Exiled Kazakhstan Pastors Face Long Prison Terms
By BosNewsLife News Center with reporting by BosNewsLife's Stefan J. Bos
BUDAPEST/ALMATY (BosNewsLife)-- Christian rights activists have urged prayers for three evangelical pastors who face...
Religious Freedom Tightening in Former Soviet Republics (COLUMN)
By Martin Roth, BosNewsLife Senior Columnist
MOSCOW, RUSSIA (BosNewsLife Columns)-- The 1991 dissolution of the Soviet Union sparked hopes among Christians for a new era of religious freedom. Sadly, these dreams have been only partially realized. This has been confirmed in the 2016 Open Doors World Watch List of the 50 countries where Christians are most severely persecuted for their faith.
Christian Convert Faces 10 Years Imprisonment In Kazakhstan
By BosNewsLife News Center in Budapest with reporting by BosNewsLife's Stefan J. Bos
ASTANA/BUDAPEST (BosNewsLife)-- A court in the former Soviet republic of Kazakhstan has begun hearing the case against a Kazakh Christian convert who could face a long prison term on charges of "inciting religious hatred". Yqylas Qabduaqasov, 54, an active member of the Seventh-Day Adventist Church, was brought to the courtroom in the capital Astana Friday, October 9, in handcuffs, reporters said.
NEWS WATCH: Kazakhstan President Re-election Expected Amid Uncertainty
By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent
ASTANA, KAZAKHSTAN (BosNewsLife)-- Kazakhstan's President Nursultan Nazarbayev was set to renew his 26-year grip on power in elections on a pledge to offer the multi-ethnic Central Asian state economic and social stability in return for what rights groups call "systematic suppression" of opposition and devoted Christians.
Kazakhstan Frees “Tortured” Pastor From Prison
By BosNewsLife News Center
ASTANA/BUDAPEST (BosNewsLife)-- An evangelical pastor who was detained and tortured in a Kazakhstan prison following a controversial trial has been conditionally released, rights activists told BosNewsLife Tuesday, February 18.
Concerns Over Detained Kazakhstan Pastor After ‘Soviet-Style Psychological’ Treatment (Update)
By BosNewsLife News Center
BUDAPEST/ASTANA (BosNewsLife)-- Christians remained worried Friday, September 20, about an evangelical pastor in Kazakhstan amid reports that he underwent forced psychological treatment and harsh interrogation following his detention in May on "trumped-up charges".
Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan Sentences Pastors For Evangelism, Literature Distribution
By BosNewsLife News Center
ASTANA/TASHKENT/BUDAPEST (BosNewsLife)-- Evangelical Christians in Central Asia remained concerned Tuesday, June 4, about the plight of Pastor Sharofat Allamova who was sentenced to 1.5 years "corrective labor" in Uzbekistan for distributing Christian literature while in neighboring Kazakhstan a pastor was detained after distributing red tea during communion, activists and missionaries said.
Kazakhstan Court Rules Against Destruction Bibles; Christians Fined
By BosNewsLife News Center
ASTANA/BUDAPEST (BosNewslife)-- An appeals court in autocratically-ruled Kazakhstan has overturned a ruling that 121 pieces of Christian literature, including Bibles, that were seized from a street evangelist be destroyed.
Kazakhstan Destroys Bibles, Uzbekistan Attacks Convert
By BosNewsLife News Center
ASTANA/TASHKENT/BUDAPEST (BosNewsLife)-- A court in Kazakhstan has ordered the destruction of 121 pieces of Christian literature, including Bibles, while in neighboring Uzbekistan an elderly convert from Islam is in "great distress" after police raided his home, Christians said Thursday, March 21.
Christians Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan Facing Crackdown
By BosNewsLife News Center in Budapest
BUDAPEST/ASTANA/BISHKEK (BosNewsLife)-- Devoted Christians in autocratically ruled Kazakhstan and neighboring Kyrgyzstan face church closures and state control over Christian materials amid a fresh crackdown by authorities on faith groups in the region, BosNewsLife learned Friday, December 14.