Country Demographics:

• Population:  8.2 million
• Religions:  Muslim 90% (Shi’a 60%, Sunni 40%), Christian 3%, Jewish 1%, Other 6%
• Income Per Capita:  $672.79 year/ $1.87 day
• Government Type:  Republic
  Chief of State:  President Ilham ALIYEV (since October 2003)
  Head of Government: Prime Minister Artur RASIZADE (2003)

Legal Profession:

• Estimated number of lawyers in Azerbaijan is 2,500
• Estimated number of believers involved in the legal profession is 1
• The name of the local group in which Christian lawyers are involved is Human Rights Defense Group (HRDG), initiated in 1995 and lead by Mr. Asif Huseynov (Sadig). 

Major Activities of Christian Lawyers:

HRDG’s is involved in the following activities:

• Helping churches and religious organizations register with the government
• Drafting the constitutions of churches and Christian organizations
• Defending the constitutional rights of Christians and Christian groups
• Attending the Advocates International Asian countries conferences
• Assisting the Baptist Union of Azerbaijan

Convocation Goals:

• TheGlobal Convocation organized by Advocates International is important to Mr. Huseynov because it will provide him with an essential opportunity to learn and interact with other experienced Christian lawyers.

Prayer Items:

• God’s help in resolving the conflict between Azerbaijan and one of its neighboring states
• For the possible and safe return of Azerbaijani refugees to their homes
• Tolerance between the various religious denominations in the country
• God’s leadership in bringing more Christians and servant hearts to the legal profession in Azerbaijan

Contact Information:

• Asif Huseynov (Sadig) sadig@galacticomm.org

ªAzerbaijan In Actionª

The Human Rights Defense Group (HRDG) helps churches, religious organizations and missions in drawing up documents to obtain official state registration, in writing their constitutions, in defending their Constitutional rights in courts; and by providing them with legal advice.  The group has recently begun helping the Baptist Union of Azerbaijan to defend their constitutional rights after they were prevented from receiving religious literature and from holding worship meetings.