Kazakh authorities break their promise

The Society for Krishna Consciousness was denied a piece of land

for temple construction in Almaty city

That is what the chief expert of the Land Relations Department of Almaty city, A. Nukushev, told representatives of the Society by telephone on August 2, 2007. According to A. Nukushev, on July 12, 2007, at the meeting chaired by V. Zayats the Land Commission of Almaty refused to give a plot of land for constructing a place of worship to the Society for Krishna Consciousness. The refusal was explained by lack of free land in Almaty city. The Commission promised to give a written statement of refusal after August 20, 2007.

The conflict between the Hakimat of the Karasai district, Almaty province, and the Hare Krishna community has been going on since 2004 and resulted in the demolition of 26 houses and the transferal of 116 acres of land confiscated from the community to the district land reserve.

As far back as March of 2007, at the meeting of OSCE in Vienna, the leader of the Kazakh mission, B. Baikadamov, was delegated by the Kazakh government to say that the conflict would be settled by giving the Society for Krishna Consciousness a plot of land in Almaty city for temple construction, and a special plot for keeping 30 cows in Almaty province.

That statement was widely distributed in mass media and advertised as a happy ending to the conflict.

However, even today, four months after the Vienna declaration, the promise of the Kazakh government has not been fulfilled. The Society for Krishna Consciousness was denied a plot of land in Almaty city. At the present moment the community stays on land that has already been transferred to the district land reserve by the court order. The faithful have received no compensation for their demolished homes and confiscated land. At any moment the community may be evicted, and the only Hindu temple in Kazakhstan - destroyed.

Source: www.kazakhkrishna.com, August 2, 2007