Pastor Sentenced to Four Years in Exile Published

Last week Todd Nettleton discussed this breaking news when we did our podcast.  Today I wanted you to be able to read the story and pass it on to your friends.

On Friday March 9, Pastor Dmitry Shestakov was sentenced to four years in exile. According to The Voice of the Martyrs contacts in Uzbekistan, the location to which he will be exiled has not been determined. It is not clear if his family will be able to go with him.

In January, Pastor Shestakov was arrested in a raid on his congregation in Andijan, which is affiliated with the registered Full Gospel Church. Uzbekistan’s Religious Affairs Committee claims Shestakov, an evangelical pastor, is not an authorized leader of any officially recognized religious organization in Uzbekistan. They describe him as an “imposter” leading an underground group identified as “Charismatic Pentecostals” engaged in proselytizing under Shestakov’s leadership.

“This is an example of what our Uzbek brothers and sisters face in their country,” said Todd Nettleton, Director of Media Development for The Voice of the Martyrs. “This is a government that says they give their citizens religious freedom, but that is clearly not the case.”

“Our prayers will continue to be with our brother as he faces this sentence, and we pray that the gospel work in Andijan will continue and grow.”