"Saying everything is OK in Uzbekistan is like saying it's peaceful in Baghdad," said Vasila Innoyatova, a human rights worker in Uzbekistan's capital city, Tashkent. In May of 2005, there was a military crackdown in which government forces turned their guns on Uzbekistan's citizens. Hundreds were killed, and condemnation and sanctions came from the West. It was the bloodiest assault on a nation's own people since China's Tianamen Square, according to a May, 2008 New York Times article. On top of the slaughter, the government has erased any evidence of the event from Uzbekistan's publications. They seem to believe that if they don't write or talk about it, it never happened.
Human trafficking, specifically that of Uzbek women for the sex trade, is also something Uzbek officials don't want to talk about. According to a February 1, 2008 BBC News article, estimates are that about 120 women a year are carted off and sold.
Another serious issue in this Muslim country is the persecution of Christians. Open Doors USA lists Uzbekistan as #9 on their 2008 World Watch List, a rating system of the worst abusers of Christians' human rights (see www.opendoorsusa.org).
 | Pray that the hearts of Uzbek leaders will soften, leading to repentance that will glorify Christ. Pray that the gospel would penetrate the physical and spiritual barriers that have been erected in Uzbekistan. Pray for greater freedom to proclaim the gospel in Uzbekistan.-JR |
Psalms 119: 36-37
"Turn my heart toward Your statutes and not toward selfish gain. Turn my eyes away from worthless things…"
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