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Kazakhstan

• Dismissed Evidence Results in Imprisonment

  
  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.

• Judges' Religious Freedom May be Restricted

  Judges in the central Asian nation of Kazakhstan could be deprived of their rights to freedom of religion or belief if the proposed Code of Judges' Ethics is adopted in its current form later this month. Judges could face disciplinary action for talking about their faith with others, being among the legal founders of a religious organization, attending a religious conference as a private individual or "providing support in any form" to a religious organization.

  The code, which would apply to all of Kazakhstan's estimated 2,660 judges, may be adopted at the next Congress of Judges. According to Madiyar Balken, a Supreme Court judge and secretary of the Union of Judges public association, the congress meeting is scheduled to be held in the capital city of Astana on November 24th.

  Judge Balken justified the proposed restrictions, insisting that judges "shouldn't be very active in their religious conduct." Aina Shormanbayeva, an Almaty-based lawyer who heads a non-governmental organization, International Legal Initiative, is among several legal specialists concerned by the union's proposed rules.

  In violation of its international human rights obligations, Kazakhstan already bans meeting for worship without state registration, talking to others about religion without state permission, and publishing or distributing literature about religion without state permission.

  Join with us in prayer, especially on behalf of the Christian judges in Kazakhstan. Pray that any measures threatening their basic human rights -- including the expression of their faith -- will not be approved. In fact, we pray that throughout the deliberation process, these judges will be granted a platform among their peers to voice their beliefs and demonstrate their high standard of Biblically based ethics. May the country's believers in no way be hindered from worshipping their Creator or sharing their faith with others.

• Summer Camps Disbanded by Authorities

  Two congregations belonging to the Baptist Union in West Kazakhstan Region were raided by government officials in July as they held summer camps for children. Officials and local journalists claimed that: 1) the churches were trying to attract young people, 2) some of the children may have been present at a religious event without their parents' consent, and 3) foreigners present as "missionaries" didn't have the required state permission.

  Light of the Gospel Baptist Church in Oral held its five-day children's camp within the church building from July 4th to 8th, hosting teenagers in the morning and younger children in the afternoon. Most were the children of congregation members, but the ministry team had also invited youngsters from the wider community. Invitations were distributed and a poster was placed outside the building to indicate clearly that the event was organized by the church and that Bible reading would take place.

  "Officials from the Regional Religious Affairs Department and the Regional Education Department turned up on three of the days that week during the sessions for younger children," Pastor Aleksandr Dimitrov states. "They were accompanied by a number of journalists. On the Friday, two police officers even joined them." The pastor further explains that all of the children were present with their parents' permission, but refused to show such permission to officials.

  Khabar television carried a short hostile news report about the summer camp, including interviews with Bayangul Semgaliyeva, a representative of the Regional Religious Affairs Department, who led the raid; and Oksana Dementievskaya, a journalist who was featured as a "local resident." The news report carried the caption: "Children are being attracted to non-traditional religious organizations." Other reports on persecution in this country may be reviewed here.

  Thank you for upholding our brothers and sisters in Kazakhstan who are facing opposition for their faithful efforts to reach others for Christ. Pray that Christians throughout the country will be allowed freedom to practice and share their faith. May the spiritual seeds of the teachings take root deeply within the hearts of the local children so these youngsters can grow strong in their relationship with our Lord Jesus. Pray that the local officials and journalists would recognize the error of their negative reporting, compelling them to instead seek the saving truth of God's Word.

• Multiple Churches Raided during Commemorations

  
  An historical Russian cathedral in Almaty.
  Photo: Flickr /Martin Lopatka (cc)

  On March 25th, as New Life Pentecostal Church in Kazakhstan's commercial capital of Almaty was commemorating Good Friday, police launched simultaneous raids on five church-owned buildings and the homes of six pastors and church workers. Although a court approved the searches in January, it remains unclear why the authorities waited for two months before conducting the raids. The raids came eight months after prosecutors opened a criminal case against the church on alleged charges of large-scale fraud, charges the church vigorously rejects.

