On 22 April, Almaty's Specialised Inter-District Investigative Court extended the pre-trial detention of independent Orthodox priest Yakov Vorontsov for another month, until 23 May. Arrested on 13 February, the 40-year-old priest is facing drugs charges which he and his supporters vigorously reject. Almaty City Court is due to hear his appeal against the extension of pre-trial detention on 8 May.

Police investigator Daniyar Kametov, who has been leading the investigation, initiated the motion on 14 April to have Fr Yakov held for another month in pre-trial detention. Almaty's First Deputy Prosecutor Sanat Talkanbayev backed the motion the following day (see below).

Police investigator Kametov answered his mobile phone on 22 April but denied to Forum 18 that he was Kametov. On 6 May he said he did not have the authority to give any information on the case. He refused to say why a psychological/psychiatric examination of Fr Yakov is needed and whether it has been carried out (see below).

"Since the very moment of his arrest, Yakov has been held in total isolation from the outside world, including his family," journalist Natalya Boiko - who knows him well - told Forum 18. "He has been denied any form of direct contact - no phone calls and no visits whatsoever have been allowed," she added. "The family are extremely distressed and worried, and we share their deep concern as it appears he is being kept in forced, absolute isolation from the world" (see below).

Fr Yakov's lawyer, Galym Nurpeisov, has been able to visit his client in Investigation Prison, most recently in late April. "Relatives can't visit Fr Yakov," Nurpeisov told Forum 18. "This is the Investigator's decision. It rests in his hands. He could allow it" (see below).

The duty officer at Almaty's Investigation Prison No. 72 told Forum 18 that she was unable to give information on individual prisoners. She referred all enquiries to the head of the prison, Rakhat Nurbekov. However, the phone in his office was busy or went unanswered each time Forum 18 called (see below).

Investigator Kametov opened the criminal case against Fr Yakov on 13 February. However, Nurpeisov had not been given the case materials by 6 May, more than 11 weeks later, he told Forum 18 (see below).

Almaty City's Justice Department refused to register an independent Orthodox parish led by Fr Yakov in December 2025. It appears it also rejected the parish's January 2026 application. "Had it been registered, I believe I would have been informed officially," Nurlan Kikimov, head of Almaty City Religious Affairs Department, told Forum 18 (see below).

Fr Yakov has been a vocal opponent of Russia's renewed war against Ukraine. "The Moscow Patriarchate supports the war in Ukraine," Boiko told Forum 18. "This is precisely why Yakov wanted separation and raised this issue, and that is why he is being punished now" (see below).

Meanwhile, Guldaria Sherizat is among 19 participants in a November 2025 demonstration in Almaty Region convicted in April 2026 for protesting against Chinese government restrictions on the ethnic Kazakh population in China's north-western Xinjiang Province. She was protesting in particular against the detention of her husband Alimnur Turganbay there. The Chinese authorities had jailed him in July 2025 for protesting against the jailing in Xinjiang of his nephew for praying (see below).

The Almaty Region court jailed Sherizat for 5 years. The sentence will take effect in February 2027 when her youngest daughter reaches the age of 14. Unless the sentence is changed on appeal, this will mean that at the age of 14, the daughter will have both her parents in prison, her father in China and her mother in Kazakhstan. Sherizat and most of the others convicted with her have lodged appeals (see below).

Woman to be jailed in February 2027, awaiting appeal

On 13 April, Enbekshikazakh District Court No. 2 in Almaty Region sentenced 19 participants in a November 2025 demonstration in Almaty Region protesting against Chinese government restrictions on the ethnic Kazakh population in China's north-western Xinjiang Province. Among them was Guldaria Sherizat, who was protesting in particular against her husband's detention there. The Chinese authorities had jailed him in July 2025 for protesting against the jailing in Xinjiang of his nephew for praying.

For unexplained reasons, the trial was held not at Enbekshikazakh District Court No. 2 in Shelek, but at the Specialised Inter-District Criminal Court of Zhetisu Region in Taldykorgan, a four-hour drive away.

Judge Erzhan Baibolov convicted all 19 defendants of "Incitement of social, national, clan, racial, or religious discord". He sentenced 11 of the 19 to 5 years' imprisonment each. Of these, two women - including Sherizat – had their jail terms postponed because they have underage children. The two women will not be able to leave their local area while their jailing is deferred. The Judge sentenced the other 8 to restricted freedom.

