American Pastor Detained in Russia

A Protestant pastor and U.S. citizen has been held for months at detention center in Russia. Thomas Tae Kang, a Presbyterian Church pastor, Korean by birth, U.S. citizen, former military chaplain, and now military pensioner, has been held for more than four months in custody on an attempted bribery charge: the bribe, a $30 USD donation he provided in conjunction to a fine he lawfully paid.  But a cursory look into the facts surrounding his case show that he was targeted because he provided a place for various Christian ministries to worship.

T. Kang arrived in Russia more than ten years ago, and he has remained here with his family. He had literally fallen in love with Russia, its culture and the Russian people. After obtaining his residence permit, he bought an apartment in Moscow and began to build a house in Zaoksky District, Tula Region, a process that took more than nine years to complete. Upon completion, the house was large and beautiful. T. Kang called it his "House of Joy", and decided he would minister to parents and children from low-income families and the children of soldiers by allowing them to vacation for free at the House of Joy. T. Kang felt this ministry is how he could best serve the Russian people. Even before its official opening, T. Kang placed the humanitarian vacation house at the disposal of Christians in Tula Region for celebrations and prayer services.

The official opening of the House of Joy was scheduled for September 29, 2012. Clergy from all over Russia, as well as from South Korea and the United States, were invited to the opening. A former Defense Minister of South Korea, and now pastor of one of the largest Presbyterian churches in Seoul, was among the invitees who arrived. A total of around 120 guests came.

  

But on September 28, 2012, the eve of the grand opening of the House of Joy, the Office of the Federal Migration Service (FMS) of the Zaoksky District summoned T. Kang by telephone. Officials of FMS informed T. Kang that one of the three builders of the house, an immigrant from Uzbekistan, had a work permit that had expired several days before and had since been arrested.

Like a law-abiding citizen, T. Kang rushed to the FMS Office where the details of the Russian immigration laws were described to him in the darkest terms, and he was threatened with criminal charges entailing a sentence of two months to two years, a sentence which did not, however, correspond with Russian law. An FMS employee sent T. Kang to the chief of police in the building next door after giving T. Kang a copy of the administrative offense report, which listed a fine of two thousand rubles and bank account information for the payment of the fine. In answer to T. Kang’s question, "Why do I have to go there?" the employee told the presbyter that it was "necessary" and that "they are waiting for you."

A police officer on duty accompanied T. Kang and his assistant Ekaterina F. to the office of the Deputy Chief Captain S., where the conversation revolved first around the Uzbek and then turned to the possibility that T. Kang was himself criminally liable. Assuming by this allegation the officer was trying to extort a bribe, T. Kang told Ekaterina "Let's go" and left the office. In the corridor he gave Ekaterina two thousand rubles and asked her to pay the fine, because he honestly believed that the fine must be paid on the spot, and then he went out to his car.

  

Captain S. would not, however, take the money from Ekaterina, stating that T. Kang was ignoring him and did not want to talk to him, and he demanded that T. Kang be brought back to the office. Ekaterina came down from the second floor to the street and called T. Kang back to the office. However, he did not want to return, stating that he had nothing more to do there and he was in a rush because there were groceries in the car that could spoil and he had to prepare to meet his guests. Ekaterina reiterated that the officer was insistent that he return. Taking the money back from Ekaterina, T. Kang entered the office where this conversation "about nothing" went into the second round. To put it plainly, he was stonewalled for a total of more than thirty minutes.

Growing tired of meaningless conversation and the hints of criminal liability, the foreigner gave the policeman two thousand rubles (roughly $66USD) to satisfy the fine and another thousand rubles (roughly $33USD) as "an open giving of thanks" (these were his literal words) for the economic needs of the police, in essence a donation to the police. Captain S. glanced at the money and shouted "bribe!" Immediately, the police officers who were standing at the ready behind door ran in and detained the T. Kang.  On September 29, 2011, the morning after the initial detention, T. Kang was transferred to Detention center No. 1 of Tula, where to this day, more than five months later, he is being held until his investigation is concluded.

