Jehovah’s Witnesses Call for End to Unjust Detention in Azerbaijan
Jehovah’s
Witnesses are calling on international authorities to speak out against
the unjust detention of Irina Zakharchenko and Valida Jabrayilova. The
two women have been in jail since February 17, 2015, when the Sabail
District Court sentenced them to three months of pretrial detention for
alleged unauthorized distribution of religious literature. The court
recently extended their detention by two more months.
Peaceable Women Treated as Dangerous Criminals
On December 5,
2014, Ms. Zakharchenko and Ms. Jabrayilova were talking to the residents
of an apartment complex in Baku about their Bible-based beliefs when
police stopped them. The police released the women after a few hours,
but investigators repeatedly summoned them for interrogation. On
February 17, 2015, agents of the Ministry of National Security (MNS)
unexpectedly brought the women to a closed hearing to be criminally
charged. The judge characterized them as a “threat to the public” in
order to justify their pretrial detention. Immediately, the MNS jailed
the women at its headquarters, pictured above.
Since then, agents
of the MNS conducted an extensive search of their homes, confiscating
religious literature, personal notebooks, a laptop, and a mobile phone.
The court has dismissed every appeal on behalf of the women and refuses
to grant house arrest as a replacement for pretrial detention.
Great Concern for Health and Well-Being
Lawyers, family,
and friends are concerned for the state of health and well-being of the
two women, which they believe is worsening. Ms. Zakharchenko is 55 years
old. Doctors classify her as being 80 percent disabled because of
severe arthritis and a previous injury to her right leg.
There is
particular concern about the women’s emotional health. The MNS allows
only their attorneys to visit them. Relatives can forward necessary
items such as clothes, medicines, and soap only once a month. In an
effort to offer comfort, family members have tried to provide them with a
Bible, but the MNS has refused permission.
Will Azerbaijan Move to Show Religious Tolerance?
As part of the
investigation of Ms. Zakharchenko and Ms. Jabrayilova, the MNS has
summoned and interrogated at least 20 other Witnesses and searched at
least ten homes. Additionally, officials representing the MNS, agents of
the State Committee for Work with Religious Associations, and the
police searched the Kingdom Hall where the women worship.
Since
Azerbaijan’s authorities have offered them no alternative, Jehovah’s
Witnesses have applied to the Office of the High Commissioner for Human
Rights and contacted a number of international organizations to call
attention to Azerbaijan’s unjust detention and treatment of
Ms. Zakharchenko and Ms. Jabrayilova. Azerbaijan has made international
commitments to promote human rights and fundamental freedoms and prides
itself in its claim of being a country of religious tolerance.
Jehovah’s
Witnesses respectfully request that the government of Azerbaijan honor
its human rights obligations and permit the Witnesses to worship in
peace. They appeal to the government of Azerbaijan to release these
innocent women immediately.