A Protestant pastor living in one of the cities of Tatarstan complains of harassment by local authorities • Sova • RIMA

A Protestant pastor living in one of the cities of Tatarstan complains of harassment by local authorities

Protestant pastor Rafis Nabiullin, who lives in the city of Aznakayevo (Tatarstan), told the international agency Forum 18 that he is under pressure from the local FSB. According to R. Nabiullin, in October, during an "unofficial" visit to his home, one of the FSB officers said that the special service did not want the presence of this Protestant church in the city and intended to expel the pastor. Two days later, the owners of the apartment rented by R. Nabiullin unexpectedly asked him to vacate the premises, although only 19 days had passed since the move in, and the payment had been made for four months. However, the head of the city department of the FSB, Danis Valeev, categorically denied the allegations of R. Nabiullin.

The pastor admitted that D. Valeev's subordinate could have acted "on his own initiative" and that the actions of the landlords were "an accident." But at the same time, he drew attention to the fact that in the summer of 2003 the head of the city FSB called him to his place, called his church a "sect", demanded a list of church members and threatened to expel him from the city.

D. Valeev admitted that he had talked with R. Nabiullin, but, according to him, it was about the pastor getting an apartment "fraudulently" and about attending Protestant services by pupils of a nearby boarding school (teachers and parents complained to the FSB that R. Nabiullin was luring children to worship).

The pastor said that the children came of their own accord, despite the prohibitions of the director and teachers of the boarding school. At the same time, he said that those children who had parents came with their permission.

In addition, according to R. Nabiullin, pressure on protesters in Tatarstan (both in the capital, Kazan, and in other cities, for example, in Bugulma) is often enough, and Muslims and Orthodox do not face it.

Sources

Corley F. RUSSIA: Pressure on Tatarstan Protestants // Forum 18. 2004. November 18.