  "We're not fraudsters," a church member from Almaty explains following the raids. "On the contrary, we help people. We've been working here in Kazakhstan for 26 years." The church has expressed concern about the widespread hostile reporting of the criminal case and raids by the local and foreign Russian-language press. "You can understand the impact this is having on children of the church members (especially of the leaders) in school."

  A member of another church elsewhere in Kazakhstan expressed concern over the wider impact of media coverage announcing allegations made against Almaty's New Life Church. "This has an impact on all Christians across Kazakhstan," the church member told sources on March 30th. "People will be afraid to come to any church or to have anything to do with churches."

  This is not the first time police in Kazakhstan have launched a series of searches and made strongly disputed allegations that were repeated by local media with no right of reply given. Churches in this area have had to deal with compulsory registrations, interrogations and threats, persistent raids of church property, and many unjustified criminal cases opened against them. Other reports of religious persecution in this country, as well as informative video clips, are available at the Kazakhstan Country Report.

  Let us join together in prayer for the churches in Kazakhstan that are having to contend with these various challenges due to the extremity of governmental restrictions and oppression. Ask the Lord to provide these Christians needed encouragement, wisdom as they deal with the authorities, justice in the court system, and the strength to persevere in the midst of trial. Pray that He will abundantly bless them for their faithfulness. May they also be reminded that these temporary earthly struggles are nothing in comparison to the glory and great rewards awaiting them in eternity for honourably upholding His name. In the meantime, may they continue shining His light and love to all around them -- blessing even those who curse them.

• Believers Jailed for Refusing to Pay Fines

  Congregations in Kazakhstan need to receive state permission to meet for worship. Flickr / Martin Lopatka

  Increasing numbers of Christians are being given short-term prison sentences for refusing to pay fines linked to their religious activity. Fines are now being regularly imposed for violating the country's harsh Religion Law, which includes distributing religious literature, talking to other people about religion, and meeting with others for worship without compulsory state registration or license. In addition, social projects run by religious groups are coming under increased scrutiny. Within the first 10 weeks of 2014 alone, 45 such fines were handed down. Generally, the fines equate to one or two months' average wages.

• New Laws Threaten Religious Freedom

  Photo: Flickr / steakpinball

  New laws with tougher restrictions on religious freedom are currently awaiting approval in Kazakhstan. The laws, which are currently being reviewed with the parliament's Senate, would usher in harsh new punishments that are raising concerns among human rights defenders and religious communities.

• Pastor Receives Suspended Prison Term

  Bakhytzhan Kashkumbayev Photo: World Watch Monitor

  On February 17th, a retired pastor accused of harming the health of a church member was handed a four-year suspended prison sentence. Bakhytzhan Kashkumbayev was also ordered to pay his alleged victim "moral damages" of two million tenge (approximately $12,000 CAD).

• Criminal Trial Begins for Retired Pastor

  Bakhytzhan Kashkumbayev

  Eight months after his arrest, retired pastor Bakhytzhan Kashkumbayev arrived in court on January 22nd for the first hearing in his criminal trial. He faces charges of harming health, inciting hatred, propagating extremism and leading an organization that harms others. The charges carry a maximum penalty of about six to ten years' imprisonment each. He denies all wrongdoing. (For more details on his arrest, click here.)

• Pastor Now Under House Arrest Pending Trial

  Bakhytzhan Kashkumbayev

  Pastor Bakhytzhan Kashkumbayev, who has been imprisoned for about five months in Astana, has been placed under house arrest for the remainder of his pre-trial detention, according to a court decision. The 66-year-old pastor has not seen his wife Alfiya or any other family members since his May 17th arrest. (For a previous report providing more details on his arrest, please click here.)

• Deportation Due to ''Illegal Missionary Activity''

  A church service in Kazakhstan Photo: Assist News

  After authorities ordered that Baptist pastor Viktor Lim be deported from Kazakhstan, he was given no alternative but to forcibly leave in mid-August. Pastor Lim, a stateless person who lived in the country for 20 years prior to this ruling, was convicted for leading a registered religious community. (Incidentally, his wife and children are Kazakh citizens.) Authorities classify such action as "illegal missionary activity," which is punishable by fine and, in the case of a non-citizen, deportation.