Grace church pastor arrested in Astana

    Bakhytzhan Kashkymbayev, Pastor of Grace Church in Astana, has been arrested, a news release from Astana Interior Department said
    The former leader of Grace Mission of Astana and currently its pastor was arrested on Friday, May 17, on suspicion of committing a crime worded as "intended infliction of severe harm to human health" in the Article 103 of the Criminal Code of Kazakhstan, the news release wrote.
    The police reminded reporters the criminal case was opened in October 2012, “after severe damage was caused to the mental health of one of the members of the Grace mission congregation”. The “suspect” is currently kept at a temporary detention facility of the Astana Interior Department. The investigation is ongoing, officials claim, according to www.tengrinews.kz.
    Earlier Astana police had found that the pastor of Grace church offered a red-colored drink “causing hallucinations” during his services. After one such service, a 34-y.o. member of the church from Astana was taken to a psychiatric hospital and was diagnosed with “paranoid schizophrenia with high risk of suicide”.
    “The pastor of the Blagodat religious union gives his parish a red-colored drink during the services. According to the statement from the Medications Testing Center, this drink contained hallucinogenic ingredients that lead to euphoria and relaxation,” Botagoz Akhmanova, an inspector from the Astana Interior Department's said.
    Police seized samples of the drink and books supposedly inspiring religious hatred. A Umit-Nadezhda publishing office was also found in the building. The printing house was being used to produce religious literature without obtaining a permit from the Religious Affairs Agency, officials state.
    The pastor denies the accusations. Speaking on the incident he said the church member was led to a state of mental breakdown by her mother and sister.
    "That woman was treated at a psychiatric hospital. I saw her three months ago. Her relatives brought her to that condition. We never offered her any psychotropic agents, as I walk before God. I could not possibly do any such thing. We use either juice or karkade tea for the Lord's Supper."
    Eurasinet reports the actual charges were vague and were related to how he said his prayers. Forum 18, the Oslo-based religiorus freedom watchdog, reports that Kashkumbayev was questioned on May 17 and two days later remanded for two months' pre-trial detention on “unclear charges, apparently including praying and singing.”
    Members of the church who attended his arraignment told Forum 18 he was detained, not for the wine, “but for praying in tongues and singing.”
    In an unrelated case, in early May Baptist leader Aleksey Asetov from Ekibastuz in northeastern Kazakhstan spent three days in jail for failing to pay a fine imposed for holding a worship meeting without state permission. In 2011, Astana introduced legislation vastly curbing the activities of unregistered religious groups in the country, Eurasianet said.
    A year ago, Korean pastor and founder of the Grace Church in Kazakhstan Dr. Kim Sam Seong was arrested in Almaty for trying to illegally export $130 thousand from Kazakhstan without declaring it at the airport.
    He later explained to the police the money was church donations, www.tengrinews.kz.
    In another test of religious freedom in Kazakhstan, supporters of journalist Alexander Kharlamov, who was detained in March on charges of inciting religious hatred by publishing his atheist views, have drafted an online petition demanding his release.
    Kharlamov is undergoing forced psychiatric evaluation in Almaty to see if he is fit to stand trial. Supporters believe he was targeted for writing about corruption and abuse of power in his hometown of Ridder, in eastern Kazakhstan. Eurasianet said.