How are Christians persecuted in Kazakhstan?
- Christian freedoms in Kazakhstan are hugely curtailed by onerous restrictions and close surveillance – often under the pretext of countering the threat of extremist Islam.
- Churches from Protestant denominations experience raids, arrests and fines.
- The most severe persecution is reserved for new believers from Muslim backgrounds, who can face house arrest, beatings and expulsion from their community. Influential local leaders (with the support of the authorities) see conversion as an assault on Kazakh identity.
- Many new believers choose to keep their new faith secret.
- Regime-sponsored warnings against sharing faith are widespread in advertisements, including on bills for utilities and on public transport. For example, in the summer of 2024, utility bills included a message instructing those who see people discussing religion or offering religious literature in public places to call the police.
Why are Christians persecuted in Kazakhstan?
- The authorities in Kazakhstan are seeking to tighten their grip on all aspects of Kazakh life, including their control of Christians.
- Protestant groups, such as Baptists and Pentecostals, are seen as a foreign influence who aim to undermine the Kazakh authorities.
- In 2022, changes to the Religion Law added to the restrictions facing Christians, including making it even harder to hold meetings outside state-registered places.
- Russian Orthodox churches face fewer problems as they generally don’t seek to engage with the wider Kazakh population, and the authorities don’t want to provoke their Russian counterparts.
Who is particularly vulnerable in Kazakhstan?
- New believers face the greatest dangers, particularly those living in rural areas where religious identity is strongest.
- From a government perspective, those involved in Protestant groups are more of a target, especially if involved in outreach amongst Kazakhs.
What has changed in Kazakhstan in the past year?
- Despite Kazakhstan dropping seven places in the World Watch List, the challenges experienced by many Christians are largely the same.
- In one incident this year, a group of Baptists travelling into the country were stopped, and several hundred Christians books were seized, including Kazakh New Testaments. A religious department ‘expert’ was called to study the books, while the believers were detained. The episode spells out the dangers facing Christians from non-traditional backgrounds and how the country’s tight restrictions extend to controls on literature.
How can I help Christians in the region?
- Please keep praying for your brothers and sisters in Kazakhstan. Your prayers make an enormous difference to those following Jesus no matter the cost.
Open Doors strengthens the persecuted church in Central Asia through literature distribution, livelihood support, women and children’s ministry, and prayer support.
please pray
Lord Jesus, we pray for our family in Kazakhstan, asking that they will not be despondent by pressure and persecution. Equip them to withstand the challenges through the provision of fellowship, literature and every practical need. Comfort and heal those who’ve suffered loss for their faith, protect people from harm, and encourage church leaders in their crucial but often exhausting work. As the authorities watch Your people, may they encounter Jesus. Amen.
