International Christian Concern is starting a campaign to help bring awareness to help save this persecuted Christian’s life who in poor health and being wrongfully imprisoned!
Kazakhstan portrays itself as a moderate country; however, in May, 2013, Pastor Bakhytzhan Kashkumbayev (“Pastor B.K.”) was arrested on false charges. Ultimately, he was arrested for his Christian faith. While in prison, Soviet-era tactics such as physical punishment and mental torture were used to wear him down. He has even been denied medical treatment for his illnesses, and at the age of 67 is in poor physical condition.
There was a ray of hope on October 8, when he was released from prison to house arrest, but mere minutes after he exited the prison he was re-arrested, this time with an even more dangerous (false) charge of “extremism.” With your help, and the help of your friends, we want to bring him home for Christmas.
How can you help? You can A.C.T. on Pastor B.K.’s behalf. There are three ways:
AWARENESS
We want to show Kazakhstan that the world cares for Pastor B.K. and we won’t relent until our brother is released. You can help Pastor B.K. by creating awareness for our persecuted brother by:
- Joining the “Free Pastor B.K.” group on Facebook. Get the most recent updates and share Pastor B.K.’s story with your friends and family.
- Tweeting about Pastor B.K.’s story, using the hashtag #FreePastorBK
CONTACT
Contact the Kazakhstan Embassy at (202) 232-5488 and demand Pastor Kashkumbayev’s release from unlawful imprisonment. You can call from 9.00 a.m. to 6.30 p.m. (EST). Don’t know what to say? Use this as a guide:
“Hello, my name is ________ and I am from ________. I am calling on behalf of Pastor Kashkumbayev (Kush-come-by-av).
“He was wrongly imprisoned in Astana (Ah-stahn-ah) in May and Soviet-era tactics were used when he was sent to a psychiatric ward in Almaty (All-mah-tee) in August. I was glad he was released to house arrest on October 8, but very upset when he was re-arrested on false charges of “extremism.” This pastor is innocent and I am asking for his release as he has done nothing illegal by practicing his faith.
“I will continue to raise awareness of Kazakhstan’s treatment of this pastor until he is treated justly and released. I ask that Kazakhstan treat all people of faith, including Christians, with dignity and allow them to practice their religion with freedom, as your constitution promises. I am following this case closely. Thank you.”
This is not limited to only U.S. citizens. You can also click HERE to see contact information for a few more embassies around the world.
TAKE A SELFIE
Take a selfie picture with a sign that says, “I stand with Pastor B.K.” to show your friends that you support Pastor B.K’.s release. Upload your selfie on our FreePastorBK Facebook page or tweet us @persecutionnews. Be sure to use the hashtag #FreePastorBK. We plan to send Pastor B.K. and his family the pictures to let them know they are not alone.
WANT TO DO MORE?
Read our previous news releases on Pastor B.K:
Sign our petition to release Pastor B.K:
#1 Please review our petition.
#2 Next, electronically sign the petition by clicking here.
#4 Last, Print out the petition and take it to your friends and church and have everyone you know sign it. Send it back to us so we can compile the responses.
