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borat
January 2009 
Is Borat a true representative of Kazakhstan?
Posted on Nov 22nd, 2006
by 
Ananga
Ananga
The Kazak government is appalled by Borat's portrayal of their nation, but it may be that he's opening our eyes to an administration that is truly ignorant in it's treatment of human beings.
Yesterday in Kazakhstan women and babies were forced out onto the streets when riot police arrived with bulldozers and sledgehammers and began destroying their homes.
Why? Because President Nazarbayev’s government, which often boasts of its claimed religious tolerance, is choosing freezing winter conditions to destroy the homes of a peaceful Hare Krishna community due to some supposed issues over building permission.
By the evening they had destroyed 11 buildings and damaged many others, those that weren't destroyed were left without electricity or heat by riot police who destroyed the power lines, thus rendering the entire community homeless.
The police have threatened to return today and destroy more properties and possibly the temple building where the devotees of Lord Krishna conduct their daily prayers.
Members of the community trying to photograph the damage had their cameras smashed or confiscated, the equipment of some human rights representatives was also destoryed. One Human rights representative declared this to be the worst thing that she has ever seen.
"I have no words to describe what I have seen," Ninel Fokina, head of the Almaty Helsinki Committee. "They have no right to move people out of their homes in winter."
It is currently snowing in Almaty, with the temperature being 6 degrees Centigrade (42 degrees Fahrenheit), and expected to drop to minus 3 degrees Centigrade (26 degrees Fahrenheit) tonight.
Oslo's Forum 18 News reported today that: "The state Commission was set up with the proclaimed aim of resolving the state's long-running dispute with the Hare Krishna community. Devotees are increasing sceptical that the Commission was anything more than a device to deflect any criticism of state religious intolerance."
"It is snowing in Kazakhstan and these folks are losing their homes," Govinda Swami, a leading member of the community who is a US citizen, told Forum 18 from Delhi on 21 November. "They entered one home where there was woman with infant and started destroying her home. We have been regularly told that the work of the commission is not finished and still they have attacked in this way." He said that it is "not a coincidence" that on 20 November his Kazakh visa expired "and on 21st they attacked". He expressed disappointment at what he regarded as the Commission and the President's bad faith.
He said that when his colleague Rati Manjari managed to get through to Mukhashev he put down the phone. He said community members had contacted other officials in the Religious Affairs Committee "who had no idea what was going on".
The moves against the Hare Krishna came during President Nazarbayev's visit to the United Kingdom (UK) and on the same day that he was meeting British Prime Minister Tony Blair. "The President will be seeking Mr Blair's support for Kazakhstan's bid to be the first Central Asian chairman-in-office of the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) in 2009," the Kazakhstan Embassy in London declared in its announcement of the visit.
President Nazarbayev was greeted by Hindu protesters who brought this grievous transgression of human rights to the attention of Tony Blair and hope to draw sufficient world attention to the matter and urge that this persecution be stopped immediately.
I would appreciate your support in registering a complaint over this violation of human rights - please e-mail, phone, or write to your local embassy and let them know that the free thinking people of this world do not appreciate such bullying and destructive acts.
I know that visitors to zaadz are not sheep or lemmings - so please speak up and help stop others being left homeless in the snow.
The Embassy of the Republic of Kazakhstan
33 Thurloe Square
London
SW7 2SD
Tel. +44 (0)207 5814646
Fax. +44 (0)207 5848481
e-mail: london@kazakhstan-embassy.org.uk
Embassy of Kazakhstan to the USA & Canada
1401 16th Street, NW
Washington, DC 20036
Tel: 202 232 5488
e-mail: kazakh.embusa@verizon.net
Yesterday in Kazakhstan women and babies were forced out onto the streets when riot police arrived with bulldozers and sledgehammers and began destroying their homes.
Why? Because President Nazarbayev’s government, which often boasts of its claimed religious tolerance, is choosing freezing winter conditions to destroy the homes of a peaceful Hare Krishna community due to some supposed issues over building permission.
By the evening they had destroyed 11 buildings and damaged many others, those that weren't destroyed were left without electricity or heat by riot police who destroyed the power lines, thus rendering the entire community homeless.
The police have threatened to return today and destroy more properties and possibly the temple building where the devotees of Lord Krishna conduct their daily prayers.
Members of the community trying to photograph the damage had their cameras smashed or confiscated, the equipment of some human rights representatives was also destoryed. One Human rights representative declared this to be the worst thing that she has ever seen.
"I have no words to describe what I have seen," Ninel Fokina, head of the Almaty Helsinki Committee. "They have no right to move people out of their homes in winter."
It is currently snowing in Almaty, with the temperature being 6 degrees Centigrade (42 degrees Fahrenheit), and expected to drop to minus 3 degrees Centigrade (26 degrees Fahrenheit) tonight.
Oslo's Forum 18 News reported today that: "The state Commission was set up with the proclaimed aim of resolving the state's long-running dispute with the Hare Krishna community. Devotees are increasing sceptical that the Commission was anything more than a device to deflect any criticism of state religious intolerance."
"It is snowing in Kazakhstan and these folks are losing their homes," Govinda Swami, a leading member of the community who is a US citizen, told Forum 18 from Delhi on 21 November. "They entered one home where there was woman with infant and started destroying her home. We have been regularly told that the work of the commission is not finished and still they have attacked in this way." He said that it is "not a coincidence" that on 20 November his Kazakh visa expired "and on 21st they attacked". He expressed disappointment at what he regarded as the Commission and the President's bad faith.
He said that when his colleague Rati Manjari managed to get through to Mukhashev he put down the phone. He said community members had contacted other officials in the Religious Affairs Committee "who had no idea what was going on".
The moves against the Hare Krishna came during President Nazarbayev's visit to the United Kingdom (UK) and on the same day that he was meeting British Prime Minister Tony Blair. "The President will be seeking Mr Blair's support for Kazakhstan's bid to be the first Central Asian chairman-in-office of the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) in 2009," the Kazakhstan Embassy in London declared in its announcement of the visit.
President Nazarbayev was greeted by Hindu protesters who brought this grievous transgression of human rights to the attention of Tony Blair and hope to draw sufficient world attention to the matter and urge that this persecution be stopped immediately.
I would appreciate your support in registering a complaint over this violation of human rights - please e-mail, phone, or write to your local embassy and let them know that the free thinking people of this world do not appreciate such bullying and destructive acts.
I know that visitors to zaadz are not sheep or lemmings - so please speak up and help stop others being left homeless in the snow.
The Embassy of the Republic of Kazakhstan
33 Thurloe Square
London
SW7 2SD
Tel. +44 (0)207 5814646
Fax. +44 (0)207 5848481
e-mail: london@kazakhstan-embassy.org.uk
Embassy of Kazakhstan to the USA & Canada
1401 16th Street, NW
Washington, DC 20036
Tel: 202 232 5488
e-mail: kazakh.embusa@verizon.net
Access: Public
