Boris Perchatkin testimony to US commission on security and cooperation in Europe

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Testimony :: Boris Perchatkin
President — American-Russian Relief Committee

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Dear ladies and gentleman!

The American Russian Relief Center requests that you take notice of the condition of former non-registered Pentecostal Churches in Russia.

To be able to understand the situation of non-registered Pentecostals in Russia, it is important to know their recent past. Pentecostals in Russia began in the beginning of last century from an American Missionary by the name of Voronaev. This gave a good reason for the Soviet agencies to proclaim Pentecostals as American agents. Pentecostals were forbidden to register their churches in 1927 and this law was in force until the fall of SSSR. There is a good reason to affirm that Pentecostals in SSSR were prosecuted, since it is hard to find a family in Russia that has not been repressed in any way. For example my family: my grandfather was shot to death, my grandmother and her family was exiled. My father did not return from the camp, mother was sentenced three times, my wife was sentenced twice, and I was sentenced twice. If my family did not immigrate to the United States, I cannot imagine what would have happened to my family and me. This type of family biography is not rare in Pentecostal families. But this is not all; in 1970ies, Soviet agencies opened up a new program of spiritual prosecution. This meant that Pentecostal children were not allowed to attend schools. The plan was to make Christians absolutely ignorant, thus having them drawn away and isolate themselves from the community. Captain of KGB Klimenov, in 1977, in the city of Nahodka proclaimed “You were not allowed to learn in schools in seventies, and now you think that to learn is a sin – and this is our job”.

Besides, the community cultivated a notion that Pentecostals are a retarded, illiterate sect. A sect which brings human sacrifices, and which organizes religious sexual organizations. Each sectarian is an enemy to the population. This is the way several generations were brought up.

Because of their illiteracy, Pentecostals knew nothing about the legislative or executive agencies. They do not have journalists and they do not have access to any agency. They were only taught to preach and not defend themselves. This kind of attitude toward the Pentecostals was not only a prosecution but also even a sort of entertaining for the community. Now it is difficult to see who actually sanctions the prosecution. The common hatred –is Russia’s inheritance of the past, it is either the communist-nationalism, or the tolerance of Government agencies. Either way, this does not change the situation: Churches are being burned down; church properties are being robbed. Criminal files are against Christians, and children are being taken away from their parents. Here are some examples:

In the past few months, in the end of 2004 and in the beginning of 2005, what is known to our organization is as follows: • The church in the city Podalsk has been burned twice • The church in Buretia has been robbed and burned • The church in Oshkar Ola was burned • The church in Bratsk in Erkutskaya region was burned • The church in Novokuznetsk is being confiscated, a trial a being held weather the church should be confiscated (2005); the church was bought in 1997. Ilya Bontseev is the pastor of this church. • The church in Izhevsk was burned. The bottle with the solution that was used to burn that church was found. • The fact that churches are not allowed to register is nothing compared to the fact that churches are not allowed to be built. • The church in a town Nekrasivoe was robbed and burned in December of 2004 • Boris Sinebabnev is the Bishop of the 97 non-registered churches in the Voronezhskaya region. Two years ago they purchased a peace of land to build a church. On April 12, 2005, the land was confiscated and no money was returned to them. In the Lisky city on September 2004, eleven criminal cases were filed against Pentecostals for preaching the Gospel. Eleven people were beat up and falsely accused for attacking the policemen, but when the USA got involved in this matter, the process was quickly stopped. Authorities in the Lisky city refuse to allow Pentecostals to build churches. “Russia is driving us down to a point where we will have to start an underground church”- says Sinebabnev; thus forcing them to gather in the Congregation members’ houses in secret. But if they are discovered they would have to pay a fine. Sinebabnev says that there is anywhere between 800 to1, 000 non-registered churches across Russia. There is up to 50,000 members of Pentecostal Congregations through out the regions where he bishops. There are also many non-registered Pentecostal churches of which no one knows about that gather and preach Gospel in the Congregation members’ houses. • There are barely any churches in Russia. A church cannot be built because it will get burned as soon as it gets built.

The letter below is a testimony of a Christian Pentecostal group called “ Little Israel”, in Siberia.

When a group of Russian people which call themselves “Little Israel” moved to Yakutin, Ustmansk district in the year of 1996, they found a job at a government company as lumbermen in a forest. Police took all of their passports and documents away from them for registration, so the people of “Little Israel” did not even suspect that something was not right.

They received very little pay for their job during the first two years, and none at all in the third year. They were literally turned into slaves. They were deceived: “We fell into the hands of the Russian Mafia,” they said. The third year of their life in Ekutin was extremely difficult, because there was nothing to eat and nothing warm to wear during winter. In summer they picked berries and mushrooms. When they went to the head of the company to ask if they could have their documents back, they were told that they should then scatter across Russia. Because the head of the company offered no help, they decided to go to a neighboring town called Voldan, to the administrative building, and ask for their documents. The sheriff there told them that in their situation, if they wanted all their documents returned, the police would close their church and withdraw the registration (even though their church had never been registered).

