SATPAEV, Kazakhstan — Unless Viktor Gutyar succeeds in his appeal, he expects the administrative fine of nearly 10 months’ minimum wage for leading an unregistered religious community to be docked from his wages as a coal miner.
He was not even present when his church in Satpaev in central Kazakhstan was raided Sept. 11. His was one of five Baptist congregations raided in Karaganda region in September, including a harvest festival in Zhezkazgan attended by 150 people raided by police and riot police Sept. 25.
“A new wave of persecution” is how one Baptist described it. “They refuse to register in accordance with our Religion Law, so it’s their problem,” said Mereke Myrzabekova of Zhezkazgan’s internal policy department. She said they would not have been raided had they been watching football or drinking vodka together “because that’s not religion.”
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