Right: The Ushanov family. The father and husband Yerzhan were fined in late 2011 for praying for a sick person.
Also according to Forfum 18, a church in Petropavl in northern Kazakhstan has been searched twice by the police department for the fight against extremism, separatism and terrorism, along with a local official from the Religious Affairs Bureau.
They confiscated copies of the New Testament and other books and DVDs and sent them for censorship, and they demand that the church be punished for placing the books on a table about ten meters from the entrance of the hall they rent for services. There are several examples of believers being punished for practicing their religion without being approved by the state. For example, as a result of a police operation called "Operation Legal Order", a Christian was fined for attending unregistered meetings.
Kazakhstan before the law: Sanctuary for the Church in Central Asia
These are examples of a change in the authorities' behavior towards Christians - blatant examples of administrative practices reminiscent of the authorities' systematic repression of believers in Soviet times.
In the years following the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, Kazakhstan oriented itself towards the West. This applied both to the implementation of market economy reforms, but also to ensuring civil liberties, including freedom of religion. Thus, Kazakhstan has largely been a sanctuary for the church in Central Asia, unlike neighboring countries such as Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan, where the persecution of Christians has been very severe for many years.
Kazakhstan President Nursultan Nazarbayev signed the controversial law on October 13, 2011.
Danish European Mission was on the spot
For several years, the Danish European Mission has continuously monitored developments in Kazakhstan. Already in the August-September 2011 issue of the Danish European Mission magazine, fundraising for a project to strengthen the church in Kazakhstan began.
Right: It's people like these who get help through the project
The project supports Christian rehabilitation work among drug addicts, alcoholics and homeless people in a part of the country that is characterized by great social need. Not only can these disadvantaged people get a new life through the project, but the authorities can also see how people's lives are transformed. In doing so, the authorities may realize that accepting the gospel of Jesus Christ and aligning society with the words of the Bible can only make a positive difference in their country.
