The beginning of the end of a Hare Krishna community

In the evening of November 20 the watchman of Sri Vrindavan Dham farm near Almaty received decisions about VOLUNTARY eviction and demolition of 13 houses that belong to the members of a local summer cooperative and adherents of the Religious organization Society for Krishna Consciousness. The judicial decisions did not have any mention of the date of demolition or the term to vacate the buildings.

The next day, November 21, approximately at 1 p.m. a village where some two hundred members of the Society for Krishna Consciousness live was besieged by the police. At the same time two buses with riot policemen entered the village (most probably it was "fraternal help" of the Almaty authorities). Several bulldozers simultaneously entered, accompanied by the bailiffs and the Hakimat officers. The man who directed the destruction of the village and the police blockade was identified by many as the Karasai district Hakim in person.

The assault was unexpected and the villagers did not have time to prepare for resistance or to even collect their belongings. The policemen and bailiffs rushed into the dwellings, broke the windows, threw out furniture and possessions. If they could not find the owners, they broke the doors and then followed the same scenario.

All the attempts made by the Society leaders to start negotiations came across the wall of misunderstanding. All this happened at the time when a special state commission established shortly before the 2nd Congress of World and Traditional Religions (that took place in Astana in September of 2006) to investigate the land issue of the religious organization Society for Krishna Consciousness had not yet arrived at any final conclusion (the commission is headed by Mr. Mukhashov, the deputy chairman of the Religious Affairs Committee at the Ministry of Justice, and includes the representatives of Internal Affairs Ministry, General Prosecutor's Office, the Karasai Hakimat, clergymen of the Spiritual Board of Kazakhstan Muslims and the Russian Orthodox Church, as well as human rights advocates).

About fifty Krishnaites, mostly women, gathered next to the well-set two-storied buildings as they were destroyed. Any attempts to stop the destruction were suppressed by the policemen who knocked down the women and dragged them away. Spontaneous skirmishes invariably ended in the victory of the policemen who did not hesitate to apply force. Two people were dragged into the police van and taken to the local police station.

Even more than resistance the Karasai district authorities were afraid that their arbitrariness may go public. Thus the order was given: to confiscate all cameras except those used by the policemen. Simultaneously all the entrances to the village were blocked, reporters and human rights advocates were rudely forced to turn back, the cottage owners who hurried from the city were also stopped from entering.

Reporters of the Astana TV channel, president of the Helsinki Committee in Almaty Ninel Fokina and I, journalist of the Human Rights Bureau, managed to get to the village in a roundabout way (going thru the fields and hiding from the police posts). However, when the Bureau journalist tried to photograph the events, he was interrupted at the personal order of the official who was identified by all as the local Hakim. Constantly using abusive language and shouting "I'm not a monkey, you can't take photos here," he ordered the policemen to catch the Bureau journalist and take away his camera. The order was executed: they twisted my arms, confiscated my camera and journalist license (of course, without any explanations and without introducing themselves). Later the camera was found in the Hakim's car and returned to the owner, although the flash-card and the batteries were removed (the Hakim must have thought that the camera cannot be used without a flash-card). In addition he came up to me and said even in the presence of other people, "If I see you again, I will crush your eyes, even though I am the Hakim," and confirmed one more time that he was not a monkey.

He refused to speak with the reporters of Astana and Ninel Fokina, but demanded their business cards saying that he would contact them later. Some time later policemen again tried to confiscate the Bureau journalist's camera. It was only saved thanks to my colleagues from Astana TV channel who interfered.

At around 5.30 p.m. the bailiffs decided to give an interview to the TV channel "to avoid one-sided opinion," however they did not introduce themselves and only said that they were executing the court order and were not competent to say why the court gave this order.

At 6 p.m. sharp (the end of the Hakim's working hours) the demolition of the Krishnaites' village was completed. As a result all the 13 houses were destroyed. The blockade was removed one hour later.

It took the local authorities (apparently with the blessings of Astana) only one day to cure two headaches at one stroke: they rid their district of the followers of non-traditional religion and finally approached their goal of grabbing the land which long ago took to them (or somebody else).

It seems that now they can just follow the beaten path: to destroy a few more dozens of cottages, take away the farm and demolish the temple. And then life in the Karasai district - the President's native land - will finally become pleasant and unclouded.

The Society for Krishna Consciousness' press service informed us that today in Great Britain during the meeting of the President of Kazakhstan with Tony Blair the latter raised the subject of persecution against the Hare Krishna community. Yesterday one of the TV channels in India showed a program about the destruction of the village of non-traditional religion's adherents. In the nearest future (perhaps today) protest actions will be held before the embassies of RK in Budapest and London.

Andrei GRISHIN