Tajik churches under investigation for having underage attendees during services

Several churches in Tajikistan are now under investigation for having children and teens under 18 at religious services.

The Tajik government prohibits minors from taking part in religious activities, even if they are with their parents. According to a report from Mission Network News, several security officers attended Sunday services in two separate towns to film and take photographs for evidence.

Kristin Wright, Advocacy Director with Open Doors USA, said that her group is keeping an eye on the developing situation.

"Since then, there's been a criminal investigation against the church and against the members," Wright noted.

"These members are being questioned on a daily basis. It's a situation of real concern for Christians, not just of this church, but churches across Tajikistan where these severe regulations really prohibit parents from even bringing their children to church and introducing them to the Gospel," she continued.

According to Open Doors, the activities of the churches in the two towns have been suspended, pending the outcome of the court proceedings. Church members are being constantly summoned for repeated questioning.

One Tajik pastor noted that the authorities are already planning to close the churches and ban all their activities. The officers are also conducting an investigation on proselytism, and they even questioned why there were Uzbeks and Tajiks attending the services.

"Ethnically they are Muslims, so they should visit the Mosque – what are they doing in church?" the officers reportedly asked.

Wright further noted that Tajikistan has been designated by the U.S. State Department as a country of particular concern due to its stringent laws against freedom of religion and belief.

In February, a Christian with a Muslim background was arrested after he shared the Gospel with a stranger who began to speak to him. The Christian was apprehended by the stranger, who turned out to be an officer of the Security Service, after he tried to give him a copy of the New Testament. Tajik law prohibits the distribution of religious literature and "religious propaganda" in public places.

Open Doors stated that "dictatorial paranoia" is the main source of persecution in Tajikistan. However, pressure from Islamic extremism is also present in private, family and community spheres.

Tajikistan, which is 98 percent Muslim, has been ranked on the Open Doors World Watch List as the 35th country where Christians experience the worst persecution.