Representing the Union of Evangelical Christians-Baptists of RussiaAn Interview with Imprisoned Pastor Zaur Balaev
As we reported previously (see links at end), pastor Zaur Balaev of Azerbaijan was sentenced last year to two years in prison after conviction on what church officials say are false charges of resisting arrest. Last May, police had shut down a worship service Balaev was leading, calling it illegal. They returned to the church later and arrested the frail pastor, later accusing him of beating up five police officers.
We now have a brief update from Ilya Zenchenko, general secretary of the Azeri Union of Evangelical Christians-Baptists, who recently was able to visit pastor Balaev in prison.
Q: How do you feel?
A: Spiritually, I am in the rich and gracious love of God for “I am one whom Jesus loves.” I am hoping for God’s help. Sometimes I associate myself with Job: I don’t deny Him, but I sometimes express myself sincerely in complaint to God and then ask for His forgiveness.
Physically, My body is suffering tortuous pain. I walk like a car that sometimes works and sometimes doesn’t. Six months in the cell has left its mark upon me. My heart bothers me, my hands and legs are suffering from arthritis due to dampness and bad blood circulation. My kidneys hurt (I had to sleep on wooden planks on a metal bed). My eyesight has become very bad.
I often come down with colds, flu, and other viruses due to unsanitary conditions. We are cooking and eating in the dirt with rats and cockroaches. We live among those who have AIDS, tuberculosis, etc. We literally eat and live in the bathroom.
Q: What is the attitude of the other inmates?
A: They respect me, which is all due to Jesus! The general sentiment in the prison is that I am a respected man by virtue of my being sentenced under statute 315.1. I am respected because I am considered to be a scholar (i.e., someone who is literate). They respect me because I live as a believer, don’t swear, try to do good, don’t sin, and therefore they call me “Holy Father.” They respect me for my family support and brothers (in prison they don’t like those who are poor).
Q: What is the attitude of the prison administration?
A: They are very skeptical because of my sentence under 315.1, because I am a Baptist, and one who spreads Christianity. They call me in for interrogations, watching every step and word I say before their agents. Just like a circus bear, I always have to feed them with money so that they do not undertake evil against me and do not malign me.
Q: Do you witness?
A: Yes, but I have to speak about Jesus very carefully. To some I have given Christian books and New Testaments.
Q: Are there any believers among the inmates or administration?
A: Unfortunately not yet; there are only Muslims and fundamental Wahhabis (a Muslim sect).
Q: How are the living conditions?
A: In the prison system, everything is done in such a way that they squeeze out of you every last “drop of juice.” They do everything to get the last penny from each inmate. Now I will describe the living conditions of a sick inmate, not a healthy one, since I am sick with a heart condition and many other ailments.
Here in prison, they say that the healthy will leave the prison sick, and those who are sick will leave the prison dead. Therefore, I can only rely on the great help of God and just as great skill for survival.
They kept me in a prison cell for over five months, and the cell conditions are very bad. The floor is concrete; some cells are in the basement and are very damp with a constant smell from the toilet; there is no ventilation and it is very hard to breathe. If you want them to open the doors and provide a little ventilation, you have to pay. As to smoke, all the inmates are smoking 24/7.
There are bad metal beds with thin and dirty mattresses, and from these beds everyone gets kidney aches. The conditions in the cell are completely unsanitary, and as a result, we often come down with flu or dysentery.
As a sick inmate, I had to pay for them to put me in a cell with those who have tuberculosis because they have slightly better living conditions: the floor is wooden and the cell is on the second floor. I always have to pay respects to the doctor so that he doesn’t move me to the cell in the basement. I also have to pay money to the doctor when he gives me medicine that is brought from my own home.
The food is very bad with a horrible smell, and no one even attempts to taste it. The bread is baked very badly and only the crust is edible. Everything is therefore thrown away—as they say here, it is only fit as food for animals on the farm.
So you can only imagine, every day they cook food for 1,000 people and it almost all goes to the animals, which are being raised for the advantage of the prison administration. The inmates are fed by their relatives who bring food. But we still have to pay. And when the guard delivers the food, you have to pay him as well.
When you have a meeting with your family you have to pay a lot of money. Every time the watchman brings you to and from a meeting you have to pay — in other words, you have to pay left and right. If you think we shouldn’t be giving them money — well, they’ll take it by force and thrash you, after which you’ll have to give them everything down to the last penny. If you think that we can complain — it’s not worth it, since they’ll hold it against you and take offense, and do something to you that will cause suffering for many years to come.
As for cooking our own food—we cook in very unsanitary conditions: in the dirt among the rats and millions of cockroaches. There is very small space on the table and stove for preparing the food, and it has to be done quickly in order to give others an opportunity to cook.
In short, one can say that life here in prison is based on money. Every day, every week, and every month we pay to everyone upon whom we depend; for the barracks where we sleep, for the bed, for the table where we cook, and as a sign of “respect” to the commander, watchman, and guard.
As for the food we receive from our families, we cannot even have all of this for ourselves because it is stolen from the refrigerator and storage place. And one is always being asked for something and one has to give — and I have a hard time saying no. Every month, I have to spend a lot of money for food, clothing, “respect,” and so on.
Related Articles About Pastor Balaev
4/16/08: Prayer Alert: Police Cheif from Balaev Case Injured in Accident
4/14/08: Appeal Fails in Azerbaijani Pastor Conviction Case from Mission Network News
4/10/08: Pastor Balaev Update and Prayer from SGA president Robert Provost.
04/01/08 — Press release: Azerbaijan Supreme Court Hears Pastor Zaur Balaev’s Appeal
04/01/08 — Prayer Alert: Pastor Balaev’s Azerbaijan Supreme Court appeal
04/01/08 — SGA exclusive audio interviews with Pastor Balaev and Azeri UECB president Ilya Zenchenko
03/19/08 — Prayer Alert: Pastor Balaev Released from Prison!
01/18/08 — Press Release: An Interview with Imprisoned Pastor Zaur Balaev
11/22/07 — Prayer Alert: Imprisoned Pastor Disturbing News
09/11/07 — Azerbaijan pastor imprisoned
