On April 26, 2021, the UN Human Rights Committee issued an important decision in the case of Aziz Aliyev and Others v. Azerbaijan. This is the third decision of the Committee in favor of Jehovah’s Witnesses in Azerbaijan and upholds our right to peacefully worship.

This case concerns an illegal police raid in the Aliabad settlement of the Zagatala Region. On September 21, 2013, police officers broke into Brother Aziz Aliyev’s house where several Jehovah’s Witnesses were gathered for a congregation meeting. The officers searched the home and threatened our brothers and sisters, confiscating their literature, legal and medical documents, and money. The police officers then took everyone to the police station. En route to the station, Sister Havva Aliyeva suffered an epileptic seizure and lost consciousness. Seeing this, the police officers were forced to take her to the hospital. As soon as she regained consciousness, she was taken to the police station for questioning.

Later, the Zagatala District Court ruled to fine many of the brothers and sisters 1,500 Azerbaijani Manats ($1,716 U.S. at the time). The Sheki Court of Appeals upheld the unlawful decision of the district court. Having exhausted domestic remedies, our brothers appealed to the UN Human Rights Committee.

The Committee ruled that Azerbaijan had violated our brothers’ right to freedom of religion and the right against arbitrary deprivation of liberty. In its decision, the Committee noted that Jehovah’s Witnesses faced harassment by the authorities and by police officers who “threatened to imprison them, insulted some of them, and criticized their religion, but did not inform them of any potential disturbance or harm caused by their religious service or the religious literature they were using.” Consequently, Azerbaijan was called upon to compensate our brothers and “take all steps necessary to prevent similar violations from occurring in the future, including by reviewing its domestic legislation, regulations and/or practices.”

We are glad that our brothers in Azerbaijan have been allowed to worship and meet together without interference in recent years. We thank our God, Jehovah, that the truth continues to be legally established in modern courts.—Philippians 1:7.