Uzbek authorities revoke accreditation of the local Chabad head, Rabbi Abe David Gurevich.
By JERUSALEM POST STAFFchabad 88.224(photo credit: Courtesy)
Uzbek authorities have revoked the accreditation of the local head of the Chabad Lubavitch movement, the Justice Ministry said Friday.
Ministry spokesman Zhalolbek Abdusattarov said Tashkent-based Rabbi Abe David Gurevich breached local registration rules and that his organization failed to submit correct financial and accounting reports.
Gurevich also designated himself chief rabbi in the ex-Soviet republic without seeking authorization from the relevant government agencies, the ministry said.
The Chabad Lubavitch movement will, however, continue to operate in Uzbekistan, Abdusattarov said. The movement enjoys strong support in the Baltics, Russia and other former republics of the Soviet Union.
Gurevich declined to comment on the announcement.
There are few reported cases of state pressure against Jewish groups in the Central Asian nation, but the denial of registration to religious groups is common.
Gurevich's secretary, Karina Loifer, and her mother, Svetlana, were murdered in June 2006. After investigations, authorities said the killing was not motivated by anti-Semitism.
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