Author: 

Anatoly Pchelintsev, lawyer,
Co-Chairmain of the Slavic Center for Law and Justice

Makset Djabbarbergenov freed

Three months after he was detained on an extradition request from Uzbekistan, Protestant pastor Makset Djabbarbergenov was suddenly released from prison in Kazakhstan's commercial capital Almaty on 4 December and put on a flight out of the country in the early hours of 5 December. He, his wife and four children arrived safely in Frankfurt airport this morning and travelled on to a third country in Europe, Forum 18 News Service has learnt. Although border guards at Almaty airport told Djabbarbergenov as he left that he was banned from re-entering Kazakhstan until 2017, his friends in the city told Forum 18 "we need to thank the Kazakh government – they did the right thing".

His release was possible because of the massive international pressure and pleas to government of Kazakhstan on many levels. Russian Ministries thanks all who had prayed, sent letters, spread the information and did their best to bring closer the day when pastor Makset joined his family. 

Djabbarbergenov had led a Pentecostal community in his home town of Nukus, the capital of Uzbekistan's autonomous republic of Karakalpakstan [Qoraqalpoghiston], from 2001. He had been fined for his religious activity and had his home raided and Christian books confiscated.

He fled in August 2007 after anti-terrorism police raided his home, claiming he was holding an "illegal" religious meeting. Police detained him, but did not prevent him leaving the police station several hours later to attend to his distressed wife Aigul, who was seven months pregnant.

Soon afterwards, Djabbarbergenov left Nukus for the Uzbek capital Tashkent. On 20 August 2007, Nukus police issued a wanted poster (seen by Forum 18) stating that he was a follower of Isa Masih (Jesus Christ) and was being sought to face charges under Criminal Code Article 229-2. Police confirmed to Forum 18 from Nukus in October 2007 that they were still hunting for Djabbarbergenov (see F18News 12 October 2007 http://www.forum18.org/Archive.php?article_id=1034).

To evade arrest, Djabbarbergenov crossed into Kazakhstan on 11 September 2007, where he sought refugee status with the UNHCR. His wife and children joined him in 2008. 

Russia: Legislation Criminalizing Blasphemy Frozen Until Spring

28 November 2012 | Issue 5024

The Moscow Times

President Vladimir Putin has decided to postpone the adoption of legislation criminalizing blasphemy and acts that offend religious believers until spring, a news report said Wednesday.

In the meantime, authorities hope to engage the public in a serious discussion on the contentious legislation, which would impose maximum penalties of three years' imprisonment, a 300,000 ruble ($10,000) fine or 200 hours' community work for publicly offending believers' feelings, a Kremlin source told Vedomosti.

At a meeting of Putin's human rights council earlier this month, prominent activists criticized the blasphemy bill for its vague wording, which they said could result in miscarriages of justice. "'Feeling' is vague term, not a legal one," liberal politician Irina Khakamada told Putin at the meeting.

Her words were echoed by the Supreme Court, which said in a written assessment of the legislation that its implementation would be difficult unless phrases like "worship" and "religious traditions and ceremonies" were clarified, according to Vedomosti.

Those in favor of the bill argue that raising penalties for blasphemy is necessary to stamp out growing conflict in the sphere of religion

Read more:http://www.themoscowtimes.com/news/article/legislation-criminalizing-blasphemy-frozen-until-spring/472111.html#ixzz2DZr6G3V7
The Moscow Times

BELARUS: One week left for charismatic church?

Members of Minsk's New Life Pentecostal Church – who have been campaigning for a decade to hold on to their building - have been ordered to hand over the keys of their church to officials next Wednesday (5 December). The eviction order – seen by Forum 18 News Service - orders the local housing authority to provide "vehicles, manpower and everything necessary to evict the debtor" in case of forced eviction. Court executor Olga Shcherbovich of Minsk's Higher Economic Court, who signed the order, refused to discuss it with Forum 18. "We are treating this very seriously," church member and lawyer Sergei Lukanin told Forum 18. "There will be round-the-clock prayer in our building and special evening prayer meetings to ask the Lord to defend our building and to guide our response to the authorities.

