Pastor Arrested in Aliabad, Azerbaijanby Staff
July 1, 2008
(christiansunite.com) - Pastor Hamid Shabanov was arrested after police claimed to find an illegal weapon while searching his home in Aliabad on June 20, according to a June 21 report from Forum 18. Pastor Shabanov's family and congregation insist that police planted the gun they claimed to discover.
Shabanov's brother sees the arrest as a direct attack on the pastor's Baptist church and an attempt to halt Christian activity in the area. Shabanov's home was among those searched when another local pastor arrested on fabricated charges, Pastor Zaur Balaev, was detained in May 2007.
Pray that the truth of this situation will be made known and that Pastor Shabanov will be released. Pray that Christians in Azerbaijan will be emboldened to follow in their Saviour's footsteps (1 Corinthians 4:9-14, 16).
For more details on persecution in Azerbaijan, go to
www.persecution.net/country/azerbaijan.htm.
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