Police also opened a criminal case against the entire group of Russians for beating up a 12-year-old boy. Vitaly Kozar, the pastor of the Christian group, says that this was indeed an incident that happened two years ago within one family, but that the police should deal only with that one family and not the whole congregation. Unfortunately, all were deprived of their parental rights, all children were taken away and divided among several orphanages. All parents were taken to prison. Vitaly Kozar was sentenced to ten years of imprisonment.

Boris Perchatkin spoke with Shpakovskiy, Kozar’s defense lawyer, and tried to find out everything else that was happening to the Russian group. Shpakovskiy at first tried to pretend he remembered nothing, but later said that Kozar did not even touch that 12-year-old boy with his finger, had nothing to do with the beating, and disapproved of the beating, so he is truly not guilty. The real reason he is in prison is because of his religious beliefs. Russian authorities continue to pursue the Christian group “Little Israel” in Siberia.

In the spring of 1999, the pastor of the congregation, Vitaly Kozar, was sentenced to ten years of imprisonment; deacon Alexander Vasilev was sentenced to five years of imprisonment.

During imprisonment both the pastor and the deacon contracted tuberculosis.

Thirty-eight children were taken away from their parents, and the rest of the congregation were banished to Taksimo, in the Muyskiy region of the Republic of Buryatia. As mentioned, the children were divided among several orphanages.

Any communication between children and parents is forbidden. Some children were given away to other families. The only parents who were able to keep their children were those who agreed to leave the congregation and to bear false witness against the pastor and the deacon.

At present, the “Little Israel” congregation has only 23 members left:

Kozar Vitaly, born in 1930, father of the pastor. After three months of imprisonment he was transferred (under convoy) to a facility for the disabled.
Kozar Lidia, born in 1923, mother of the pastor.
Kozar Vitaly, born in 1955, the pastor, currently imprisoned.
Kozar Natalya, born in 1954, was in prison for three months.
Nikitenok Vera, born in 1946.
Nikitenok Yelena, born in 1973. After being deprived of her parental rights, her daughter Maria was taken away to an orphanage, where she died.
Galkov Nikolay, born in 1948, and his wife,
Galkov Tuyana (Svetlana), born in 1966. The couple was deprived of their parental rights. They have four children: Nikolay, Ivan, Liudmila and Irina, all taken away to orphanages. After the tragedy, in Aldan, the couple had a baby girl, Nadya, who now lives with them.
Alexandrova Klavdia, born in 1958, was deprived of her parental rights. Her daughter Katya lives with her grandmother.
Vasilev Alexander, born in 1962, the deacon of the congregation. Has already been in prison for five years.
Vasilev Svetlana, born in 1970, wife of the deacon. The couple was deprived of their parental rights, and their two children were taken away. The children are currently in an orphanage.
Shaldurova-Zhalsanova Segeg, born in 1962, was deprived of her parental rights. Her six children were taken away and placed in an orphanage. Three of her children—Zhargal, Sayana and Victor—are still in an orphanage.
Zhalsanova Rita, born in 1982, was in an orphanage. When she came of age, she returned to the congregation.
Zhalsanova Marina, born in 1980, returned to the congregation.
Zholsanov Bato, was in an orphanage until the age of 18 and then was drafted into the army.
Zholsanov Bagir, born in 2000.
(Could not understand the name in the writing) was deprived of her parental rights. Her children Kostya and Alia live with their grandmother.
Child, Pavel, five years old.
Davidova Olga, born in 1972.
Davidova-Kolomina Tatyana, born in 1976. Was deprived of her parental rights. Her son Ilya lives with his grandmother. Daughter Kseniya—current place of residence unknown.
Ruslan, five years old.
Dulova Maria, born in 1976.
Simus Uriy, born in 1980.

Nine children of the congregation members are currently in an orphanage in Aldan; Bato is in the army. Five children live with other families.

Some information about the members of “Little Israel” and about Pastor Vitaly Kozar can be obtained from defense lawyer Shpakovskiy. He affirms that all the case materials have been falsified. The congregation underwent persecution because of their religious beliefs. Before everything that occurred in Aldan, the congregation consisted of 75 members. But after the police began taking children away, many people left the congregation.

The address and telephone number of the prison where Vitaly Kozar is currently held are known. The telephone number is 411-5-40-59, and the address is: Russia,

Alexander Vasilev can be reached on Sundays, from seven in the morning, Moscow time. His telephone number is: 40-02-04.

The telephone number of the advocate, Shpakovskiy in Aldan is 411-45-34-324.

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