Churches Facing Administrative Charges in Kazakhstan

Ayrau, KazakhstanOfficials have brought administrative charges against two churches in Kazakhstan in recent weeks, according to an April 23 report from Forum 18.

On April 21, the city of Atyrau's Prosecutor's Office brought charges against the Salem Church for holding "illegal" meetings under Article 374 part 1 of the Administrative Code, which punishes unregistered church activity. The charges are a response to a group of Russian-speaking church members meeting regularly in a private home instead of the church's registered address. The church's leader, however, stated that the Administrative Code allows such groups to meet in a member's private home, so long as important religious ceremonies - such as baptisms and weddings - are not conducted.

Also in Atyrau, local authorities have asked the New Life Church to re-register since their old registration did not indicate a legal address. Since the church does not currently have a building, re-registering will be difficult as Kazakhstan's amended Religion Law demands that a church indicates a legal address. Church members fear that they will be subject to penalty because authorities will now consider their church activity "illegal."

Pray for wisdom for these churches and their leaders as they face pressure and opposition from authorities (James 1:5). Pray that the Word of God will continue to spread throughout Kazakhstan.

For more information on the persecution of Christians in Kazakhstan, go to the Kazakhstan Country Report.

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  • Country Information

    Population
    19,543,464 (2023 est.)

    Ethnicity (%)
    Kazakh (Qazaq) (69.6), Russian (17.9), Uzbek (3.3), Uighur (1.5), Ukrainian (1.3), Tatar (1), Other (5.3) (2022 est.)

    Religion (%)
    Muslim (70.2), Christian (26.2), Other (0.2), Atheist (2.8), Unspecified (0.5)

    Leader
    President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev (2019)

    Government type
    Presidential republic

    Legal system the theory and practice of the Russian Federation
    Civil law system influenced by Roman-Germanic law and b

    Source: CIA World Factbook

  • Pray for Kazakhstan

    Pray that authorities will cease their harassment of unregistered church communities. Until then, pray believers will effectively minister the gospel despite opposition.

    Pray for endurance for those believers facing these challenges.

    Pray for the adage “To be a Kazakh is to be a Muslim” to be broken; pray for freedom from historic spiritual bondages and prejudices.

Kazakhstan News

  • Banking Access Blocked for Church
    Panoramic view of Talgar
    Talgar, Kazakhstan
    Photo: Wikipedia / Makvlad (cc)

    For the past five years, the New Life Pentecostal Church has encountered repeated problems while trying to gain access to banking services – to the point of the recurring situation being described as "incomprehensible." With no access, the church administration has had difficulties paying necessary taxes, along with numerous other challenges.

  • Civil Suits Used in Religious Opposition
    Balance scales and gavel representing justice, with Kazakh money (called Tenge) under the gavel's block

    As a recent spate of civil suits have been launched against religious groups in Kazakhstan, some human rights experts are suspecting that state officials may be instigating the legal action, or at least providing support. If accurate, this would be a new way for the Kazakhstan government to take action against the religious minority groups they oppose.

  • Parliament Debates New Religious Restrictions
    Kazakhstan Senate - Photo: Wikipedia / SenateKZ
    Kazakhstan Senate
    Photo: Wikipedia / SenateKZ (cc)

    On October 6th, amendments to Kazakhstan's religious laws were approved by the Parliament and then passed on to the Senate. The legislation added new restrictions to religious events conducted outside a building of worship owned by a registered religious organization. Already, any religious community not in receipt of an official state registration is presently being banned, and the process of obtaining such registration has proven to be very difficult. Under the new amendments, any activity taking place at a different location from that of the registered place of worship will require approval at least ten business days in advance, along with a detailed explanation of what the event is to entail. The approval of these religious events rests with local officials who could withhold permission for many reasons.