KAZAKHSTAN: NO RESPITE IN CAMPAIGN AGAINST HARE KRISHNA

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 ASTANA 000232 SIPDIS SENSITIVE SIPDIS DEPT FOR SCA/CEN (M. O'MARA) E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PHUM PGOV PREL KDEM KZ SUBJECT: KAZAKHSTAN: NO RESPITE IN CAMPAIGN AGAINST HARE KRISHNA PROPERTY REF: A. 06 ASTANA 651, B. 06 ASTANA 668, C. 06 ASTANA 903 ASTANA 00000232 001.2 OF 003 ¶1. (SBU) Summary: Despite the negative publicity and diplomatic pressure Kazakhstan received after authorities executed a surprise demolition of Hare Krishna homes in November 2006, local government officials have not relented in their campaign to confiscate the Hare Krishna properties. In addition, officials in Astana have mounted a late diplomatic and public relations effort to mitigate the damage to Kazakhstan's reputation. All told, the Hare Krishnas' political and legal fight to keep their property does not appear to have changed any minds in the government. End summary. -------------- SPECIAL COMMISSION ISSUES ITS RECOMMENDATIONS -------------- ¶2. (U) On December 22, 2006, the special Ministry of Justice commission charged with resolving the long-running property dispute (Refs B, C) held a meeting in Astana in order to issue its final decision. The Hare Krishnas, the Almaty Helsinki Committee, and the Kazakhstani International Bureau for Human Rights again questioned the integrity of the commission process, given that the apparent final decision of the commission had already been provided to the U.S. Embassy and was drafted without the input of all commission members (Ref C). ¶3. (U) At the meeting, the commission issued a decision nearly identical to the one provided to post by the MFA on December 14. The document contained a series of recommendations to the Hare Krishnas and the other parties involved, and essentially told the Hare Krishnas to use their land and resolve their disputes in accordance with the law. The decision also recommended that the Hare Krishnas be "objective" in their appeals to international organizations and the mass media. In addition, the decision vaguely encouraged Karasai district officials to process the Hare Krishnas' land privatization (legalization) requests. (Note: The Krishnas' subsequent attempts to privatize the cottages at issue thus far have not been accepted by the local land privatization committee. End note.) The commission's decision contained no practical steps toward resolving the dispute. -------------- -------------- GOVERNMENT INITIATES PUBLIC RELATIONS COUNTEROFFENSIVE -------------- -------------- ¶4. (U) On January 5, Amanbek Mukhashov, chairman of the special commission and deputy chairman of the Religious Issues Committee in the Ministry of Justice, held a press conference in Astana to discuss the commission's decision. He was joined by representatives from the Procurator General's office and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Pol FSN attended the event. Mukhashov stressed that there was no religious motivation behind the Hare Krishnas legal troubles. Rather, he said that the Hare Krishnas have been breaking various laws since they first purchased their land, including using the land for religious worship when it was not properly designated for such use. Despite his contention that religion is not the issue, he noted that the Hare Krishnas' neighbors complained about loud and disruptive religious ceremonies on the property, and that the Hare Krishnas allow their cows to walk in the lake, which was insensitive to nearby neighbors. ¶5. (U) The representative of the MFA said that there are no restrictions on religious practice in Kazakhstan, and criticized the Hare Krishnas for not applying to use the land as a religious organization. (Note: The Hare Krishnas' use of the land for religious purposes was not the basis of the main lawsuit, and has never been cited as the reason that the local government has not accepted privatization applications for the cottages. End note.) She noted that would the International Society for Krishna Consciousness has similar property problems in India itself, and that the Supreme Court of India is reviewing a number of cases concerning illegal acquisition and use of land by Krishnas. The MFA official also criticized what she called the massive informational campaign waged by the Hare Krishnas against Kazakhstan, citing purported inaccuracies in their public relations efforts. Finally, the MFA representative announced that the MFA had presented a diplomatic note to the U.S. Embassy protesting our November 30, 2006 statement to the press regarding the demolitions. ¶6. (U) The representative of the Procurator General's office said that prior legal decisions in the case were sound, and presented a list of laws allegedly being violated by the Hare Krishnas, including use of the land for religious purposes when it was designated for agricultural purposes. He stressed that the Hare Krishnas' legal troubles were not the result of religious discrimination, as Hare Krishna communities are registered ASTANA 00000232 002.2 OF 003 throughout Kazakhstan and functioning without problems. (Note: The Hare Krishnas are registered in 10 oblasts [regions] throughout the country, and Krishna representatives confirm that they generally operate without government interference, aside from the long-running dispute over the commune outside of Almaty. The