AZERI SECURITY SERVICE BUST JEHOVAH’S WITNESSES VENUE OUTSIDE BAKU

Yeni Musavat
June 14 2008
Azerbaijan

The Azerbaijani Ministry of National Security on 13 June busted a
secret place in the settlement of Lokbatan on the outskirts of Baku
where a group of Jehovah’s Witnesses held gatherings, the Azerbaijani
opposition newspaper Yeni Musavat has said.

Agents of the ministry seized maps of military shelters located
in Lokbatan, about 70 banned religious books and about 900 banned
booklets from 20 members of the religious group, the newspaper quoted
a ministry official as saying.

At the same time, Yeni Musavat said that Jehovah’s Witnesses call for
friendly relations with Armenia and discourage people from serving
in the army. Their activities have been banned in several Christian
countries, the newspaper said.

The community of Jehovah’s Witnesses was registered in Azerbaijan
in 1999.