US Department of State: Azerbaijani authorities violate rights of religious minorities

The Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labour of the US Department of State released a report on freedom of religion in the world for 2017. According to the report, the Azerbaijani authorities refuse to register groups of religious minorities, close mosques under the pretext of repair and control the dissemination of religious materials.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that according to the report prepared by the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) and released in April 2017, the situation with religious freedoms in Azerbaijan worsened. According to rights defender Elshan Gasanov, out of the total number of political prisoners in Azerbaijan, two-thirds are believers.

Human rights groups from Azerbaijan report that the government continues to persecute, arrest and imprison religious activists. In Azerbaijan, the total number of imprisoned believers reached 80 people.

As an example, the rights defenders mention the verdicts pronounced against the leaders of the "Muslim Unity" in Nardaran.

The report also notes that the Azerbaijani authorities refuse to register groups of religious minorities considered to be "unconventional." Meanwhile, the report notes the country's tolerance towards traditional religious groups, "including Jews, Russian Orthodox believers and Catholics."

Many groups of believers reported difficulties in the confession of their faith. Some mosques in the country are closed under the pretext of repair.

For example, the "Haji Javad" mosque was destroyed in July 2017, and in July 2016, in Baku, the "Ashurbey" mosque was closed for repairs and has not been opened until now.