruption as a factor in the human rights violations they
experience, yet there appears to be a strong connection between human
rights violations and corruption
(https://www.equalrightstrust.
Prime Minister orders mosques to be seized, demolished, handed over to
business use
On 24 June 2024, Prime Minister Abdulla Aripov ordered the seizure and
possible demolition (https://www.forum18.org/archi
of more than 400 unregistered mosques and houses, built by residents but
not registered with the Justice Ministry. Some of the buildings to be
seized were to be given to entrepreneurs for commercial use.
In mid-July, a State Security Service
(https://www.forum18.org/archi
officer and an official of the local Administration's Religious Affairs
Department came to Abu Zar Mosque in Yangiyul District of Tashkent Region.
They said that as the Mosque is not functioning
(https://www.forum18.org/archi
over for business use. A local Muslim linked the move to the Prime
Minister's reported 24 June order that unregistered Mosques should be
demolished or handed over for business use.
Abu Zar Mosque, built with state permission, functioned from the 1990s. The
regime closed the mosque in 2007 and it has not functioned since then,
despite campaigns by local Muslims to reopen it
(https://www.forum18.org/archi
When Forum 18 in April pointed out to Jakhongir Azomkhanov, Tashkent
Regional Administration's official overseeing freedom of religion or belief
issues, that the Abu Zar Mosque was built by the mosque community who would
like to pray every day in their own mosque, and that travel to other
mosques can be difficult, Azomkhanov did not address those points. On 21
November he refused to speak to Forum 18
(https://www.forum18.org/archi
forced closure of the Mosque.
Why is Imam al-Bukhari Mosque being demolished now?
A human rights defender, who asked to remain anonymous for fear of state
reprisals, linked the demolition of Tashkent's Shaykhontohur District Imam
al-Bukhari Mosque to Prime Minister Abdulla Aripov's latest statement about
confiscating mosques for business use. "This could have encouraged the
owner to demolish the Mosque now," they told Forum 18 on 5 December.
Muslims, who asked to remain anonymous for fear of state reprisals, told
Forum 18 that they have observed that the demolition is being carried out
with the full co-operation of the police.
Prime Minister Aripov's Office did not answer their phones whenever Forum
18 called between 5 December and 6 December.
Local Muslims have insist to Forum 18 that they want the demolition stopped
and their Mosque restored, so they can use it to meet for worship. (END)
More reports on freedom of thought, conscience and belief in Uzbekistan
(https://www.forum18.org/archi
For background information, see Forum 18's Uzbekistan religious freedom
survey (https://www.forum18.org/archi
Forum 18's compilation of Organisation for Security and Co-operation in
Europe (OSCE) freedom of religion or belief commitments
(https://www.forum18.org/archi
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