Will Kazakhstan Be The New Face of the OSCE?

In a bizarre crackdown on religious freedom that has been sharply criticized by human rights activists and by the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), the government of Kazakhstan has arrested and imprisoned for two years a young Russian woman on charges of "the incitement of interethnic or interreligious hatred" and "having committed heavy crimes against the peace and security of humanity."

Elizaveta Drenicheva, a 23-year-old missionary of the Unification Church founded by the world-renowned Korean religious leader Reverend Sun Myung Moon, sponsored a seminar for four people on church property to share the church's teachings and worldview. One of the guests was an agent of the Committee for National Security (KNB), formerly the KGB.

In the seminar, Mrs. Drenicheva explained the church's concept that the original and ongoing objective of God is for all people to be born into, be raised up in, and multiply families of true love, and that such "ideal" families should form ideal societies, nations and the Kingdom of God on Earth.

She also claimed that secular and broken families are a primary cause of dysfunction in modern societies, that the restoration of "God-centered" families would initiate the end of decadent society everywhere and a revival of societies of peace and harmony, and that the Messiah would be able to heal the sinful lineages of fallen people and make them sinless again, as they were before falling away from God in Eden.

The KNB agent testified in court his interpretation that "The materials presented contain a) propaganda demeaning persons for signs of their ethnic affinity; and b) propaganda demeaning persons for signs of their class affinity. Moreover it shows signs of harmful effects on individual, family, society, and likewise the moral integrity of the state." The court apparently agreed with the agent's cockeyed exegesis.

According to a report issued near the end of 2008 by the US diplomatic mission to Kazakhstan, the Constitution of Kazakhstan does in fact provide for freedom of religion, at least in spirit. In practice, high level government officials, including President Nursultan Nazarbayev, have in recent years leveled public criticisms against "non-traditional" religious groups. President Nazarbayev stated that "religion is separate from the state, but it does not mean that Kazakhstan should become a dumping ground for various religious movements."

These public displays of official disapproval have in turn triggered negative media coverage of smaller groups such as evangelical Christians, Jehovah's Witnesses and Scientologists. New laws now making their way through the Parliament, but not yet approved by President Nazarbayev, will place more onerous registration restrictions and other burdens upon minority groups of the government's choosing.

This registration process involves providing to the Ministry of Justice a complete annual update on all activities. Every piece of literature and other materials must be vetted, and the use of unapproved materials is illegal. The Ministry may refuse registration to missionaries whose work would be inconsistent with the law, including the grotesquely distorted laws "prohibiting the incitement of interethnic or interreligious hatred" under which Miss Drenicheva was imprisoned.

The new laws would ban all unregistered religious activity, muzzle any personal religious expression without written permission from registered groups and the personal registration of the individual, and prevent youth from attending any religious event without permission from both of their parents. "Small" religious groups would not be permitted to conduct religious services for anyone outside their existing congregations, and would be denied the right to conduct any missionary activity whatsoever.

Human rights activists and religious leaders have seen such draconian measures coming for several years now in Kazakhstan, and had become increasingly worried late last year when the tough new restrictions on "non-traditional" religions passed both houses of Parliament.

In 2007, the Nazarbayev government confiscated over 100 acres of agricultural land bought and paid for by adherents of the Hindu group Hare Krishna. On the first day of winter, with the snow falling, three bus loads of police and workers showed up at the Krishna residential community with no advance warning. They shut off the electricity, dragged the members and all their possessions outside into the freezing weather, and bulldozed the devotees' homes, even though they were not in violation of any laws.

Kazakhstan has a history of mistreating journalists as well. One writer for Radio Free Europe who was also a human rights activist died mysteriously in his sleep last week after years of threats, harassment and beatings by anonymous attackers who had urged him to stop his writing.

Only the day before that death, unknown assailants attacked another RFE editor and left him lying unconscious on the street, still in possession of his wallet and all his documents.

According to the US diplomatic report, ethnic Kazakhs, Uzbeks, Uighurs, and Tatars collectively comprise just over 60 percent of the population of Kazakhstan. All of them are affiliated with the Spiritual Association of Muslims of Kazakhstan (SAMK), "a national organization with close ties to the Government."

Another one-third of the population, mainly ethnic Russians, are Russian Orthodox by tradition.

Although Protestant Christian congregations outnumber Russian Orthodox or Roman Catholic congregations, they make up only a tiny percentage of the population, along with Buddhist groups and the Hare Krishna movement, as well as Baha'is, Christian Scientists, and the Unification Church.

Evgeniy Zhovtis, the chief of the Kazakhstan International Bureau of Human Rights, summed up the situation: "You could hardly imagine a better way to discredit our country," and he expressed dismay that Kazakhstan is scheduled to assume chairmanship of the OSCE next year.

Mr. Zhovtis stated: "For in fact this is the nation which is slated to occupy the chair at the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) in 2010, the nation which is bragging all over the place about its experience in resolving international conflicts! The fact that such a trial even got under way is truly a disgrace. Shame on a country whose government has caused suffering to others so much due to religious persecution that one can scarcely even imagine."

Ambassador Janez Lenarcic, the Director of the OSCE's Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR), is also disturbed by Kazakhstan's new laws. "We hope the President of Kazakhstan will use his constitutional power to allow for a more transparent and inclusive law-making process that would lead to the adoption of legislation fully reflecting OSCE commitments and other international standards." He said this would send a "positive signal" in view of Kazakhstan's chairmanship of the OSCE in 2010.

The Chairmanship of the OSCE rotates annually, and the post of the Chairperson-in-Office is held by the Foreign Minister of a participating State. The office is currently held by Greece, represented by Foreign Minister Dora Bakoyannis.

As an organization dedicated to the protection of democracy, human rights, the rule of law, tolerance and non-discrimination, I suggest the OSCE demand the "positive signal" which until now it has only hoped for, and insist upon the release of Elizaveta Drenicheva as a precondition to Kazakhstan's chairmanship of that body.

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Wayne Despres is the editor of News and Opinion Journal.

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