A positive step in ensuring religious freedom

Former US President Roosevelt, in 1943, addressed the leader of the CPSU, Stalin, and said that Congress might not approve military aid to the country under the Lend-Lease Act if the Union did not allow religious freedom. Roosevelt emphasized that statehood would not be complete without religious freedom.

After that, under the communist regime, public organizations such as the Russian Orthodox Church and the Central Asian Muslim Office were allowed. Therefore, religious freedoms are an integral part of statehood, and religious organizations should be given a certain degree of immunity in this regard.

At the second international forum "Dialogue of Declarations" taking place today in Tashkent, Zikirilla Mahmudov, head of the NGO Department of the Ministry of Justice, emphasized that anyone who interferes with the activities of religious organizations will be punished, and that liability in this regard has been included in the Code of Administrative Responsibility.

"According to the Law adopted on August 21 of this year, the Code of Administrative Responsibility has been supplemented with new articles.

"According to it, now officials of state bodies will be fined if they illegally interfere in the activities of religious organizations," said Mahmudov.

Successes begin with small steps. As a representative of the civil society institution fighting for religious freedom, I welcome the good news of the Justice Minister. We must speak the truth, friends.

Abdurakhmon Tashanov, head of the "Ezgulik" human rights society