KZBlog

On the 15th of June, bulldozers arrived at the site of the Hare Krishna community in Almatinski oblast in the South of Kazakhstan, and destroyed 12 more homes, according to Forum 18, an international religious rights organization, despite earlier assurances that the dispute over the legal status of the commune was under negotiation.

“The action started just before seven o’clock on several homes simultaneously,” [the spokesman for the group] Varfolomeyev told Forum 18. “Workers threw personal belongings outside and then started attacking the houses with sledgehammers and crowbars. Then the diggers moved in, turning from side to side, and reduced the homes to rubble. The houses were literally crushed into dust. By ten o’clock it was all over.”

On the 5th of June members of the commune were ordered to take down all “illegally erected buildings”, including the farmhouse which serves as a temple. They have not done so, and members fear that the authorities will soon demolish it themselves.

According to Forum 18, many officials at the akimat (office of the regional authority) were not available for comment. However:

Serik Niyazbekov, the senior religious affairs official for Almaty region, was unable to explain why officials want to crush the Hare Krishna commune. “They should move to another location,” he told Forum 18 on 15 June. “Here in Kazakhstan the Hare Krishnas are considered to be non-traditional.” Asked why this was relevant to the case Niyazbekov went silent and did not answer. “Why did they choose to move here?” he eventually asked. “They’re from India.”

Indicating that the move may have something to do with religious prejudice–of course many (if not all) the members of the commune are not Indian by blood and belong to regional ethnic groups (Russian, Ukrainian, etc.). Earlier media reports have indicated that neighbors of the commune were extremely suspicious of the Krishanas, who wear traditional saffron robes, live communally, and do not work.

While human rights activists do admit that the ownership documents of the commune do contain inaccuracies, this is not uncommon in Kazakhstan and does not explain why only the Krishna homes are being demolished. Nor does it justify destruction of the homes.

In November of last year, a number of houses were demolished after a decision by the local authorities that the license for the Hare Krishna commune was not valid because the ownership had been changed. However, there were worldwide protests, including a protest in London where President Nazarbayev was meeting with Tony Blair. The Hare Krishnas, and other human rights organizations, claim that destruction is motivated by religious intolerance and possibly motivation to claim the land occupied by the commune. Furthermore, some are outraged that the destruction took place in November, a cold time of the year even in the south, leaving many homeless. Workers were also careless with personal belongings, throwing clothing in the mud and damaging furniture.

For background, including videos of the earlier destruction, on KZBlog, check my earlier posts:
Religious and Ethnic Tolerance, Krishans in Kazakhstan, Update 1, Update 2 and Update 3.

The Sri Vrindavan Dham commune, located in the village of Seleksia is the only Hare Krishna commune in Kazakhstan and the only one in Central Asia. It occupies 47.7 hectares of farmland and 41 homes (25 have now been demolished by authorities).