Sherizat's youngest daughter turns 14 in February 2027. Sherizat is then due to begin her 5-year jail term. Unless the sentence is changed on appeal, this will mean that at the age of 14, the daughter will have both her parents in prison, her father in China and her mother in Kazakhstan.

All were also banned from engaging in public and political activities for three years. The verdict lists events, venues and organisations those convicted will not be able to take part in over the three-year period, but does not specifically mention religious organisations. Any bank accounts those convicted may have are likely to be blocked.

Sherizat and the other defendants all pleaded not guilty in court, according to the verdict seen by Forum 18.

"The verdict is illegal, and based on invented accusations," their lawyer Shinkuat Baizhanov told Forum 18 in April. "None of them uttered a single word against the Chinese people. They only criticised the actions of the Chinese authorities." The then United Nations Special Rapporteur on Human Rights Defenders, Mary Lawlor, described the convictions of the 19 as "disturbing". "These convictions should be reviewed in a fair trial," she said in April.

Most of those convicted – including Sherizat - appealed against the sentences to Almaty Regional Court, Baizhanov told Forum 18 on 6 May. The Court has not yet set a date for the hearing, but the lawyer expects it to be held in late May.

Officials refuse to register Fr Yakov's independent Orthodox parish

Anti-war Orthodox priest Fr Yakov (Vladimir Yuryevich Vorontsov, born 20 February 1986) was a priest of Kazakhstan's Orthodox Church under the Moscow Patriarchate, serving in his native city of Almaty. In July 2023, the Diocesan Council ruled that he should be defrocked. He originally hoped to create an Orthodox parish in Almaty under the Ecumenical Patriarchate, but more recently has sought to register an independent Orthodox parish.

In December 2023, Almaty City Police opened an investigation into Fr Yakov on criminal charges of "incitement" over a short post on Facebook (which he had already deleted) complaining that the Russian Orthodox Church Moscow Patriarchate – with which he was increasingly disillusioned because of its support for Russia's war against Ukraine – "has long had nothing in common with Christianity". In April 2025, after nearly 16 months, Almaty City Police's Investigation Department finally closed the criminal investigation.

Fr Yakov leads a newly-created parish in Almaty, the Independent Community of Orthodox Christians in Honour of the Transfiguration of the Lord. It has tried to gain state registration. Almaty City Justice Department officials rejected the first application in December 2025. The parish lodged a second application on 9 January 2026.

Almaty City Justice Department sent the application for a "religious studies expert analysis". One month is allowed for this. The Justice Department then has 10 days to give its response. However, the result is unknown. By the end of this time, Fr Yakov was in prison and only he was designated to receive the result.

It appears the Justice Department again rejected the parish's January application. "Had it been registered, I believe I would have been informed officially," Nurlan Kikimov, head of Almaty City Religious Affairs Department, told Forum 18 on 23 April.

Olga Pak, head of the Justice Department's Control and Registration of Non-Commercial Organisations Department, who co-signed the December 2025 registration rejection, did not answer her phone each time Forum 18 called on 6 May 2026.

Only one Muslim organisation has state registration in Kazakhstan. The regime grants a monopoly to the state-controlled Muslim Board and all mosques must be under its control.
Asked if the Russian Orthodox Church has a similar monopoly on Orthodox communities, Kikimov responded: "My subjective opinion is that there is no monopoly."

Asked why Fr Yakov's community has not been able to gain state registration, Kikimov told Forum 18: "He has the right to have an autonomous Orthodox community."

Kikimov pointed to what he claimed was a registered Greek Orthodox community in Almaty. "It holds services in the city's Roman Catholic cathedral and is open to local and foreign citizens." However, that community is of the Greek Catholic Church, not the Orthodox Church.

Some of Fr Yakov's supporters believe the Russian state, including the FSB security service, or the Russian Orthodox Church have pressured Kazakhstan to reject the registration application and bring a case against him. "The Moscow Patriarchate supports the war in Ukraine. This is precisely why Yakov wanted separation and raised this issue, and that is why he is being punished now," the journalist Natalya Boiko - who knows him well - told Forum 18.

"There hasn't been and can't be any pressure from the Russian Orthodox Church," Kikimov insisted to Forum 18.

