Police have raided four worship services at three local Protestant churches in the Shu district of southern Kazakhstan.
The local Baptist Council of Churches says: ‘What happened in Shu has aroused serious concern among evangelical communities, which have experienced persecution for their religious activity.’
And Evangelicals Now has learned that the raids are far more widespread than is currently recognised.
Human-rights group Forum 18 first alerted the world to the situation. According to them, officers arrived at the churches, listened to the sermons, and asked church members to provide written statements on why they were there. The next day police fined three members the equivalent of £325 each, accusing them of ‘participating in an unregistered, halted, or banned religious community or social organisation’.
Officials also questioned 77-year-old Andrei Boiprav, lead pastor of Shu Baptist Church, accusing him of ‘illegal missionary activity’. He refused to provide a signed confession of the offence. Now his case is pending in Shu district Court, without a trial date set.
Police also raided the Baptist church in the nearby village of Konayeva, just before the worship service began. They filmed the meeting and ignored requests to stop filming and explain their actions.
The officials claimed they had received ‘an anonymous call with a request to check what kind of meeting it was’. Lead pastor Valter Mirau stated that church members meet voluntarily. He and two other church members were summoned and fined for ‘participating in an unregistered, halted, or banned religious community or social organisation’.
Mark Foster of the Slavic Gospel Association, which actively supports evangelical churches in Kazakhstan, told Evangelicals Now: ‘Our partners in Central Asia have confirmed that these raids have taken place. Indeed, they told me this is a common occurrence, and many more incidents have taken place than have been reported. The reason behind these inspections is often local officials overstepping their authority and misusing their constitutional powers. However, that legal distinction does not lessen the disruption and trouble experienced by our brothers and sisters in Kazakhstan.’
