On 13 August, Police in Kentau in the southern Turkestan Region detained Jehovah's Witness Daniyar Tursynbayev. After six hours of interrogation and after repeated torture and murder threats, he admitted he had conducted "illegal missionary activity". After release late in the evening, his friends took him to hospital to document his fractured rib and other injuries. He faces administrative charges in court on 15 September. If found guilty of "illegal missionary activity", he would be due for a fine and – as an Uzbek citizen - deportation.

"This case is entirely based on confessions Kentau police officers extracted from Tursynbayev through the use of torture," Jehovah's Witnesses complained to Forum 18. "We are deeply concerned that Daniyar Tursynbayev could be deported, separating him from his wife and daughter, both of whom are citizens of Kazakhstan" (see below).

Baglan Yankin, Deputy Chief of Kentau Police Department, denied that anyone had tortured Tursynbayev. "This is not true. It is disinformation," he told Forum 18 (see below).

Erkegali Meyirbekov, head of Kentau Police, did not reply to Forum 18's questions about why its officers tortured Tursynbayev. Rustem Sabirzhanuly, head of Turkestan Regional Religious Affairs Department, told Forum 18 that he had just spoken to Kentau Police. "There was no beating at all, this is an absolute lie" (see below).

Jehovah's Witnesses complained to Kentau Prosecutor's Office about the torture, but it chose not to conduct an investigation. Turkestan Regional Police Department also failed to initiate any investigation. Kentau Town Court declared the prosecutor's actions unlawful but declined to order an investigation (see below).

Forum 18 asked the National Preventive Mechanism in Astana whether it has taken up Tursynbayev's case, what it has done (if anything) on his case, and why those who tortured Tursynbayev had not been arrested. Forum 18 received no immediate response (see below).

A few hours after it detained Tursynbayev, Kentau Police raided the home where the Jehovah's Witness community meets. "Your actions are illegal. Stop your actions," Baglan Yankin, Deputy Chief of Kentau Police Department, told those gathered. He insisted to them that he was speaking "on behalf of the government of the Republic of Kazakhstan". He ordered those present to leave the premises (see below).

Police took three Jehovah's Witnesses to the police station but freed them after several hours' questioning (see below).

In July, Kentau Akimat (Administration) had tried through the court to have the activity of the registered Jehovah's Witness community suspended. It failed on technical grounds. It did not respond to Forum 18's question why it had sought the suspension of the legal entity's activity (see below).

Jehovah's Witnesses describe the attempt to suspend the community's activity, the police raid and the detention and torture of Daniyar Tursynbayev as "an effort to intimidate the local religious community and interfere with its lawful activities".

Kazakhstan's obligations under Convention against Torture

Kazakhstan is a party to the United Nations Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment. This defines torture as "any act by which severe pain or suffering, whether physical or mental, is intentionally inflicted on a person for such purposes as obtaining from him or a third person information or a confession, punishing him for an act he or a third person has committed or is suspected of having committed, or intimidating or coercing him or a third person, or for any reason based on discrimination of any kind, when such pain or suffering is inflicted by or at the instigation of or with the consent or acquiescence of a public official or other person acting in an official capacity."

Under the Convention, Kazakhstan is obliged both to arrest any person suspected on good grounds of having committed, instigated or acquiesced to torture "or take other legal measures to ensure his [sic] presence", and also to try them under criminal law which makes "these offences punishable by appropriate penalties which take into account their grave nature".

Many Muslim prisoners of conscience jailed for exercising their freedom of religion or belief have been tortured in a variety of ways. Prison officials responsible do not generally face arrest or punishment.

Lawsuit to suspend Jehovah's Witness community fails

In July, the Akimat (Administration) of Kentau in the southern Turkestan Region filed a civil lawsuit against the registered Jehovah's Witness local religious organisation based 200 kms away in Aksukent, to which the Kentau community belongs. It alleged improper use of the property in Kentau owned by the Aksukent organisation and requested suspension of its activities. The small community meets in a local home officially owned by the Aksukent organisation.

On 28 July, the Specialised Inter-District Economic Court of Turkestan Region rejected the lawsuit, according to court records. It ruled that the claims were based on alleged administrative violations and could not be considered under civil procedure.

Forum 18 asked Kentau Akimat spokesperson Zhanna Alimbayeva in writing on the afternoon of 11 September why the Akimat had lodged the suit to suspend the activity of the local Jehovah's Witness community. Forum 18 had received no response by the end of the working day in Kentau of 11 September.

Rustem Sabirzhanuly, head of Turkestan Regional Religious Affairs Department, told Forum 18 on 11 September that he was not aware that Kentau Akimat had tried through the court to suspend the activity of the Jehovah's Witness community.

