Kazakhstan’s repressive government seeks to control all areas of life. Religious freedom has been further restricted by recent legislation, while the government is using the threat of militant Islam as a pretext to clamp down. Converts to Christianity from a Muslim background come under the most pressure – from the government, family, friends and wider community. Churches that are active in evangelism are subjected to raids, threats, arrests and fines – especially if the church has not been registered.
Retired Kazakh pastor given suspended jail sentence
The protracted trial of a retired Kazakh pastor ended yesterday (Feb. 17), as 67-year-old Bakhytzhan Kashkumbayev was handed a suspended four-year prison sentence and a fine. Kashkumbayev, former pastor of Grace Church in the Kazakh capital Astana, was ordered to pay 2 million Tenge (€7,900) in damages to Lyazzat Almenova, […]
Kazakh pastor’s trial halts amid heated arguments
Bakhytzhan KashkumbayevWorld Watch Monitor The trial of a 67-year-old pastor in Kazakhstan halted amid heated arguments on Wednesday (January 29), as the pastor and his lawyer stormed out of the courtroom, even after two of his original charges were dropped. The pastor and his lawyer say the whole court […]
Kazakh pastor’s trial begins
The trial against 67-year-old Kazakh pastor Bakhytzhan Kashkumbayev has started, eight months after his incarceration for allegedly “harming the health” of a member of his congregation. The pastor has also been accused of inciting hatred, propagating extremism and leading an organisation that harms others. If found guilty, he could face […]
Kazakh pastor’s trial postponed
The court hearing for a Kazakh pastor detained since May has been pushed back again. Bakhytzhan Kashkumbayev, 67, pastor of Grace Protestant Church in Astana, is charged with the psychological manipulation of a member of his congregation through the use of a “red-coloured hallucinogenic drink”. Other members of the congregation […]
Kazakh pastor released, then arrested
Kazakh pastor Bakhytzhan Kashkumbayev walked out of prison Oct. 8, only to be arrested again at the prison gate on terrorism charges. The pastor, already awaiting trial on charges that he used a “red-coloured hallucinogenic drink” to cause psychlogical harm to a member of his congregation, was permitted to leave prison and […]
Pastor placed under house arrest
Kazakh pastor Bakhytzhan Kashkumbayev has been told he will be released from prison but only to be placed under house arrest, reports Forum 18. The pastor, who has been detained for almost five months and undertook a hunger strike in protest, is still awaiting trial. He will be confined to […]
Jail term for Kazakh pastor extended
A Kazakh pastor has been told he is to be detained for another month, four months after his arrest for allegedly “harming the health” of a member of his congregation. Bakhytzhan Kashkumbayev, pastor of Grace Protestant Church in Astana, the capital, was arrested on May 17, charged with the psychological manipulation […]
Kazakh arrested for praying
A pastor in Kazakhstan has been told he must spend two months in detention awaiting sentencing for charges including praying and singing. (Forum 18)
90 days to freedom
For 90 days last autumn, Makset Djabbarbergenov lived in a Kazakh prison cell, under threat of deportation to his native Uzbekistan to face almost-certain years of harsh jail time. His alleged crime: Leading small Christian communities in house churches without official registration. By 2007, this had made “Pastor Makset” a […]
Uzbek pastor released from Kazakhstan prison
Uzbek pastor Makset Djabbarbergenov has been released from prison in Almaty, Kazakhstan. He was released Dec. 4 and taken to the airport, where he was reunited with his wife and four children. According to the Norwegian religious-freedom watchdog agency Forum 18, they were flown to Germany. After arrival at Frankfurt […]