State Department about Religious freedom in Azerbaijan

Washington/30.05.18/Turan: Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor of the State Department has published International Religious Freedom Report for 2017

The Executive summary of the report reads: The constitution stipulates the separation of state and religion and equality of all religions. It also protects the right of individuals to express their religious beliefs and practice religious rituals, provided these do not violate public order or public morality. The law prohibits the government from interfering in religious activities, but it also states the government and citizens have a responsibility to combat "religious extremism" and "radicalism."

The law specifies the government may dissolve religious organizations if they cause racial, national, religious, or social animosity; proselytize in a way that "degrades human dignity;" and hinder secular education. In June the law was amended to allow foreigners invited by registered religious groups to conduct religious services. Local human rights groups and others stated that the government continued to physically abuse, arrest, and imprison religious activists. The reported total incarcerated at the end of the year was 80, compared with 86 in 2016.

In January and December courts sentenced leaders of the Muslim Unity Movement and others arrested in a 2015 police operation in Nardaran to long prison terms on charges many activists considered fabricated, including inciting religious hatred and terrorism. In July authorities sentenced a theologian to three years in prison for performing a religious ceremony after studying Islam abroad. Authorities detained, fined, or warned numerous individuals for holding unauthorized religious meetings.

According to religious groups, the government continued to deny or delay registration to minority religious groups it considered "nontraditional," disrupting their religious services and fining participants. Groups previously registered but which authorities required to reregister continued to face obstacles in doing so.

Authorities permitted some of these groups to operate freely, but others reported difficulties in trying to practice their faith. Local religious experts stated the government continued to close mosques on the pretext of repairing them but said the actual reason was government concerns the mosques served as places for the propagation of extremist views.

The government continued to control the importation, distribution, and sale of religious materials. The courts fined numerous individuals for the unauthorized sale or distribution of religious materials, although some individuals had their fines revoked on appeal. The government sponsored training sessions throughout the country to promote religious tolerance and combat what it considered religious extremism.

Local religious experts and civil society representatives stated societal tolerance continued for traditional minority religious groups, including Jews, Russian Orthodox, and Catholics; however, citizens often viewed with suspicion and mistrust groups that many considered nontraditional. A limited public debate took place on social media over the proper place of religion in public life after a draft of an alleged "creationist" textbook was posted online; subsequently the Ministry of Education modified the passages offensive to secular leaning academics.

The U.S. Ambassador and embassy officers met regularly with officials from the State Committee for Work with Religious Associations (SCWRA) and other government officials and urged the government to address longstanding issues with the registration process for religious communities and to improve its treatment of religious groups still facing difficulties fulfilling the requirements for reregistration. The Ambassador and embassy officers also continued discussions on obstacles to registration and the importation of religious materials with religious leaders and representatives of nongovernmental organizations (NGOs). The Ambassador and embassy spokespersons issued public statements urging the government and society to uphold religious tolerance and acceptance.-0-