Almaty, Kazakhstan — Friends of Uzbek religious refugee Makset Djabbarbergenov — who has lived with his family in Kazakhstan since 2007 — fear that the Kazakh authorities are about to return him to his homeland. Police in Almaty, Kazakhstan’s commercial capital, detained Djabbarbergenov on Sept. 5.
Djabbarbergenov is married and has four sons, one of whom was born since the family’s arrival in Kazakhstan.
Kazakh officials said Djabbarbergenov was wanted for “violation of the procedure for teaching religion” and “illegal production, storage, import or distribution of religious literature,” each of which carries a maximum term of three years’ imprisonment.
Djabbarbergenov had led a Pentecostal community in his home town of Nukus since 2001. He had been fined for his religious activity and had his home raided and Christian books confiscated.
He fled in August 2007 after police raided his home, claiming he was holding an “illegal” religious meeting.
Soon afterward Djabbarbergenov left Nukus for the Uzbek capital Tashkent. On Aug. 20, 2007, Nukus police issued a wanted poster stating that he was a follower of Jesus Christ and was being sought to face charges.
To evade arrest, Djabbarbergenov crossed into Kazakhstan in 2007, where he sought refugee status with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). The UNHCR acknowledged his family as refugees in 2009, but the Kazakh government has said he does not meet its requirements for refugee status.
Djabbarbergenov has appealed the decision multiple times, but each time the government has refused to overturn its ruling.
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