TARAZ, Kazakhstan — Baptist pastor Pyotr Panafidin was fined Sept. 2 for more than three months of his average wages by officials in Taraz, Kazakhstan. Panafidin refused to register his church because of principle. The religion law in Taraz was amended in July, making it a punishable offense to leave churches in the country unregistered.
Pastor Rustam Kairulin attempted to register his Protestant church in July but was denied for the sixth time. On Aug. 6, officials raided a Protestant church in nearby Gulsary, which has been refused registration four times, and ordered church members to write statements on why they were attending an unregistered religious community.
“Every time, officials find some fault in our documents,” Kairulin said. “But I think these are just quibbles — in fact, the authorities don’t want Christianity to become widespread in the region.”
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