"Strange behaviour", arrest, administrative case

On 7 January 2026, "strange behaviour" began around Fr Yakov's home in Almaty. "Men in civilian clothes came to my house and secretly took photographs," he told Forum 18 in January. Unknown people also started calling those who signed the parish's registration application. "On 8 January, some people posing as officials called the participants of the founding meeting and asked whether they had truly and voluntarily participated in the meeting and whether they supported the initiative to establish a church."

At about half past midnight on 13 February, OMON riot police with dogs raided Fr Yakov's home in Almaty. They were accompanied by investigators. Police searched his home, claiming later to have found a "powdered substance". They then arrested him. On 13 February, an Almaty court sentenced him to 10 days' imprisonment on drugs charges.

Forum 18 earlier could not reach anyone at Almaty Police prepared to answer questions on the raid and arrest.

Fr Yakov denied that the powder found in his home belonged to him. "I imagine that it was planted with the aim of sorting me out and discrediting me," he wrote in a letter from prison. "The whole world knows of my choice of the Gospel, not of the 'Russian World' [russky mir]; peace and not war; freedom of conscience and not submission to evil clothed in episcopal omophorions [robes]."

Fr Yakov's lawyer Galym Nurpeisov believes the authorities launched the original criminal case (closed in 2025), then the administrative and then new criminal case for two reasons. "It was a result of his wanting to register an independent Orthodox parish, and of his criticism of Russia's war against Ukraine," he told Forum 18 in February.

Human rights defender Galym Ageleuov, head of the Liberty human rights group, insists that there is no substance to accusations that Fr Yakov maintained a drug den in his home. He sees Fr Yakov's case as important for wider society. "The fate of Yakov Vorontsov is very important because he is like a litmus test, an indicator of the state of our country, and it is important to support him in this difficult moment."

Criminal case, pre-trial detention

Fr Yakov's lawyer Galym Nurpeisov noted to the local media on 13 February that a new criminal case had been registered. Officials at that point regarded Fr Yakov as a witness in the case.

Fr Yakov completed his 10-day jail term at 8 am on 23 February. However, officials did not release him. They took him instead to an Almaty Police Investigator for questioning as a suspect in the criminal case. Investigators brought the case under Criminal Code Article 302, Part 1 and Article 296, Part 4 ("Illegal production, processing, acquisition, storage, transportation without the purpose of sale of narcotic drugs, psychotropic substances, their analogues in especially large quantities").

Almaty City Police's Investigation Department says that Fr Yakov is suspected of organising and running a drugs den in his home and obtaining large quantities of "analogues of psychotropic substances" between 11 November 2025 and 12 February 2026. It claimed to have found three bundles containing bags of a powdered white substance "with a specific smell".

Investigator Daniyar Kametov, with the approval of the city's Deputy Prosecutor Zhandos Abdibayev, brought a suit to Almaty's Specialised Inter-District Investigative Court to have Fr Yakov held in pre-trial detention while the investigation continued.

Investigator Kametov refused to say how a criminal case could be registered before police had even searched Fr Yakov's home. He refused absolutely to answer any questions. "You're not a party to the case," he told Forum 18 in February. "I can't give any comment." He then put the phone down.

On 25 February, Judge Zhansaya Namazbayeva ordered Fr Yakov held in two months' pre-trial detention. The period was to run from the morning of 23 February to the morning of 23 April, according to the decision seen by Forum 18. (Like other cases related to Fr Yakov, the hearing is not included in public court case listings.)

Judge Namazbayeva rejected the request by Fr Yakov's lawyer Galym Nurpeisov that restrictions imposed on his client as the investigation continues should not include detention. The Judge ruled that Fr Yakov was a flight risk and pointed out that any sentence would be of at least five years' imprisonment if convicted.

"The hearing was supposed to be open," Nurpeisov told Forum 18 on 25 February. "But as it was on WhatsApp, no one else was included apart from those directly involved."

Nurpeisov appealed to Almaty City Court against the pre-trial detention decision on 26 February. He argued that there was no proof that Fr Yakov was seeking to flee, or that he was intending to continue any criminal activity. He said the court had rejected his motion for house arrest instead "without appropriate motivation".

