BAKU, Azerbaijan, Dec. 27 (UPI) -- Police in the Azeri capital, Baku, raided a meeting by Jehovah's Witnesses on Christmas Eve, according to reports.
Forum 18 News Service reporting from Baku quotes a member of the religious sect as saying the authorities "used the holiday season
-- when foreign representations obviously have only minimum staff -- to make this attack."
The report states that "Property was confiscated, money was apparently stolen by police, congregation members were detained
and at least two were beaten up. In a repeated pattern during police raids on religious minorities, a local TV station which encourages religious intolerance was present."
The report goes on to say that six foreign attendees -- three of whom grew up in
Azerbaijan -- may be deported.
