JEHOVAH'S WITNESSES' LITERATURE SEIZED, MEMBER INTERROGATED

C O N F I D E N T I A L DUSHANBE 000790 SIPDIS SIPDIS STATE FOR SCA/CEN, DRL E.O. 12958: DECL: 6/4/2017 TAGS: PGOV PREL PHUM KIRF TI SUBJECT: JEHOVAH'S WITNESSES' LITERATURE SEIZED, MEMBER INTERROGATED REF: DUSHANBE 623 CLASSIFIED BY: Tracey A. Jacobson, Ambassador, U.S. Embassy Dushanbe, STATE. REASON: 1.4 (b),(d) ¶1. (C) Tajikistan's Jehovah's Witnesses face increased pressure from the Tajik government and fear their recent problems may signal the government's move to shut down the religious group entirely (reftel). On April 26, State Committee on National Security officials prohibited customs authorities from releasing a container from Germany with over three tons of religious materials including books, brochures, and DVDs. Jehovah's Witnesses Valeri Dudayev and James Hwang painted a grim picture of recent activities to PolOff May 31. ¶2. (C) On April 26, State Committee on National Security officials called in two Jehovah's Witnesses, Suhrob Ibraghimov and Vladimir Aderhayev, for five hours of questioning. Afterwards Ibraghimov told Jehovah's Witnesses that during the interrogation, officials delivered a strong punch to his upper body. They accused him of working for the United States and Germany and ordered him to change his religion. Ibraghimov is ethnic Uzbek and Aderhayev is ethnic Ossetian; both are Tajikistan nationals. ¶3. (C) Two Jehovah's Witnesses lawyers from the Almaty chapter met with the State Committee on National Security May 10. When they requested a meeting with the Chairman or Deputy Chairman, officials declined, saying that the high officials will never meet with the Jehovah's Witnesses. The officials demanded a list of countries assisting Jehovah's Witnesses, a list of members, bank account statements and other documents. The Committee members said that they plan on burning all the imported materials and would inform the Jehovah's Witnesses when they have done so. To date, Jehovah's Witnesses believe the materials have not yet been destroyed. ¶4. (SBU) On May 10 and 24 Jehovah's Witnesses filed official letters with the Ministry of Security and Tajik Customs asking for an explanation for the confiscation of materials. The group insisted that it had filed all the necessary documents and obtained receipts for all fees paid to customs authorities. Jehovah's Witnesses had been permitted to import religious literature for 14 years with only minor problems. In May 2006 local police stopped a Jehovah's Witnesses truck full of religious materials but released it within three hours. ¶5. (C) Tajikistan's local Jehovah's Witnesses chapter is considering appealing the problem to its United States chapter as well as other countries. Because a German company supplied the literature, Dudayev said that Jehovah's Witnesses in Germany have informed the German government. PolOff suggested that Jehovah's Witnesses also inform other international organizations and diplomatic missions in Dushanbe who are regular champions of religious freedom. For now, the group is waiting for an official response to its May letters to the government, although they realize a response may never come. In the meantime, another shipment, sent from Germany before these problems surfaced is en route. ¶6. (C) COMMENT: The State Committee on National Security did not explain why they confiscated the religious materials or questioned the Jehovah's Witnesses. This particular Jehovah's Witnesses case is the latest in a string of recent interrogations by security officials of members of Christian groups with some connection to foreigners. Intimidation and harassment is the tactic of choice to discourage Christian groups from proselytizing. Although past cases involved intimidation, the physical abuse of Ibraghimov is the first report we have heard of violence. Post will continue to raise these specific incidents as a negative trends toward restriction of religious freedom, and will send a diplomatic note to the government officially registering our concern. END COMMENT. JACOBSON