State Department Noted Violation of Religious Rights in Azerbaijan

The U.S. State Department released an annual report on the world situation with regard to religious rights. In respect of Azerbaijan, it reported pressure on members of non-traditional religious groups, such as the restriction of activities of the Jehovah's Witnesses community and a number of Muslim groups.

Representatives of non-traditional religious groups are faced with the pressure of the police, fines, secret trials and other forms of abuse.

" In Azerbaijan people are arrested for religion and there are restrictions on religious activities, including the distribution and sale of religious literature ", - the report says.

On May 12 in Ganja, a meeting of "Seventh-day Adventists" was dispersed and its members were fined.

In Baku, "the Blazing Sun" a religious publishing house, was closed and the employees arrested for 5 days.

In Hachmaz the police detained and threatened three Baptists, who conducted religious propaganda.

Azan (Muslim singing in mosques, calling people to prayer) is banned in a number of places. Several mosques remain closed - the Mosque of Martyrs, a Sunni mosque in Ganja and the mosque Fatima Zahra in the village of Yeni Guneshli. -03D06-