Two unrelated Protestant churches in different parts of Kazakhstan were raided in early October, ostensibly over a criminal case launched 15 months ago. The case follows a complaint by the mother of a member of Astana's Grace Church that it harmed her health, allegations church members denied to Forum 18 News Service. Masked police searched the church and seized computers, valuables and religious books they insisted were "extremist" (though they could not explain what was extremist or who had declared them so).
Police requested church members to give blood specimens to see if the church uses "hallucinogenic" substances for communion. Nine days later the unrelated New Life Church in Oral (Uralsk) was raided in the same case.
Asked by Forum 18 why masked police broke into Grace Church in a manner church members found threatening, senior investigator Vyacheslav Glazkov adamantly denied this. "We did not threaten anyone, we just made a search," he said.
Members of both churches fear the authorities will use the case to prevent them gaining the compulsory re-registration for religious communities to be allowed to continue operating after Oct. 25.
(F18)
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