Pastor fined, draft religion law sent to Constitutional Council

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Aleksandr Kerker, a Baptist pastor in the town of Tayinsha, North Kazakhstan Region, is facing opposition from authorities for refusing to pay a fine for leading worship without state permission, according to a January 9 report from Forum 18. In early January, court bailiffs went to Pastor Kerker's employer and demanded he hand over part of Kerker's salary to pay the fine. The employer refused, but fired Kerker to avoid further confrontations. The court bailiffs have also threatened to confiscate Pastor Kerker's cow and his fridge and stove to cover the owed amount.


President Nursultan Nazarbaev

Meanwhile, President Nursultan Nazarbaev has sent the draft religion law (click here for more information) to be reviewed by the Constitutional Council. The Council has one month to determine if the law conforms to the country's constitution. The repressive religion law proposes a ban of unregistered religious activity, stringent rules on who can spread their faith, and the censorship of religious literature.

Ask God to protect and provide for Pastor Kerker and his large family. Pray that the fine will be dismissed. Pray that Kazakhstan's leaders will reject this law.

To learn more about the plight of Kazakhstan's Christians, go to the Kazakhstan Country Report.

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  • Country Information

    Population
    19,543,464 (2023 est.)

    Ethnicity (%)
    Kazakh (Qazaq) (69.6), Russian (17.9), Uzbek (3.3), Uighur (1.5), Ukrainian (1.3), Tatar (1), Other (5.3) (2022 est.)

    Religion (%)
    Muslim (70.2), Christian (26.2), Other (0.2), Atheist (2.8), Unspecified (0.5)

    Leader
    President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev (2019)

    Government type
    Presidential republic

    Legal system the theory and practice of the Russian Federation
    Civil law system influenced by Roman-Germanic law and b

    Source: CIA World Factbook

  • Pray for Kazakhstan

    Pray that authorities will cease their harassment of unregistered church communities. Until then, pray believers will effectively minister the gospel despite opposition.

    Pray for endurance for those believers facing these challenges.

    Pray for the adage “To be a Kazakh is to be a Muslim” to be broken; pray for freedom from historic spiritual bondages and prejudices.

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Kazakhstan News

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    A Bible study in Kazakhstan
    Photo: VOMC

    Police in the Shu district of southern Kazakhstan raided four worship gatherings during the months of March and April, resulting in a total of seven fines being laid. During the raids, officers filmed those who were present and demanded that they provide written statements explaining the reasons for their gatherings. These raids affected the worship activities of three unregistered Protestant churches.

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  • Banking Access Blocked for Church
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    Photo: Wikipedia / Makvlad (cc)

    For the past five years, the New Life Pentecostal Church has encountered repeated problems while trying to gain access to banking services – to the point of the recurring situation being described as "incomprehensible." With no access, the church administration has had difficulties paying necessary taxes, along with numerous other challenges.

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    As a recent spate of civil suits have been launched against religious groups in Kazakhstan, some human rights experts are suspecting that state officials may be instigating the legal action, or at least providing support. If accurate, this would be a new way for the Kazakhstan government to take action against the religious minority groups they oppose.

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  • Parliament Debates New Religious Restrictions
    Kazakhstan Senate - Photo: Wikipedia / SenateKZ
    Kazakhstan Senate
    Photo: Wikipedia / SenateKZ (cc)

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Kazakhstan Videos

 
Kazakhstan: New laws oppress Christianity
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