Flag of Kazakhstan The American Embassy in Kazakhstan has condemned the destruction by Kazakh riot police of eleven homes within a Hare Krishna village. The destruction took place on November 21st in the central Asian republic of Kazakhstan and has been termed unjust treatment of the religious group. Officials from the International Society for Krishna Consciousness in the U.S. had previously called for an international response to the November 21 demolition of 13 homes, and a range of groups have condemned it, including the British Parliament and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE). The US State Department's 2005 International Religious Freedom Report cited instances of "continued local government and police harassment" reported by Hare Krishnas in Kazakhstan. It reported that over 50\% of the country's population is historically Muslim but the republic includes congregations of Russian Orthodox, Baptists and other Christian and religious groups. Ironically the original demolition of the Hare Krishna homes occurred on the same day President Nursultan Nazarbayev was in London for a meeting with British Prime Minister Tony Blair seeking his support for Kazakhstan's bid to be the OSCE chairman-in-office in 2009. In London , some 10,000 members of Britain's Hindu community protested the demolition of the Hare Krishna property in Kazakhstan. "Recent steps against the Hare Krishnas and members of other religious communities indicate that the government of Kazakhstan, regrettably, is moving in the wrong direction with regard to respecting the universal right to freedom of religion or belief," said Felice D. Gaer, chair of the Commission.  
Flag of Kazakhstan The in Kazakhstan has condemned the destruction by Kazakh riot police of eleven homes within a Hare Krishna village. The destruction took place on November 21st in the central Asian republic of Kazakhstan and has been termed unjust treatment of the religious group. Officials from the International Society for Krishna Consciousness in the U.S. had previously called for an international response to the November 21 demolition of 13 homes, and a range of groups have condemned it, including the and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE). The US State Department's 2005 International Religious Freedom Report cited instances of "continued local government and police harassment" reported by Hare Krishnas in Kazakhstan. It reported that over 50\% of the country's population is historically Muslim but the republic includes congregations of Russian Orthodox, Baptists and other Christian and religious groups. Ironically the original demolition of the Hare Krishna homes occurred on the same day President Nursultan Nazarbayev was in London for a meeting with British Prime Minister seeking his support for Kazakhstan's bid to be the OSCE chairman-in-office in 2009. In , some 10,000 members of Britain's community protested the demolition of the Hare Krishna property in Kazakhstan. "Recent steps against the Hare Krishnas and members of other religious communities indicate that the government of Kazakhstan, regrettably, is moving in the wrong direction with regard to respecting the universal right to freedom of religion or belief," said Felice D. Gaer, chair of the Commission. __NOTOC__ Related news Sister links
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