The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) has included Iakov Vorontsov, a priest defrocked in the Russian Orthodox Church, in an international database of people persecuted for their faith.
This was reported by Total.kz, citing the Kazakhstan International Bureau for Human Rights and the Rule of Law (KIBHR).
“In February 2025 the authorities arrested Vorontsov, a priest of an unregistered Orthodox church, during a night raid at his home. Vorontsov was a fierce critic of Russia’s war against Ukraine, stating that it ‘has nothing to do with Christianity,’” the bureau’s briefing says.
It is known that on February 13 a court sentenced him to 10 days of arrest for the illegal “use of narcotic substances” (ACA 440-1). After the sentence expired, the Investigative Court of Almaty extended his detention until April 23 because the prosecutor’s office accused him of organizing a “drug den” in his home where his parishioners gathered.
Kazakhstan has been placed by the Commission on the “Watch List,” among countries where the situation is not critical but remains precarious. Along with Kazakhstan the list includes Algeria, Egypt, Azerbaijan, Indonesia, Iraq, Kyrgyzstan, Malaysia, Qatar, Turkey, and Uzbekistan.
In a December report following the Commission’s visit to Central Asian countries, the section on Kazakhstan noted in particular that the legal framework regulating religion in Kazakhstan continues to hinder the free practice of religious rites.
The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) is an independent, bipartisan body of the legislative branch created under the International Religious Freedom Act (IRFA) of 1998, as amended. It works closely with the government and often influences the policy direction in the United States’ relations with other countries.
As LF reported, on the night of February 13 in Kazakhstan, Hieromonk Iakov Vorontsov, known for his antiwar stance and criticism of the Russian Orthodox Church, was detained.
He is a former hieromonk of the Astana and Almaty Diocese of the Russian Orthodox Church. He gained prominence in 2023 after criticizing Russia’s “special military operation” in Ukraine as well as the leadership of the Russian Orthodox Church.
In 2024 Vorontsov was suspended from ministry and defrocked. A case was also opened against him under Article 141 of the Criminal Code of Kazakhstan, “incitement of social, national, clan, racial, class, or religious discord, insult to national honor and dignity, or offense against the religious feelings of citizens.” The investigation was later terminated due to the absence of a criminal offense.
It is known that several years ago Vorontsov attempted to establish an Orthodox Church in Kazakhstan that would not be subordinate to the Moscow Patriarchate. He twice submitted documents to the Ministry of Justice for registration, and both times received a refusal.
