By ANN staff
ASeventh-day Adventist believer has been jailed for two years in Kazakhstan for “inciting religious hatred” with a profession of faith, a court ruling that has raised concerns about religious freedom in the former Soviet republic.
The defendant, Yklas Kabduakasov, denies the charge and is considering an appeal.
The city court in Kazakhstan’s capital, Astana, sentenced Kabduakasov to two years in a labor camp on Dec. 28 on charges of making incendiary comments during lectures with university students.
“We are united in praying for our brother and his family,” said Michael Kaminsky, president of the Seventh-day Adventist Church in the Euro-Asia region, which includes Kazakhstan. “Please help our church family to join us in prayer for his freedom.”
The ruling toughens a punishment handed down by a lower court. Earlier this year the Esilsky District Court sentenced Kabduakasov to seven years of house arrest. The city court, which opened a review of the case on appeal Dec. 22, decided to revoke Kabduakasov’s house arrest and imprison him instead.
