On May 2, 2017, an Astana court sentenced Teymur Akhmedov to five years in prison merely for sharing his religious beliefs with others. He is the first of Jehovah’s Witnesses in Kazakhstan to be criminally convicted for his religious activity since the nation’s independence in 1991.

Mr. Akhmedov has been in pretrial detention for over three months despite international efforts to have him released to house arrest pending trial. He is 61 years old, married and the father of three sons, and in poor health.

Mr. Akhmedov’s ordeal began in January 2017 when Kazakhstan’s secret police, the National Security Committee (KNB), arrested him for allegedly violating Article 174(2) of Kazakhstan’s Criminal Code. The KNB accused him of “incitement of . . . religious hatred” for expressing his religious beliefs to others in private.

Judge Talgat Syrlybayev ruled that Mr. Akhmedov’s speech constituted “inciting religious discord” and promoted the “propaganda of exclusivity, superiority of citizens on grounds of their religion.” The judge also imposed a three-year ban on Mr. Akhmedov’s freedom to participate in “ideological religious activity”—effectively banning his worship.

Philip Brumley, General Counsel for Jehovah’s Witnesses, responded: “The authorities are grossly misapplying the law. In 2016, several men invited Teymur to an apartment to talk about his religious beliefs. They even came to his home. What Teymur didn’t know is that those discussions were secretly recorded and would be used later to fabricate a criminal case against him. This shows just how far the authorities are willing to go to repress and criminalize peaceful religious activity. This is a travesty of justice.”

Additionally, Mr. Akhmedov’s family is gravely concerned about his health. He suffers from a bleeding tumor (suspected cancer), but authorities have denied motions to change Mr. Akhmedov’s detention to house arrest and have not provided the medical attention that he urgently needs. His lawyers have filed complaints with the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention, the UN Special Rapporteur on freedom of religion and belief, and the UN Special Rapporteur on the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and of association.

Jehovah’s Witnesses in Kazakhstan have experienced numerous challenges in carrying out their religious activity. However, the unjust imprisonment of Mr. Akhmedov is a new and shocking attack on their worship. Representatives of the Witnesses continue their appeals to Kazakhstan’s authorities to respect the nation’s international commitments to uphold the fundamental freedom to worship without interference from the authorities.