SLAVIC GOSPEL ASSOCIATION

Azerbaijan Pastor Imprisoned

Evangelical church leaders in the former Soviet republic of Azerbaijan are asking for urgent prayer in connection with the case of 44-year-old Rev. Zaur Balaev, a Baptist pastor in a rural village in Azerbaijan's far north. An Azeri court has sentenced Pastor Balaev to two years in prison without possibility of parole after his conviction on what church leaders say are trumped up, false charges.

On May 20, 2007, police raided Pastor Balaev's church during a worship service and ordered a halt to the proceedings. The congregants left as ordered, but two hours later, the police returned and arrested Pastor Balaev. They charged the frail Balaev with beating up five policemen, damaging a police car and conducting illegal meetings without state registration. According to evangelical church leaders and witnesses at the scene, these accusations are totally false.

Our church brothers tell us that village authorities had made several attempts to close the church on the pretext that the church is not registered. However, it is almost impossible to register a church in Azerbaijan, even though the congregation belongs to the national Union of Evangelical Christians-Baptists (UECB). There are 22 UECB churches in the country, and only three of them have been registered.

There are also deep concerns over Pastor Balaev's health. He has problems with his heart and kidneys, which could well be exacerbated by the harsh conditions in Azeri prisons. As have other believers, this faithful brother is having to endure oppressive heat in prison, along with the cruel taunts and other possible abuse of the prison guards. Church leaders are asking believers worldwide to pray for Zaur Balaev, and are pledging to do everything in their power to seek his release. They have launched appeals to a higher court. Next, if necessary, they plan to appeal to the Azerbaijan Supreme Court, and will follow up as needed with an appeal to the European Court of Justice. Pending these appeals, Pastor Balaev is being held in a detention center, and will be remanded to prison if his appeals are not successful. Meanwhile, the church continues, being led by a deacon, and meeting in the Balaev home.

This is yet another example of how oppression of believers is increasing, and doors are closing for ministry in many areas of the former Soviet Union.

Pastor Balaev has a wife and two children. Zaur's imprisonment will mean great hardship for the family, as he raised produce in the fields to support them. Their church members are mostly made up of retirees, with only eight people employed and even that providing only limited income. The Balaevs need a minimum of $200 a month to make ends meet.