commune is the only Hare Krishna property holding in the country. End note.) ¶7. (U) The procuracy representative also announced that the Karasai procurator has initiated criminal forgery charges against three Krishna members for allegedly altering land title documents to say that the main plot of land was to be used for "part-time farming" instead of "peasant farming." (Note: The alleged forgery has long been a part of the government's legal case against the Hare Krishnas's largest parcel. The new criminal charge is a response to the Krishnas' recent argument that the alleged forgery cannot serve as the basis for the government's civil case because the allegation has never been proven in a court of law. The government is essentially closing a loophole in their legal argument. End note.) ¶8. (U) A few news outlets, including Kazakhstan Today, Interfax-Kazakhstan, and the Associated Press wire services provided brief coverage of the press conference. -------------- HARE KRISHNAS FACE MOUNTING PRESSURE -------------- ¶9. (U) In addition to the criminal forgery charges announced by the Procurator General's office, on January 16 Karasai district authorities filed a new lawsuit in the Karasai district court against the main parcel of Hare Krishna property. The lawsuit again seeks to nullify ownership of the parcel by the Hare Krishnas, this time based on different alleged irregularities in the Hare Krishnas' acquisition of the land. ¶10. (SBU) Hare Krishna representative Maksim Varfolomeyev reported to Poloff on January 22 that the Hare Krishnas were detecting increased signals of extra-legal harassment. On January 19, local tax police began a tax inspection of the Hare Krishnas' organization. According to Varfolomeyev, the tax inspections occur annually, but this year the tax inspector was for the first time accompanied by a representative of the financial police. Moreover, migration police informed the Hare Krishnas that they will soon be investigating the legal status of Hare Krishna followers living in the community. Varfolomeyev also said that maintenance and utility workers who regularly maintain homes in and around the commune informed several Krishna members that they have been instructed by the local akim to monitor activities in the commune. -------------- WHAT'S NEXT FOR THE HARE KRISHNAS? -------------- ¶11. (SBU) In Poloff's recent conversations with Varfolomeyev and Govinda Swami, the Hare Krishna leaders indicated that they are at a loss for what to do next. They plan to present their case in an open letter to President Nazarbayev, and continue to pursue legalization of their disputed properties and defend themselves in court hearings. However, Karasai district authorities continue to reject their applications to legalize the remaining properties, and the Hare Krishnas are not optimistic that the ongoing legal turmoil will result in a fair resolution of the issue. Govinda Swami intimated that the Hare Krishnas are at a point where they might be willing to accept compensation for the land, and said that the group is searching for a mediator of sufficient stature who could negotiate on their behalf with the government. ¶12. (SBU) On January 25, Poloff met with Mukhashov, who reviewed the government's case against the Hare Krishnas in great detail and raised a number of issues that were not part of the government's lawsuits. The thrust of his argument was that the Hare Krishnas are using their main piece of property, the farmland, for religious purposes, which is not permissible under the law. As for the private cottages, he said that many of them were never properly acquired by the Hare Krishnas, and several had been illegally joined together in violation of building codes, etc. As in the January 5 press conference, he claimed that the Hare Krishnas have not been considerate to their neighbors, and have held large religious gatherings without proper permission. ¶13. (SBU) Mukhashov acknowledged that some local officials made negative comments about the Hare Krishnas based on their nontraditional religion, but he disavowed the statements and said they do not represent the overall opinion of the government. Instead, he argued that the government was motivated purely by the ASTANA 00000232 003.2 OF 003 Hare Krishnas' multiple violations of Kazakhstani law. He said that it was not too late for the Hare Krishnas to save their properties by remedying violations and making the appropriate applications. He also advised that the Hare Krishnas could file libel lawsuits against the local government officials who criticized their religion, and could file claims for compensation for their property. -------------- COMMENT -------------- ¶13. (SBU) Comment: Kazakhstani authorities clearly remain committed to pressing the legal case against the Hare Krishnas, despite the diplomatic and international pressure Kazakhstan has received over the issue. The lack of any effort by the government to resolve the situation quietly has reinforced the public impression that someone powerful wants the land. Mukhashov's statement that the Hare Krishnas could still save their land by filing the correct paperwork is questionable, given that the government's argument seems to change and expand as time moves on. The Hare Krishnas are rapidly running out of options, and may soon shift their focus to achieving compensation for the threatened property. End comment. MILAS