Raid

At about 7 pm on 13 August, police officers raided a meeting for worship of Kentau's Jehovah's Witness community in the home owned by the Aksukent community. Officers claimed to have received a complaint from neighbours, Jehovah's Witnesses told Forum 18. Baglan Yankin, Deputy Chief of Kentau Police Department, led the raid. He was accompanied by three other officers.

Officers forcibly stopped the meeting. "Your actions are illegal. Stop your actions," officer Yankin told those gathered. He insisted to them that he was speaking "on behalf of the government of the Republic of Kazakhstan". He ordered those present to leave the premises.

Officers detained three believers, Zhenis Sunakbayev, Nurgali Asylkhan and Arman Aliyar. They took them to the police station for questioning.

Their lawyers immediately submitted oral complaints and requests for assistance to Religious Affairs Committee officials in the capital Astana, Kentau Town Prosecutor's Office, Turkestan Regional Religious Affairs Department, and Kentau Akimat. "Throughout the entire duration of the detention, lawyers were actively and repeatedly calling both Kentau Prosecutor's Office and the Police Department, demanding the immediate release of the three detained believers," Jehovah's Witnesses noted.

Police released the three detained men after about three hours. "The Religious Affairs Committee in Astana was aware of the detentions and provided assistance in resolving the situation," Jehovah's Witnesses note.

Forum 18 asked Erkegali Meyirbekov, head of Kentau Police, in writing before the start of the working day of 11 September:
- why police raided the Jehovah's Witness meeting and detained three people who had been present;
- and what he is doing (if anything) to protect their rights to freedom of religion or belief.
Forum 18 had received no response by the end of the working day in Kentau of 11 September.

Yankin of Kentau Police denied that the raid had been a raid. "We were there to protect them from others of different faiths who were unhappy that they meet there," he told Forum 18 on 11 September. Asked whether the Jehovah's Witnesses had invited the police to visit, he responded: "We don't need an invitation."

Yankin insisted that the community must inform the authorities if they wish to meet to hold religious meetings. He said such notification was not required for people who meet to play chess or watch football.

Rustem Sabirzhanuly, head of Turkestan Regional Religious Affairs Department, told Forum 18 on 11 September that police had attended the meeting after receiving complaints that people were gathering.

"They have to inform the authorities that they are meeting," Sabirzhanuly insisted. Asked whether people have to inform the authorities if they are meeting to play chess or watch football, he responded: "Of course not."

Anuar Khatiyev, Deputy Chair of the regime's Religious Affairs Committee in the capital Astana (part of the Culture and Information Ministry, said the Committee had received a letter from Jehovah's Witnesses about the events in Kentau only several days earlier. "I can't say anything," he told Forum 18 on 11 September. "We will look into this and reply to them in a couple of days."

Police torture, threaten with murder

Earlier on 13 August, at about 4 pm, police officers arrived at the home in Kentau of Daniyar Tursynbayev, who was part of the Jehovah's Witness community. Officers took him to the police station for questioning.

Tursynbayev - a citizen of Uzbekistan lawfully resident in Kazakhstan - is a young man, with a wife and an eleven-month-old daughter (who are both Kazakh citizens).

At the police station, officers confiscated his international passport, effectively preventing him from travelling freely across the country or leaving it altogether. They also confiscated his mobile phone and searched it. Officers interrogated Tursynbayev and pressured him to admit ownership of an Instagram account that contained hate speech. Officers threatened to disrupt future religious meetings if he did not comply with demands.

When he refused, officers subjected Tursynbayev to abuse, repeated beatings and torture. Baglan Yankin reportedly led the beating. Officers threatened to deport him, or murder him and dispose of his body in a nearby village. They forced him to write explanatory statements under dictation admitting to conducting illegal missionary activity and to agree in writing with the respective administrative protocol filed against him during his torture.

Police released Tursynbayev at about 10:30 pm. Throughout his detention, his wife and friends waited anxiously outside the police station. His friends immediately transported him to Turkestan City Central Hospital, where doctors examined him and documented his visible injuries. A few days later he underwent an MRI scan, which revealed a fractured rib.

Forum 18 also asked Erkegali Meyirbekov, head of Kentau Police, in writing before the start of the working day of 11 September:
- why police beat and tortured Daniyar Tursynbayev;
- if any investigation into the torture has begun and, if so, under what Criminal Code Article;
- and whether those who committed the torture have been arrested in line with Kazakhstan's international commitments (see above).
Forum 18 had received no response by the end of the working day in Kentau of 11 September.

Baglan Yankin, Deputy Chief of Kentau Police Department, denied that anyone had tortured Tursynbayev. "This is not true. It is disinformation," he told Forum 18 on 11 September.

Rustem Sabirzhanuly, head of Turkestan Regional Religious Affairs Department, said he was not aware of any torture of any Jehovah's Witnesses in Kentau. "Is the report reliable? Maybe it didn't happen," he told Forum 18 on 11 September. "We're not informed about this – no one told us. I only heard it from you." He promised to look into the issue.

