While interviewing Pastor Yerzhan recently, I realized how important a tool legal aid is in helping persecuted Christians - especially when the police accuse them of crimes they did not commit. Pastor Yerzhan says that if he hadn't had legal representation, he would not have been acquitted of the crime he was falsely accused of.
Search on Saturday at 7 a.m.
The case started when a woman came to the church seeking intercession and he prayed for her with the laying on of hands. Then, on June 21, 2011, on a Saturday at 7am, there was a knock on the door. He says: "My oldest daughter opened the door - and was pushed away. I was asleep and came out in my underwear. The girl screamed 'Daddy!'".
The agents presented documents showing that they were from KNB, which is one of the intelligence services in Kazakhstan and the heir to the KGB.
At one point during the search, they asked Pastor Yerzhan if he would go outside and tell people from the church not to disturb him. When he came back, he saw the bookModern hypnosis placed in his home, even though it did not belong to him. Among other things, he was accused of harming a person's health through intercession.
"I forgive you"
"From the beginning I forgave," he says. "After the KNB searched my home for five hours, I said to the KNB man, 'I forgive you'. Then the KNB man laughed and said, 'That's what another pastor said when we searched his church. When the KNB searched the home, my wife served them tea and they asked, 'Why? But she wanted to show the KNB agents love."
Convicted by local and regional courts
There were two trials: one against the church and one against Pastor Yerzhan. In total, the prosecutor demanded a fine of 70,000 US dollars. However, the church got a good lawyer who makes his skills available to Christians.
The intelligence service had found a person who testified in court that attending Pastor Yerzhan's church had made him feel sick. The man claimed that he had attended the church faithfully, but Yerzhan said he had only seen him three times - and believed that the witness was a criminal that KNB had found and was willing to be used - probably in exchange for something in return.
Acquitted in the Supreme Court
However, Pastor Yerzhan was bold and appealed to the Supreme Court - and this was the turning point. The health authorities supported him that praying for the sick was not harmful, but a blessing.
The two lower courts had only listened to the KNB intelligence service and their witness, but the Supreme Court wanted to hear what the church's 50 members thought of the church. The members came forward to talk about how their lives had been transformed when they became Christians, for example that they had previously been addicts, but that God had helped them with their problems and that they had a whole new life.
In their assessment of the case, the Supreme Court chose not to accept the testimony of the false witness, but emphasized the statements from church members who spoke positively about the pastor. The Supreme Court acquitted Pastor Yerzhan in 2012, as described in the Danish European Mission magazine and on www.forfulgtekristne.dk, and in early 2013 he was awarded compensation.
Acquittal gave boldness to the country's priests
Before the acquittal, a pastor in the country said: "we must be careful with the laying on of hands". After the acquittal, the pastors were happy and now boldly pray for the sick with the laying on of hands.
This is a case that sets a precedent for other cases. "It is important that we pray for people," says Pastor Yerzhan.
We can help you
Despite the church winning in court this time, the KNB has recently intensified attacks on Christians in Kazakhstan. Therefore, Christians need financial help so they can hire lawyers to fight their case. These lawyers are often Christians, by the way. There are many costs involved, and we, their brothers and sisters in the West, can concretely lend a helping hand to Christians facing false accusations.
God turned trial into a platform for testimony
Despite being falsely accused and going through three trials, Pastor Yerzhan says that through the case, God gave him the opportunity to testify about his faith. Pastor Yerzhan says of the case: "It was a spiritual battle where Satan attacked, but I also made many friends during the case and it was a good time for me.
I believe that everyone in the police will come to faith," says Pastor Yerzhan. Many have heard the testimony of how God has transformed the lives of people like alcoholics and broken families.
Is the Christian faith Russian?
"The chief judge asked why I had become a Christian, that is, chosen the faith that in Kazakhstan is considered to be the faith of Russians, and why I had left Islam.
The judge said: We are 16 million people in Kazakhstan. We will lose our identity if people become Christians.
I replied: I have become more Kazakh after I became a Christian than I was before, for example, I learned the Kazakh language instead of just Russian" [which is still the main language in the country, more than 20 years after the collapse of the Soviet Union]. Yershan says: "If it wasn't for the trial, I wouldn't have had the opportunity to testify for so many people".
The last words he said in court to the false witness were: "You are not my enemy. If you need help, you can always come to church" - and it allowed the audience to see the attitude of people who believe in Jesus.
