Christians who belong to unregistered churches in Kazakhstan continue to face state intolerance as evidenced by two recent cases.
In the city of Kulsary in western Kazakhstan, two Christians are facing prosecution for belonging to an unregistered religious community, according to a June 1 report from Forum 18. The two, Azat (last name unknown) and Taraz Samulyak, belong to a Protestant church that has attempted to register five times in the past five years. Azat previously had a large fine imposed on him, which he has appealed. Local authorities claim that Kulsary already has too many churches and that there is no need to register yet another one.
In the town of Aktobe [Aqtöbe] in north-west Kazakhstan, an unregistered Baptist church has faced multiple raids, the latest on May 21. Pastor Andrei Grigoryev told Forum 18 that police video footage of the raids had been shown on a local television station, accompanied by hostile commentary against the church. Grigoryev was visited by a religious affairs official on May 29 who tried to pressure him into writing a statement about his activities. The official denied that Grigoryev was presently facing criminal charges, contrary to statements on television.
When Forum 18 questioned Serozhatdin Baryshev, head of the regional Justice Department, on how the raids on the Aktobe church line up with international human rights agreements signed by Kazakhstan, Baryshev said, "International agreements are nothing to us - we're governed by the laws of the Republic of Kazakhstan." He then added, "You're going against the norms of the Kazakh nation."
Pray that the Lord will work in the hearts of those in authority to allow believers to meet without the threat of legal action. Pray that the believers will be encouraged to continue to meet together despite opposition from authorities (Hebrews 10:25).
For more information on Kazakhstan and the persecution facing Christians there, click here.
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