Kazakhstan's Krishnas cry foul after homes bulldozed

Joanna Lillis 1/03/07

Outside the shell of what was once a neat Kazakh village house, Radek Gaynanov gestures at a pile of rubble. "That used to be our bedroom," he says. Debris from the demolished ground floor spills onto the snowy lawn.

Gaynanov is a member of Kazakhstan's small Hare Krishna community. His house was among 13 dwellings that were bulldozed in late 2006 in the village of Bereke outside Almaty. The government's action has raised questions about Kazakhstan's commitment to religious freedom.

Local authorities maintain the demolition was ordered because the homeowners were improperly squatting on farmland. Kazakhstan's Society for Krishna Consciousness (SKC) says it is being targeted because of its religious beliefs. "The conflict has two aspects," SKC spokesman Maksim Varfolomeyev told EurasiaNet. "The local authorities say it is purely economic.... They tell us to resolve it in court. But there is a religious subtext, and there is religious intolerance."

Bereke's 60-strong Krishna community revolves around a communal farm set up in 1999. Since 2004, when local authorities filed a case seeking the return of the farm, known as the Sri Vrindavan Dham commune, the Krishna believers have faced considerable legal pressure. The SKC ultimately lost the case over the farmland, but has the right to appeal. The bulldozed houses, meanwhile, were part of a separate legal action. An April attempt to demolish them was halted by a peaceful SKC protest, but the authorities cautioned at that time that they would return.

On November 20, 13 homeowners were served writs telling them to dismantle their dwellings voluntarily, or face sanctions. The next day, riot police accompanied bulldozers to Bereke and the houses were demolished, leaving 35 people homeless. Local authorities declined to comment for this article.

"It was all so unexpected," Gaynanov's wife, Khema, told EurasiaNet. "It was a shock." Marina Cheyshvili was at home when the bulldozers arrived. "They didn't even explain why they were demolishing us," she said. "I was crying. I said: What are you doing? I've got four children; we'll be left on the street."

In its 2006 International Religious Freedom Report, published before the demolitions, the US State Department pointed to the rocketing price of land around Almaty as a trigger for the dispute. "Independent religious observers ... believed that the cases are motivated primarily by a financial interest in the land, the value of which has appreciated significantly since 1999," the report said.

"There is a monetary motive," Varfolomeyev agreed. "There is also a motive of religious intolerance."

A government commission set up to investigate the long-running land dispute reiterated on December 22 that a settlement must follow Kazakhstani legislation. A representative of the Justice Ministry's Religious Affairs Committee, which oversees the commission's work, told EurasiaNet that the government agency was awaiting clarification from local authorities on the demolition incident.

The demolitions have had international ramifications, not least because Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev was visiting the United Kingdom at the time of the incident. The British Foreign Office expressed concern to Kazakhstan's ambassador. A British government spokesman added that London hoped that "an amicable resolution can be found with the Krishna community in Almaty which allows it to continue to practice its faith, in line with the Kazakh Government's commitment to encourage inter-faith harmony."

Back in Kazakhstan, the US Embassy and the OSCE expressed concern over the episode. "The forceful eviction of homeowners in freezing temperatures and the destruction of their possessions contradicted principles of due process and fairness," said a US Embassy statement issued December 5. It urged local authorities "to refrain from any further aggressive actions."

The OSCE's statement said the incident raised "serious issues regarding the enjoyment of the freedom of religion and belief by members of the Hare Krishna community in Kazakhstan." The demolitions coincided with the run-up to a decision on Kazakhstan's bid to chair the OSCE in 2009, which was postponed until next year amid concerns about its commitment to democracy. [For background see the Eurasia Insight archive].

Given the political context, Almaty Helsinki Committee chairwoman Ninel Fokina said she believes that high-ranking Kazakhstani officials approved the decision to bulldoze the dwellings. "Knowing the question of our chairmanship of the OSCE was being decided – the president had gone to England for a visit – they carried out this blitzkrieg operation. What sort of normal, sensible official would risk doing that without approval from the top – if they did not know for sure that it would be done with impunity?" she asked rhetorically.

While Kazakhstan has often been in the spotlight over political practices, the country's record on religious freedom has rarely caused trouble for the government. [For background see the Eurasia Insight archive].

Kazakhstan – home to 130 ethnic groups and 40 religions – has cast itself as a bastion of religious and ethnic tolerance. In a December 16 speech to mark Independence Day, Nazarbayev hailed Kazakhstan's policy of "unity in diversity" – the very doctrine that attracted the Krishnas.

Sivarama Swami, a representative of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness, characterized the pressure on Kazakhstan's Krishna community as a byproduct of intolerance and greed. "[It's a] land grab," says Sivarama Swami. "Almaty's expanding like anything.... This is prime land."

The Krishna representative went on to assert that it was in the Kazakhstani government's best interest to ease the pressure on the Bereke community. "Because President Nazarbayev is really making such a strong bid internationally to promote Kazakhstan as being tolerant from a humanitarian and from a religious point of view, we are hoping that if he comes to know of this at least he can exert his influence," Sivarama Swami said.

Kazakhstan views with suspicion religions described as "non-traditional." The SKC says it has been smeared in the press and accused of turning Kazakhs away from Islam. Since the demolitions, officials have requested information from the community about its financing – which members say comes from donations – and the national, ethnic and social status of their members, who include foreign and Kazakh citizens.

"I think ... actions are being prepared to deprive the community of its legal status," Fokina says. "My assessment is pessimistic."

Sivarama Swami is more circumspect about the outlook for Kazakhstan's Krishna community. "Should I be optimistic or realistic?" he asks. "I'm worried that it's bleak.... You hope for the best and plan for the worst. So I'm hoping for the best but I'm going to recommend we plan for the worst."

Editor's Note: Joanna Lillis is a freelance writer who specializes in Central Asian affairs.

Posted January 3, 2007 © Eurasianet