Population
16.8 million
46% Kazakh
35% Russian
5% Ukrainian
3% German
2% Uzbek
2% Tatar
Capital City
Astana
Leadership
Prime Minister
Kasymzhomart Tokayev
President
Nursultan Nazarbayev
Religion
47% Muslim
44% Russian Orthodox
2% Protestant
Kazakhstan Ambassador
to the
U.S.
Ambassador Kanat
Saudabayev
Embassy of Kazakhstan
1401 16th Street, NW
Washington DC 20036
Phone: (202) 232-5488
Fax: (202) 232-5845
Email:
kazakhembusa
@earthlink.net
Web:
www.kazakhembus.com
BIO
New legislation was recently proposed by the Kazakhstan authorities in an effort to undermine
religious freedom. The Keston Institute reported that if
adopted, the law would have required all missionaries to
be registered and allow unregistered religious groups to
be banned. The new law would also have raised the
number of people required to register as a religious
association from ten to 50 nationals
In addition to the anticipated restrictions on many Pro-
testant churches, it would also deny legal registration to
all Muslim organizations outside the framework of the
Spiritual Administration of Muslims of Kazakhstan.
The law on freedom of conscience and religious org-
anizations passed from the lower to the upper house of
the Kazakh parliament, but was thankfully not approved
in its final stages. Despite the law's failure, the concern is
that this desire of government officials has been brought
to the forefront and will certainly resurface in the form of
proposed legislation in the near future.
According to the Keston Institute:
"The government authorities are putting increasing
pressure on religious organizations to register. Although
the religion law does not require groups to register,
Article 375 of the administrative code was amended in
2000 to include punishment for those leading
unreg-
istered communities or refusing to register communities.
Can you recommend some
other Kazakhstan websites?
churches. Baptist pastor Valery Pak, leader of the church in Kyzyl-Orda, was fined 7,700 tenge ($50 US)
in spring 2001 for refusing to register his church with the authorities and ordered to halt the church's
activity for six months. He was punished in October 2001 with a five-day spell in prison for failing to abide
by the order to halt church activity.
"Pavel Leonov, leader of the Baptist church in the town of Ayaguz in Eastern Kazakhstan region, was
found guilty by the Ayaguz district court on November
14, 2001 under Article 362 part 1 of the criminal
code and fined 19,375 tenge ($130 US) for refusing to abide by an earlier court order to close down his
church.
"On November 28, 2001, fellow pastor Vasili Kliver was fined 7,750 tenge
($50 US) and ordered to halt
his church's activity for three months.
"Asylbek Nurdanov, a Baptist leader in the town of Kazalinsk in Kyzyl-Orda region close to the Aral Sea
in southern Kazakhstan, was beaten and threatened by local police at the end of October 2001 for his
work with his unregistered church. At police instigation he was then placed in a psychiatric hospital in
Kyzyl-Orda, though he was freed in mid-November after a week's detention."
The existing laws governing religion in the country comply with international standards of religious
free-
dom and Kazakhstan has previously been considered
to be one of the most liberal of the central Asian
states. But Kazakh officials have justified the
need for more strict legislation by citing an increased security
threat from extreme religious groups.
Unfortunately,
Christian Solidarity Worldwide believes that we must keep a watchful eye of
Kazakhstan,
as the passing of any legislation of this
nature ( lacking clear definition) would certainly undermine
freedom of worship for all legitimate religious groups and
would be open to abuse from state officials.