Kazakhstan Crisis

August 11, 2006

August 11, 2006

Dear Friends,

It has been over three months since the Kazakhstan government attempted to

destroy homes of the devotees and confiscate their properties. Due to your

efforts of sending letters, faxes, and emails to the Kazakhstan government,

the orders were frozen from the Capital. But sadly, there has been no

resolve to the situation.

Our leaders in Kazakhstan have repeatedly approached Karasai District

officials with a request for dialogue. They tell our people that they do not

want to speak to them. They have also insisted that we not conduct our

yearly spiritual festival. This has been a disappointment for the hundreds

of devotees who travel from all parts of central Asia to attend spiritual

discourses.

The Almaty Provincial government has never granted an appointment for any of

our leaders to meet with officials. Five new cases have been opened against

society members and five more cases have been lost in the Provincial court.

We have had meetings on the national level. The officers assure us that they

wish to assist, but repeat the phrase "resolve the issue in court". Thus, we

are pushing our cases forward to the Supreme Court. Our advocates met with

officers in the capital and explained that from the purely legal perspective

we should have easily won these cases. But, as yet, we have not won a single

case.

In short, despite the stay order, nothing else has changed. We are still

experiencing a land confiscation attempt combined with selective

discrimination against our minority religious community.

In September 2006 the government of Kazakhstan is hosting a "World

Conference of Religions" in the nation's capital. Attending will be leaders

of major religions from around the world.

We strongly feel that conducting this conference, while leaving the issue of

our society in an unresolved condition, compromises the integrity and

aspirations of the conference. It makes the intentions of the government of

Kazakhstan in exhibiting the tolerance of all religious faiths in the nation

a show of hypocrisy.

HOW CAN YOU HELP?

We are asking you to fax 3 letters of appeal.

1. Mr. Nursultan Nazarbayev

President of the Republic of Kazakhstan

Fax +73172745631

2. Mr. Nurtay Abukayev

Chairman of the Senate of Kazakhstan

Fax +73172242908

3. To the Kazakh Embassy in your nation

The appeal is that they will "close the issue surrounding the Krishna

Religion in Karasai Rayon, prior to the World Conference of Religions in

September 2006."

Kazakhstan is experiencing rapid and large scale material development. The

respected leaders of the nation advertise the country as a model of

democracy. But, what the Krishna devotees have experienced over the past

three months has been a strong test of faith in that democratic model.

Still, our experience has given us confidence that Kazakhstan is a

multi-faith society in which there is respect and tolerance for people of

different religious faiths and backgrounds. But, in having that confidence,

we expect that our case will be treated accordingly.

Please address the leaders of Kazakhstan that they will act accordingly and

close this issue once and for all. Please request that they will grant us

dialogue, tolerance, human rights and dignity. We know that your letters

will help us in attaining that goal.

Thank you for your support and prayers throughout this period.

With affectionate regards,

BB Govinda Swami

A sample letter may be as follows:

***************************************************************************

Mr. Nursultan Nazarbayev

President of the Republic of Kazakhstan

Fax +73172745631

Dear President Nazarbayev,

Greetings.

I am deeply concerned regarding the issue involving the Religious

Organisation Society for Krishna Consciousness in Kazakhstan.

Nearly four months have passed since the attempted demolition of their

homes and confiscation of their properties. And in this time there has been

no official statement, or resolve, presented by your respectable government.

I understand that your nation is hosting an international "World Religion

Conference" in September 2006. I sincerely feel that leaving this issue

unresolved will show a disparity between what your country wishes to achieve

by hosting this conference and what actually is taking place in Karasai

Rayon, Almaty Oblast.

Therefore I am requesting the learned and thoughtful leaders of your nation

to close the issue surrounding the Krishna Religion in Kazakhstan prior to

the World Conference of Religions in September 2006.

Please show the world that Kazakhstan is truly a multi-faith society in

which there is respect and tolerance for people of different religious

faiths and backgrounds.

We thank you, in advance, and hope for a speedy close to the issue and a

reply to this letter.

Sincerely,

****************************************************************************

Mr. Nurtay Abukayev

Chairman of the Senate of Kazakhstan

Fax +73172242908

Dear Mr. Abukayev,