Pastor Yerzhan was accused of using hypnosis. According to Danish European Mission sources, Pastor Yerzhan himself says that these accusations are absurd, unsubstantiated and baseless, as he opposes the use of hypnosis. As a Christian pastor, he simply does what the Bible says. For example it says in the letter of James chapter 5 v.,14-15: If anyone among you is sick, he shall call for the elders of the congregation, and they shall anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord and pray over him. And the prayer of faith will save the sick person, and the Lord will make him well; In the Gospel of Mark chapter 16 v. 18 Jesus says about the disciples: "...they have to put their hands on the sick to make them well."
The Ushanov family. The father and husband Yerzhan have now been fined for praying for a sick person.
Fabricated evidence
In order to find evidence for the charges, five intelligence service employees broke into Ushanov's home, according to news service Forum 18. At one point during the search, they asked Pastor Yerzhen if he would go outside and tell people from the church not to disturb him. When he came back, he saw the book Modern hypnosis, that did not belong to him. In addition to this alleged evidence, the intelligence service confiscated computers, DVDs and Christian books, among other things.
In addition, the pastor was threatened to change his profession and leave town if he wanted to avoid trouble.
This is the second time the secret police have brought such charges against a Protestant pastor in the Jambyl region. In 2010, a pastor was fined 100 times the minimum wage, equivalent to around 6,000 Danish kroner, for praying for a sick person, also charged with using hypnosis. The Supreme Court subsequently overturned the conviction - but only due to procedural errors on the part of the prosecutor - and the pastor has not yet been refunded the fine.
The verdict against Pastor Yerzhan has now been appealed.
Persecution of Christians increases dramatically in Kazakhstan
Protestant Christians have faced increasing persecution in Kazakhstan in recent years. In August, the situation for the churches in Karaganda, Kazakhstan, deteriorated seriously. Pastors are now under surveillance by the KNB secret police, but also by the city council.
KNB has demanded that the pastor of New Life and the pastor of Grace Church must provide a video recording of the Sunday sermon in church at the mayor's office in Karaganda and to KNB every Thursday!
In addition, pastors must also provide a written report of all church activities during the week, including the program and plans for the coming week. In addition, churches must provide a list of all church leaders in writing.
Compared to Christians in other Central Asian countries such as Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan, Christians in Kazakhstan have had good conditions for practicing their faith since the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991.
