Kazakhstan church raid by police condemned by religious freedom group

The facilities of a large Christian church in Kazakhstan were raided simultaneously by police two months ago, an act that a religious freedom group says contradicts the positive comments of the country's president regarding Christian churches.

The raids were done on Good Friday, March 25, in five buildings owned by New Life Pentecostal Church in Almaty. The houses of six church leaders were also searched.

Another raid was conducted at the church's office on Monday of the following week, and police took hold of 54 computers, financial documents and $280 cash, according to World Watch Monitor.

Last year, a criminal case was opened against New Life, which is being accused of large-scale fraud. Maxim Maximov, the church's pastor, was also accused of an administrative error regarding the Gideons New Testament Bibles they distributed in Russia, and was fined a hefty $200,000.

Maximov and his wife left the country after the issue broke out.

During the raid two months ago, the police allegedly found "an unlicensed weapon and ammunition" but did not specify in its report what kind of weapon it confiscated and the exact location where it was found, Forum 18 reported.

The church members denied the report, saying that the police did not find any weapon, whether licensed or unlicensed, in their facilities.

"We're not fraudsters. On the contrary, we help people. We've been working here in Kazakhstan for 26 years," a church member said.

Although the incident affected the church members, they continued their activities as before. The pastors of different churches met together to discuss how they can protect themselves from similar incidents.

Religious Freedom and Business Foundation country director Kevin White said the raids are a "backward step" considering Kazakhstan Pres. Nursultan Nazarbayev's acknowledgment of the good impact that Christians have on the country.

White said the persistent pressure placed on Christians would nullify the president's speech last year, which said that Christianity "puts successful, productive work, providence and virtuousness at the forefront," because Christians believe that these things please God.

Although religious freedom has advanced in significant steps in the country, the recent attacks are "a discouraging setback," according to White.

"Such religious intolerance is completely incompatible with Kazakhstan's highly touted 2050 Plan and 100 Step Plan," he said.