Yesterday (27 November) New Life Pentecostal Church received notice that it must voluntarily vacate its building by 5 December or else be forcibly evicted. "We are treating this very seriously," Sergei Lukanin, New Life member and lawyer, remarked to Forum 18 News Service from the Belarusian capital Minsk on 28 November. "There will be round-the-clock prayer in our building and special evening prayer meetings to ask the Lord to defend our building and to guide our response to the authorities." Deputy Plenipotentiary for Religious and Ethnic Affairs, Vladimir Lameko, refused absolutely to discuss the proposed eviction of New Life Church with Forum 18 on 28 November. New Life is famous for its 10-year fight to keep control of its private church property, a renovated cow barn on the edge of Minsk. The city authorities have blocked the 1000-strong congregation's efforts to use the building in line with Belarusian law, thereby stripping its rights to the property. A hunger strike by New Life members, visits by foreign diplomats and messages of support from around the world prevented the state from seizing the building in 2006. Seen by Forum 18, the 27 November eviction notice instructs New Life Church to prepare keys to its building for a hand-over to state representatives at 11am on 5 December. It also orders the local housing authority of Minsk's Moscow District to provide "vehicles, manpower and everything necessary to evict the debtor" in case of forced eviction. Signed by court executor Olga Shcherbovich of Minsk's Higher Economic Court, the notice implements the Court's eviction order of 23 October 2012. Reached by telephone on 28 November, Shcherbovich declined to respond to Forum 18's questions. She explained that she only accepts public enquiries – including by telephone – on Tuesdays. Change of course? There has been no attempt to evict New Life since August 2009, church lawyer Lukanin confirmed to Forum 18. "The court executors haven't touched us since then - this means no political decision was taken until now." Lukanin believes the development is connected with the 16 November appointment of Valery Vakulchik as new head of the KGB (the secret police has not changed its name since the Soviet era), and the eviction of human rights organisation Vesna ("Spring") from its Minsk premises on 26 November. "Vesna's eviction was a test to see how the public would react, and the lack of public reaction encouraged the authorities to deal with New Life," Lukanin suggested to Forum 18. "But ours is a quite different situation because people relate differently to us as we're a religious organisation. We also believe in spiritual support from the Lord, and we have the experience of 2006, when quite extraordinarily the whole state machinery directed against us suddenly stopped, and we continue to meet in our building even though the land has not belonged to us since 2005 and the building since 2009." New Life has indeed largely been left alone since mid-2009. Visiting the church in late December 2010, Forum 18 found members able to organise Christmas festivities with the aid of portable generators (the authorities switched off the building's electricity in 2004). The church's high-profile civil disobedience campaign in 2006 appeared to push the authorities back from confrontation. Also in late 2010, Minsk Pentecostal Pastor Antoni Bokun – whose church has also faced difficulties – remarked to Forum 18 that New Life had become "the only territory in the country where Belarusian laws don't operate". Under President Aleksandr Lukashenko, Protestant communities have generally found it impossible to get property redesignated so that it can be legally used for worship. If a building is not a designated house of worship, advance state permission is needed for religious activity, and anti-Protestant officials refuse to grant it. Orthodox and Catholic communities are rarely affected, partly due the state's more positive attitude towards them, but also because they are more likely to occupy historically preserved, designated worship buildings (see F18News 30 May 2007http://www.forum18.org/Archive.php?article_id=966). Ten-year struggle Purchased in 2002, New Life's building – a spacious, modern barn-like structure on the edge of Minsk – is legally still a cowshed. The state authorities have repeatedly refused to allow the church to legalise its position by changing the building's designation to a house of worship, or to use it for services. The congregation's defiant worship at the building has resulted in multiple large fines in addition to its formal confiscation (see F18News 17 August 2006http://www.forum18.org/Archive.php?article_id=832). The congregation has nowhere else to meet, having earlier been barred from public facilities by district administrations throughout Minsk. It toyed with the idea of keeping several cows at the church so as to comply with the building's designation, but animal husbandry is now banned in Minsk (see F18News 28 July 2005http://www.forum18.org/Archive.php?article_id=619). A high point in New Life's battle with the Minsk authorities came in October 2006, when officials dispatched a bulldozer with the apparent intention of razing the charismatic congregation's building. The church embarked on a high-profile hunger strike in its defence. After letters of support from all over the world began pouring in to President Lukashenko, the church's pastor, Vyacheslav Goncharenko, was invited to see a top-ranking presidential administration official, Oleg Proleskovsky, who hinted that a legal resolution was possible (see F18News 20 October 2006http://www.forum18.org/Archive.php?article_id=858). Despite this, the Higher Economic Court threw out New Life's subsequent appeal against state moves to seize its building on 13 January 2009, taking the church's situation back to square one (see F18News 26 January 2009http://www.forum18.org/Archive.php?article_id=1244). Recent harassment The eviction notice previous to yesterday's was issued in August 2009, and similarly ordered New Life to vacate its church building within seven days. On that occasion the congregation refused to let court executors in, or to accept compensation for the building, claiming the sum to be far below the current market value (see F18News 24 August 2009 http://www.forum18.org/Archive.php?article_id=1339). Harassment of New Life continued in 2010 through the Minsk City Natural Resources and Environmental Protection Committee. In July the church was issued fines in excess of 250 million Belarusian Roubles (500,000 Norwegian Kroner, 60,000 Euros or 85,000 US Dollars) for allegedly polluting the ground around its building with traces of oil (see F18News 29 July 2010http://www.forum18.org/Archive.php?article_id=1471). Rejecting these charges, New Life refused to pay the fines. In August 2010 the church's bank account was frozen, greatly complicating its financial administration, including charitable donations, staff wages and pension contributions (see F18News 6 November 2010 http://www.forum18.org/Archive.php?article_id=1509). Source