Nurpeisov visited Fr Yakov in Investigation Prison on 28 February. "Fr Yakov's beard was shaved and his hair cut short in the pre-trial detention centre, against his will and under psychological pressure," he told Forum 18 in February. Prison staff had also taken away his Bible and prayer book. "This is an affront to his dignity. He is not a convict. Only a convicted person can be required to adhere to the rules and maintain a strict appearance. The pre-trial detention centre has no right to do so." Nurpeisov described this as "an attempt to break a person".

Pre-trial detention extended

On 22 April, Judge Ruslan Orumbayev of Almaty's Specialised Inter-District Investigative Court suddenly called a hearing on extending the pre-trial detention of independent Orthodox priest Yakov Vorontsov. Officials informed his lawyer Galym Nurpeisov only in the afternoon of the day. Neither Fr Yakov nor any family members were able to attend the hearing.

The court had two petitions, one from Police investigator Daniyar Kametov calling for Fr Yakov to be held for a further month in pre-trial detention, and one from Fr Yakov's lawyer Nurpeisov for the measures to be changed to restrictions without detention.

Judge Orumbayev ordered Fr Yakov held in pre-trial detention for another month, until the morning of 23 May, according to the decision seen by Forum 18. (Like other cases related to Fr Yakov, the hearing is not included in public court case listings.)

Investigators brought the case against Fr Yakov under Criminal Code Article 302, Part 1 ("organising a den for drug use") and Article 296, Part 4 ("Illegal production, processing, acquisition, storage, transportation without the purpose of sale of narcotic drugs, psychotropic substances, their analogues in especially large quantities"). Fr Yakov denies the charges.

N. Alpysbai represented Almaty's Prosecutor's Office at the hearing, which was held over video. Police investigator Daniyar Kametov, who has been leading the investigation, initiated the motion on 14 April to have Fr Yakov held for another month in pre-trial detention. Almaty's First Deputy Prosecutor Sanat Talkanbayev backed the motion the following day, according to the court decision.

"The judge, without prejudging the question of guilt and assessing the evidence, established that a criminal offence had occurred," the court decision reads, "and that there was sufficient evidence indicating the presence of elements of a criminal offence, and the likelihood of the suspect committing a crime."

Judge Orumbayev agreed that extending pre-trial detention for "no less than one month" was needed because court-ordered "psychological/philological" and "psychological/psychiatric" "expert analyses" on Fr Yakov were to be completed and that he was then to be shown them.

The Judge rejected the defence motion that Fr Yakov should be transferred to less harsh conditions as the criminal case is investigated. He also rejected the defence position that the priest needed health care which could not be provided in pre-trial detention.

One of Fr Yakov's supporters, Geniyat Issin, expressed dismay that the court had not transferred him out of pre-trial detention. "This upset us - of course," he wrote on Facebook later on 22 April. "We understand that Yakov is innocent and his detention is the most absurd thing imaginable. And we want him to be freed as soon as possible."

Nurpeisov, Fr Yakov's lawyer, lodged an appeal against the extension of pre-trial detention, Nurpeisov told Forum 18 on 6 May. Almaty City Court is due to hear the appeal at 1 pm on 8 May, according to the court case listing. This is the first court hearing related to Fr Yakov that has been publicly listed, Forum 18 notes.

"I'm not acquainted with the case materials"

Police Investigator Daniyar Kametov opened the criminal case against Fr Yakov on 13 February. However, the priest's lawyer Galym Nurpeisov had not been given the case materials by 6 May, more than 11 weeks later, he told Forum 18 on 6 May.

"I'm not acquainted with the case materials," Nurpeisov told Zhanna Baitelova of Respublika Media in a 27 April video interview. "There's a ream of documents that we need to thoroughly examine and study. Then I can give a full account, detailing where and what we disagree with, and what our position is."

Journalist Natalya Boiko points to officials' consistent refusal to release information about the case against Fr Yakov. "This lack of transparency has made it extremely difficult to track the current status of the case," she told Forum 18.

Compulsory psychiatric assessment

In handwritten letters from the pre-trial detention centre, Fr Yakov expressed concern that he may be subjected to compulsory psychiatric assessment.

The Investigative Court ordered that a compulsory psychological/psychiatric examination of Fr Yakov be conducted. "We also lodged a protest against this because it was without the person's agreement, and we have mandatory requirements and examinations," Fr Yakov's lawyer, Galym Nurpeisov, told Zhanna Baitelova of Respublika Media in a 27 April video interview.

