Yuri Pak
A local church leader and teacher in Kazakhstan was sentenced to two years' imprisonment on October 3rd, 2016, after being convicted of making a false emergency call. On April 14th, 2015, someone made a prank phone call to Kazakhstan's emergency services (much like calling 911 in Canada) using Yuri Pak's cellphone.
The evidence used against Yuri is a two-minute recording of a drunken man making a bomb threat and using prison jargon. Expert witnesses testified that the caller's voice does not match Yuri's voice. Additionally, the caller references spending ten years in prison and being angry at police, yet Yuri has never been in prison before.
The government in this majority Muslim country appears to be using these false charges to persecute him because of his role in the Christian church. For information on other cases of persecution in Kazakhstan, visit our online country report.
Please pray that Yuri will be sustained by God's loving presence throughout this ordeal and built up strongly in his faith. May the Lord, who has promised in His Word to work all things together for good in Yuri's life and situation (Romans 8:28), use this dedicated church leader as a shining light to those blinded by spiritual darkness. While awaiting his appointed deliverance from prison, may Yuri be granted many divine opportunities to lead others to salvation and freedom in Christ.
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