Update on Kazahkstani Oppression

[From Bhakti Bhringa Govinda Swami]

Dear Friends,

We have already informed you of the difficult situation with the farm community of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness in Kazakhstan. The government is endeavouring to evict the devotees from the land lawfully purchased in 1999, as well as their houses and ashramas which accomodate more than 60 devotees.

This persecution started in October 2004 but now the situation reached its critical point.

Yesterday, April 24, 2006 at 10 p.m. the legal executive (court officer) delivered a notification to the members of the community that today, on April 25, at 11 a.m. their ashramas and cottages will be demolished according to the decision of the court.

We ask you to help us in this difficult situation to stop the > execution of the unlawful decision of the court regarding the demolition > of the ashramas and eviction of the devotees from their homes.

All the devotees are law obiding citizens of the Republic of Kazakhstan and now the government wants to make them homeless outcasts.

You can help us by making telephone calls to the Administration of the > President of the Republic of Kazakhstan, to the Presidential Committee on Religious Affairs and the local administrative bodies, and requesting them
to stop the execution of the unlawful decision.

Telephones:

Presidential Office:
+7 (3172) 152634, 152920, 152107
+7 (3172) 324558
Presidential PR department:
+7 (3172) 744051

Administration of the President:
+7 (3172) 151203,
fax +7 (3172) 324480

Prosecutor's office of RK
+7 (3172) 712868, 214025, 712500

Senate
+7 (3172) 153195, 153239, 327710

Senate PR department:
+7 (3172) 153295, 153505
fax +7 (3172) 334639

Committee on Religious Affairs
Mr. Yeraly Lukpanovich Tugzhanov
+7 (3172) 152497, 152217, 152690
fax +7 (3172) 328356

Prime Minister
Mr. Danial Akhmetov
+7 (3172) 152035, 152027

Almaty Regional Land Department
Mr. Nauryzbai Asanbayevich Taubayev
+7 (3272) 270125

Almaty Regional Hakim
Mr. Serik Abikenovich Umbetov
+7 (3282) 271753

Karasai District Hakim
Bolat-bi Satynbayevich Kutpanov
+7 (32771) 21142, 21709

Karasai District Court:
+7 (32771) 20899

Court executive
Ms. R. Baimukhanbetova
+7 (32771) 22030

You can present the following arguments:

1. Law obiding citizens are deprived of their homes and thrown to the street. All of them have lawfully acquired the right of ownership for their plots of land they have paid all the taxes and membership charges.


2. The Hakim (Governor) of the district accuses the owners that they never had their property privatized. However the members of the community repeatedly applied to the Hakim for his permission to make the acts of ownership for their cottages and plots but he repeatedly refused. Without his sanction for privatization one cannot make needed documentation for the cottages.


3. The devotees' houses are located on the territory of a Consumers Cooperative. There are 120 members of this Cooperative. However the claims are brought only against the members of the religious society. In each and every claim the connection of the defendants to the Religious Organization Society for Krishna Consciousness has been illustrated. This is a direct and flagrant violation of human rights and freedoms which are guaranteed by the Constitution of Kazakhstan.


4. Confiscation of property without compensation is possible only in a criminal case. Ours is a civil case. It is not a criminal case.


5. According to the law, the citizens whose property is confiscated are given at least 5 days to prepare for the execution of the court decision. In our case we have another transgression of the law as we were given less than one day.

Please act quickly and contact as many friends, supporters, and well-wishers as possible who may not be able to received this message in time.

If you have contacts with the powerful political leaders, businessmen, big media agencies (CNN, BBC, Reuter), please deliver to them this information and give them our telephones:

Maxim Varfolomeev +7 300 7407943,
Rati Manjari devi dasi (Ekaterina Levitskaya) +7 300 7164967.

Your servants from

Sri Vrindavan Dham,
Kazakhstan