Russia: Raids on a Protestant Rehab Center (Video)

On November 9, 2012, the campaign to destroy the rehabilitation center New Life in Petersburg, Russia, passed to an active phase.

New Life was created in 1995 and is now the biggest and most effective rehabilitation center for drug- and alcohol-addicted people in Russia. There are 360 people going through rehabilitation at any given time. Research by the Russian Department of Health showed a success rate of 59.2 %. The center has received numerous certificates of honor, letters of thanks, and awards.

All of these achievements have been built on private donations and other funds raised by the center itself—they receive no funding from the Russian government.

Despite its success and positive impact on the community, for several years the Russian authorities have been attacking “New Life.”

The professed cause of these attacks is “violation of economic activity and human rights.” However, the true cause is the fact that New Life is located on a piece of real estate which has suddenly risen in value, a zone next to the Ust-Luga seaport coveted by some business organizations. “We know exactly who ordered the attacks and which corrupt officials have carried them out. The raids are acts of intimidation and attempts to find a way to discredit the center, then use it for the criminal prosecution of the center’s management,” says New Life founder Sergey Matevosyan.

Representatives of the prosecutor’s office of Leningradskaya Oblast repeatedly emphasized New Life’s connection with the Protestant church, calling it a sect and accusing the staff of “suppression of will of rehabilitants,” entirely without proof.

In the last few weeks, the center has been raided by the local police, the regional prosecutor's office, the regional FSB, the fire department, and the labor and sanitary inspectors. Even trained dogs were brought to find “hidden drugs” which, of course, didn’t exist. Nevertheless, Mr. Matevosyan expects to receive huge penalties. As he explains, “They weren’t able to intimidate us, they didn’t find anything, but now there will be penalties of ten of thousands of dollars for items like a fire extinguisher located in the wrong corner of a room.”

To be a Protestant in modern Russia is to be outside the law. You can be plundered and fined, your building can be destroyed (as was recently the case with Holy Trinity Church in Moscow), and authorities can fabricate a criminal case against you. All of this is done with impunity because only three major religions are protected—Eastern Orthodox Christianity, Judaism, and the Sunni sect of Islam. All others are left without the protection of the state, as the current case demonstrates.

more information in Russian

The video consist of introduction of a New Life Center, the footages from the Center during attack, and the statements from the persecutors office

Raids on New Life Center from Wade on Vimeo.