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<\/a>From the city of Oral, on the country\u2019s border with Russia, Nikolai Novikov is one of those affected by the unfair treatment that he and 6 other brothers in the faith are receiving, since they are all members of churches and some, like this chaos are part of the Council of Baptist Churches.<\/p>\n\u201cWe don\u2019t feel guilty, so we don\u2019t pay,\u201d<\/strong><\/em><\/span> he explained, arguing that they should not be punished for exercising their right to religious freedom, according to what they told Open Doors.<\/p>\n But the issue comes because if he doesn\u2019t pay the fines, he cannot leave the country, that is why Nikolai has not been able to visit his family in Russia since 2013. Since that time, he has been part of the \u201cForbidden to Travel\u201d list, according to the Ministry of Justice.<\/p>\n Last year, he was fined for distributing Christian literature, causing him deductions from his salary after receiving a court order; Like him, six other believers have problems leaving the country.<\/p>\n Kazakhstan is known to have a strong Muslim belief and the country\u2019s government heavily controls religious activities based on \u201cquelling the threat of Islamic extremism.\u201d<\/p>\n Likewise, the government does not allow religious activities that are not approved by them, so the Protestant churches are considered a threat to the country\u2019s political power, being one of the main targets of their authorities.<\/p>\n READ ALSO:<\/strong> Biden Administration is using 55 agencies to track those who don\u2019t get vaccinated for \u201creligious reasons\u201d<\/a><\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n Kazakhstan is currently ranked 47th on the 2022 World Christian Persecution List made by Open Doors, an organization that monitors discrimination and violence against believers around the world.<\/p>\n For the country, all those who decide to abandon the official religion of the country are a threat, so they are led to a life full of obstacles, but regardless of the surveillance, the invasions of churches and even the fines, these believers do not renounce to their faith in Christ.<\/p>\n Os seguidores de Jesus se recusaram a pagar multas por praticar o evangelhohttps:\/\/t.co\/SEZBoHucyv<\/a><\/p>\n\n