Situation in Kazakhstan

[Guest guest]

Dear ISKCON members,

Please accept my most humble obeisances. All Glories to Srila Prabhupada.

 

I want to thank those who working to help the situation ISKCON is facing

in Kazakhstan. Please find at the end of this letter, excerpts from some

of the messages I've received from various parts of the world.

 

 

All ISKCON members who haven't taken any action yet, are humbly requested to

make this a top priority in their service at present, as it remains crucial

that we reach out to our devotee community in Kazakhstan in their hour of

need.

 

I specifically request all GBCs and Temple Presidents to take action and

write to me by May 31st describing what they have done to help our fellow

devotees in Kazakhstan:

 

secretary.ec (AT) pamho (DOT) net

Hoping this meets you in the best of health.

 

 

Your servant,

AC Bhaktivaibhava Swami

GBC Chairman

 

 

Excerpts from letters received:

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BRASIL

I have a good mailing list with many people from the media and radio from my

city Porto Alegre in Brazil.

 

I have now taken the initiative media - newspapers, radio - explaining about

the situation of the Krishna Movement in Khazakistan.

I begged for their cooperation in any way and said that it would be nice if

they commented and made the entire country aware of this horrible and

lamentable situation the devotees are going through.

 

I wish we can in some way touch the authorities so they can do something.

 

I am very sad with all that is happening there, and I hope to demonstrate in

a

humble way my love for the devotees of Lord Krishna, and may I be an eternal

servant as tought by Srila Prabhupada.

 

Servant Kunja Bihari Devi Dasi - Brasil

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HUNGARY

*Hungarian Krishna-devotees for Religious Freedom in Kazakhstan*

 

Giving emphasis to their message with a real bulldozer, the Hungarian

Krishna conscious devotees demonstrated in front of the Kazakhstan Embassy

in Budapest on May 3.

 

WHAT HAPPENED IN KAZAKHSTAN?

 

The Budapest protest was triggered by the events on April 25 when court

executives of the Karasai district, along with the representatives of the

local Hakimat and police, attempted to demolish one of the five cottages

owned by the members of the Society for Krishna Consciousness. The local

government officials have decided to confiscate the land, purchased seven

years ago by the Krishna-conscious community. The attempt was thwarted

by the resistance of the devotees and the presence of the media. However,

representative of the Karasai district, R. G. Baimukhanbetova, said that

this week they would again attempt to demolish the houses and use force to

crush any resistance by Krishna devotees.

 

THE HUNGARIAN RESPONSE

 

On hearing the news, two hundred Hungarian Krishna-devotees demonstrated in

front of the Budapest Embassy of Kazakhstan on Wednesday morning, expressing

their disapproval of the government assault on their fellow community

members abroad. They accentuated their presence by placing a real bulldozer

across the street in front of the embassy and carrying placards with the

inscriptions: "WHERE IS RELIGIOUS FREEDOM?BULLDOZERS AGAINST THE

RELIGIOUS?RELIGIOUS PERSECUTION IN KAZAKHSTAN!"

 

The three-person delegation of the demonstrators was received by caretaker

representative Rymtay Karibzhanov. Members of the delegation were Sivarama

Swami, chief pastor; Gusztáv Tornóczky, the communication representative of

the Hungarian Society for Krishna Consciousness; and Ms. Ilona Szent-Iványi,

European representative of the International Association for Religious

Freedom. According to Mr. Rymtay, harrassment of the devotees does not

indicate any intolerance by the state against religious minorities but is a

matter at the Karasai district level. Sivarama Swami responded that unless

the state acts swiftly against such harrassment, it is difficult to

distinguish independent behavior by a region from that of the state.

 

Mr Karibzhanov stated that the measures taken by the regional government

were not motivated by religious reasons but legal ones. However, the fact

remains that only the houses of the Krishna devotees are being threatened,

despite the fact that the legal status of the other houses is the same.

 

Sivarama Swami remarked that any issues emerging should be settled by

discussions with the owners of the land and houses, yet the local

authorities have rejected approaches by Krishna devotees for years.

 

Ms. Szent-Iványi indicated that the international human rights

organisations monitor and disapprove of the events in Kazakhstan. The

international news agency "Forum 18" covered the events for the

international press.

 

INTERNATIONAL EVENTS

 

The demonstration in Hungary is a part of an international wave of protest

aimed at putting pressure on the Kazakhstan government to honour the

principles of freedom of religion it professes to practice. The coming days

will see similar actions in several European countries and in the United

States.

 

A larger scale demonstration and press conference is expected to be held in

New Delhi, where the representatives of the International Society for

Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) will discuss the matter with government

officials in an effort to resolve the situation by means of diplomacy.

 

The situation is still tense. It is unknown whether the local executor will

carry out the threat to bulldoze five houses, and send two state troopers

for every devotee present. We can only hope that international protests

are effective and that the Kazakhstan government will stop this

discrimination and violation of basic human rights.

 

Pictures from the demonstration can be found here:

 

http://krisna.hu/galeria/thumbnails.php?album=76〈=english

US, LOS ANGELES

 

We are contacting all the local Indian newspapers and we are getting our

congregation to sign a petition to be sent out.

 

Your servant,

Svavasa dasa

-----

UKRAINE

Dear Acyuta Priya Prabhu,

 

Please accept my humble obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada.

 

Hare Krishna !!

 

I want to thank you and all of the devotees in the Ukraine for assisting

us in our struggle in Kazakhstan.

 

It is wonderful that you all pulled together for Prabhupada's Family and

conducted the demonstration, especially, being one of the countries of the

former Soviet Union.

 

My humble request is that you continue to follow up with the Kazakh

Ambassador. Keep the pressure on and request him to give some assurance in

writing that the issue in Karasai Rayon of Almaty Oblast against the Krishna

devotees will be resolved amicably. At least he will pass the info to Astana

and it will be registered with the Foreign Ministry. We hope that eventually

it will come to the attention of the president.

 

Again, thank you for standing by our side.

 

With affectionate regards,

 

BB Govinda Swami

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Though I am not an ISKCON officer I contacted the owner of the largest

newspaper in S India (a personal friend) to cover the story, plus a United

Nations representative of religious affairs whom I also have contacts with.

 

yhs

 

Shyamasundara Dasa (ACBSP) (Vedic Astrologer)

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