Later in the day, Sabirzhanuly told Forum 18 that he had just spoken to Kentau Police. "There was no beating at all, this is an absolute lie."

Anuar Khatiyev, Deputy Chair of the Religious Affairs Committee, said he only had the information from Jehovah's Witnesses about the claims of torture. "If any action had been against the law, it would have been wrong," he told Forum 18 on 11 September.

Prosecutor's inaction over torture "unlawful", but no investigation

On 14 August, Daniyar Tursynbayev's lawyer filed a formal criminal complaint with Kentau Prosecutor's Office, requesting a pre-trial investigation into the torture by police officers.

"Unfortunately, the Prosecutor's Office refused to initiate a criminal investigation," Jehovah's Witnesses complain. Instead, the report was forwarded to Turkestan Regional Police Department, which also failed to initiate any investigation.

"Instead of initiating an investigation into the torture, the prosecutor minimised the police actions as 'abuse of power', which enables the police to continue pursuing charges against Tursynbayev, potentially leading to his expulsion from Kazakhstan," Jehovah's Witnesses added. "Of course, confessions shown to be extracted under duress are inadmissible in court."

Jehovah's Witnesses lodged complaints against Kentau Prosecutor's Office and Turkestan Regional Police Department's failure to start the investigation. These were sent to Kentau Town Court, Turkestan Specialised Investigative Court, and Turkestan Regional Court.

On 28 August, Kentau Town Court acknowledged that the prosecutor did absolutely nothing for five days after receiving the torture complaint and declared the prosecutor's inactions unlawful but declined to order an investigation. The prosecutor told the court he would not investigate the torture claims because, according to him, torture can only happen during a criminal case. "This sounded pretty bizarre," Jehovah's Witnesses told Forum 18.

Jehovah's Witnesses appealed against this decision to Turkestan Regional Court. On 11 September, Judge Nurbol Eshpanov opened the appeal consideration and then postponed the hearing to an unspecified date.

"The outcome will be a significant indicator of whether the authorities are ready to address serious allegations of torture," Jehovah's Witnesses told Forum 18.

Telephones at Kentau Prosecutor's Office went unanswered each time Forum 18 called on 11 September.

Kazakhstan established the National Preventive Mechanism in Astana in 2014 under the Optional Protocol to the United Nations Convention against Torture (OPCAT), and it is coordinated by the regime-appointed Human Rights Commissioner (Ombudsperson).

Forum 18 asked the National Preventive Mechanism in writing on the afternoon of 11 September whether it has taken up Tursynbayev's case, what it has done (if anything) on his case, and why those who tortured Tursynbayev had not been arrested. Forum 18 had received no response by the end of the working day in Astana of 11 September.

Torture victim to be tried for "illegal missionary activity"

On 8 September, Kentau Police submitted an administrative case against Daniyar Tursynbayev to Kentau Town Court under Administrative Code Article 490, Part 3. This punishes "Carrying out missionary activity without state registration (or re-registration)" with a fine of 100 Monthly Financial Indicators (MFIs) (2 months' average wages), plus – if the individual is a foreign citizen – deportation.

Baglan Yankin, Deputy Chief of Kentau Police Department, told Forum 18 that Tursynbayev had used his mobile phone to post messages about his faith on social media without being registered. He classified that as "illegal missionary activity".

A public hearing is scheduled for the morning of 15 September.

"This case is entirely based on confessions Kentau police officers extracted from Tursynbayev through the use of torture," Jehovah's Witnesses complained to Forum 18.

If the court finds Tursynbayev guilty, he will be due for deportation as a foreign national. "We are deeply concerned that Daniyar Tursynbayev could be deported, separating him from his wife and daughter, both of whom are citizens of Kazakhstan," Jehovah's Witnesses told Forum 18. "Moreover, his deportation could be used by the police to conceal the torture inflicted upon him."

Cases under Administrative Code Article 490 to punish the exercise of freedom of religion or belief have been frequent.

Anuar Khatiyev, Deputy Chair of the Religious Affairs Committee in Astana, told Forum 18 he was unable to say how many cases under Administrative Code Article 490 had been brought to court so far in 2025.

Community concern

The Jehovah's Witness community in Kentau - including women and children who were present during the 13 August meeting raided by police - have expressed concern about the implications of the attempt to suspend the community's activity, the police raid and the detention and torture of Daniyar Tursynbayev.

"While community members retain the legal right to gather peacefully for worship, the police action has created uncertainty and apprehension about future religious meetings," Jehovah's Witnesses note. "The community hopes that their rights will be respected and that they can continue peacefully practicing their faith without interference." (END)

More reports on freedom of thought, conscience and belief in Kazakhstan

For background information, see Forum 18's Kazakhstan freedom of religion or belief survey

Forum 18's compilation of Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) freedom of religion or belief commitments

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