Kazakh court orders confiscation of land used by Hare Krishna community

ALMATY, Kazakhstan: A court has ordered the confiscation of land used by Kazakhstan's Hare Krishna community, ruling in favor of local authorities in a legal dispute that Krishnas have called religious persecution, the community's spokesman said Wednesday.

The Karasai district court decision, announced Tuesday in the absence of the Krishnas' representatives, means that district authorities are now one legal step away from expelling the community after an almost three-year long battle, spokesman Maxim Varfolomeyev said.

District authorities are now expected to ask the Supreme Court to overturn its 2005 decision that allowed Krishnas to continue to use the 48-hectare (118-acre) plot near the commercial capital Almaty despite the ongoing dispute.

Varfolomeyev said the community would appeal the Karasai court decision, but added that "this appears to be an end."

A government commission earlier dismissed the Krishnas' claims of religious persecution, saying the dispute was the result of "gross" violations of land and religion laws. The Hare Krishna community denies breaking property laws.

The community members have also been battling individual legal actions against them over alleged illegal privatization of their cottages.

Under court orders, laborers with crowbars and bulldozers destroyed the community's 13 country houses on Nov. 21, while police prevented community members from interfering.

The dispute has attracted the attention of foreign diplomats. The U.S. Embassy expressed concern about the legality of razing the houses and urged Kazakh authorities to end what it called an "aggressive" campaign against Hare Krishna followers. The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe said after the houses were destroyed that it appeared the Krishnas were targeted because of their religious beliefs.

Varfolomeyev said Wednesday that on Monday, three more community members received notifications that their cottages would be destroyed within five days.

Krishnas have said that another reason why local authorities sought their expulsion could be that the land they are using is prime real estate.

Land and property prices in and around the oil-rich Central Asian nation's biggest city have soared in recent years amid a construction boom fueled by a rapid economic growth.

The mostly Muslim nation has long been tolerant to other religions, but in recent years the government has tightened laws on religious organizations, citing concerns about religious extremism.

 IHT