Azerbaijan: 6-year-old gives booklet about Jesus to classmates, cops raid home, seize Chris material

**wvwvw** · 07-12-2019, 06:13 AM

Azerbaijan: 6-year-old gives booklet about Jesus to classmates, cops raid home, seize Christian material

Young boy’s gift of Christian books to classmates leads to massive fines for parents
July 3, 2019

A six-year-old boy who took Christian booklets to school as gifts for classmates landed his parents in trouble with authorities in Azerbaijan.

The boy’s act led to the head teacher calling the police who then raided the parents’ home, seizing Bibles, Christian pamphlets and CDs of worship songs.

The police also discovered that, on New Year’s Eve 2018, the Christian couple, Safqan and Gulnar Mammadov, had held a Christian event for children at their home and that twelve youngsters had each received a party gift of sweets and a picture book about the birth of Jesus.

A pastor who was present at the party was also interrogated by police, who later searched his home and seized all the items of Christian literature they could find.

The couple were charged with possessing religious literature that did not bear a government “control mark” and holding a children’s meeting in violation of a law that relates to punishing “clergy and members of religious associations holding special meetings for children and young people”.

The Mammadovs were each fined 1,500 manats (£700; €785; $880) on 16 April, which is more than three months’ average wages for salaried work in Azerbaijan.

Their appeals against the fines were rejected on 4 June by the Shirvan Appeal Court.

“The court hearing lasted only 10 minutes and issued an unfair decision,” said a Christian familiar with the case. The couple may now make a direct appeal to President Ilham Aliyev….

https://www.keepthefaith.co.uk/2019/...s-for-parents/

**wvwvw** · 07-12-2019, 06:16 AM

Azerbajzan is 94% Muslim and only 3% Christian–this is how Muslim-majority countries treat religious minorities.

However Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, adopted in 1948, states that:

Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and IMPART INFORMATION and IDEAS through any media and regardless of frontiers.