"The Criminal Procedural Code specifically provides a list of these examinations. Yakov does not fall under this list," Nurpeisov added. "Therefore, even if they order the conducting of a psychological/psychiatric examination, Yakov had and still has the right to refuse this type of examination, which he did."

Officials took Fr Yakov to a psychiatric clinic, apparently to carry out the examination, Nurpeisov told Forum 18 on 6 May. He said Fr Yakov had rejected such an examination in writing. Police investigator Daniyar Kametov is insisting on the need for an examination.

Forum 18 asked investigator Kametov on 6 May why a psychological/psychiatric examination of Fr Yakov is needed and whether it has been carried out. He refused to say. "I don't have the authority to answer your questions," he told Forum 18. He then put the phone down.

"A very grim picture of his detention"

Fr Yakov's letters "paint a very grim picture of his detention", one of his supporters, Geniyat Issin, noted on Facebook on 22 April. Fr Yakov caught a severe cold and was ill for over a month. He is allowed a shower, which is very hot, once a week. Afterwards, prisoners were led back to their cells for a long time through cold corridors. "And so he caught a cold and contracted something resembling pneumonia," Issin noted. "But he remains steadfast. He tries to see the bright side in everything."

"As expected", Fr Yakov maintains a religious role in prison, Issin added. "As befits a priest, he communicates with lost souls. He inspires. He guides. He dispels sad thoughts. He even saved a cellmate. The man was about to commit suicide. A simple conversation proved to be healing."

The duty officer at Almaty's Investigation Prison No. 72 told Forum 18 on 6 May that she was unable to give information on individual prisoners. She referred all enquiries to the head of the prison, Rakhat Nurbekov. However, the phone in his office was busy or went unanswered each time Forum 18 called the same day.

"Yakov has been held in total isolation from the outside world"

In handwritten letters, Fr Yakov describes his conditions in pre-trial detention as restrictive, including limited access to medical care, infrequent access to hygiene facilities, and tight control over communication and writing materials.

"Since the very moment of his arrest, Yakov has been held in total isolation from the outside world, including his family," journalist Natalya Boiko - who knows him well - told Forum 18. "He has been denied any form of direct contact - no phone calls and no visits whatsoever have been allowed."

"Earlier, Yakov was able to occasionally send letters out, and he was even working on a book, which he managed to pass to his family," Boiko added. However, even this limited communication "ceased completely" following Orthodox Easter, marked on 12 April. The family have received some letters – with long delays – since then.

Fr Yakov's lawyer, Galym Nurpeisov, has been able to visit his client several times, most recently in late April. Twice he was refused access as so many lawyers were waiting to see their clients in the Investigation Prison. "Relatives can't visit Fr Yakov," Nurpeisov told Forum 18 on 6 May. "This is the Investigator's decision. It rests in his hands. He could allow it."

"The family are extremely distressed and worried, and we share their deep concern as it appears he is being kept in forced, absolute isolation from the world," Boiko noted.

Fr Yakov's address in investigation prison:

050054 g. Almaty
Turksibsky raion
Ul. Krasnogorskaya 73
Uchrezhdenie No. 72

Fr Yakov asks for support

In letters to his family – which arrive after long delays – Fr Yakov consistently asks for support. "In his letter, which unfortunately arrived very late, Yakov asks for help from anyone who could help him gather references for his trial from religious associations, public organisations, and media outlets," his family stated. "He also asks all bloggers, journalists, and activists to whom he has given interviews or who have held conversations with him to respond to his request."

Fr Yakov's supporters have produced t-shirts declaring "Freedom to Yakov! Freedom of religion is not a crime." (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

Follow us on Bluesky @Forum18

Follow us on Facebook @Forum18NewsService

Follow us on Telegram @Forum18NewsService

Follow us on WhatsApp Forum 18

Follow us on X/Twitter @Forum_18

All Forum 18 material may be referred to, quoted from, or republished in full, if Forum 18 is credited as the source.

All photographs that are not Forum 18's copyright are attributed to the copyright owner. If you reuse any photographs from Forum 18's website, you must seek permission for any reuse from the copyright owner or abide by the copyright terms the copyright owner has chosen.

© Forum 18 News Service. All rights reserved. ISSN 1504-2855.