For Immediate Release
July 26, 2001

High court upholds religious freedom in Kazakhstan

TARAZ, Kazakhstan—On July 23, 2001, the Zhambyl Regional Court of Taraz in the former Soviet republic of Kazakhstan dismissed a protest made by the Office of the Taraz City Prosecutor attempting to deregister the local religious community of Jehovah's Witnesses and to forbid their activities. This action by the Zhambyl Region Court left intact the decision of the Taraz City Court, which had already established that the worship and activities of Jehovah's Witnesses should indeed remain legally recognized and protected.

What occurred was considered highly unusual. By mid-morning Monday, all the participants, including attorneys for Jehovah's Witnesses as well as representatives of the city and district prosecutor's office, were ready to start the hearing. But the start of the trial was being delayed. By noon, the presiding judge, E.A. Iovov, spoke on behalf of the three-judge panel in declaring that the case was dismissed.

The process initiated by the prosecutor's office began February 9, 2001. During the hearing in Taraz, 17 witnesses testified. More than half of them were called by the prosecutor. However, the lower court decision announced on May 29 refuted all of the prosecutor's claims. In particular it stated that the charter of Jehovah's Witnesses contains "no norms that are in controversy with the Constitution or any other law of the Republic of Kazakhstan. The activity of the religious group does not limit the common human and the civil rights of its members before the state."

Many Kazakhstani and international human rights organizations closely followed the developments in this case. Several Kazakhstani human rights organizations prepared a letter to the Zhambyl Regional Court regarding the serious implications of the case.

Prior to the hearing, information about the forthcoming proceedings was also supplied to American, British and German Embassies in Almaty, as well as to the U.S. Department of State, Office of International Religious Freedom, in Washington, D.C.

This legal precedent could have great importance for religious freedom not only in Taraz, but also throughout Kazakhstan and in other countries as well. There are over 13, 000 Jehovah's Witnesses in Kazakhstan.

Contacts: Administrative Center of Jehovah's Witnesses in Russia, Alexei Nazarachev, telephone: (812) 434-38-50;
International headquarters in the United States,
J. R. Brown, telephone: (718) 560-5600