From:   lytkin@lytkin.nsk.su (Rev Vsevolod Lytkin)
To:     PrVieker@aol.com
CC:     74301.2325@compuserve.com, geneandirmaweber@msn.com

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,

Tonight we have received a message from Khakassia about the decision of the Supreme Court of Khakassia TO CLOSE THE EVANGELICAL LUTHERAN MISSION IN KHAKASSIA (ELMK) as a result of court process in Abakan.

The court itself was realy 'fantastic'. First of all video and even audio recording of a court process were forbidden. The pressure upon witnesses (inhabitants of Touim where our Mission is placed) which judges showed were so strong that one of them felt with faint right in the court hall, and an elderly woman said in fear that she was ready to renounce of her faith if the judges would require it. It seems that we have seen something like that before. All that remind trials against Christians in time of the Soviet Union.

In spite of protests of the ELMK lawyer judges required all the witnesses to testify about their faith (although the Russian Constitution straightway forbids to do that in art. 29, p. 3: "Nobody can be forced to express his opinions or persuasion; or to reject them.")

In order to not allow ELMK director Rev. Pavel Zaiakin to make a speech in his defense the judge threatened to make him live the court hall.

According to the law we have right to appeal a decree of the Khakassian court in the court of higher instance in 10 days. Naturaly that ELMK is going to appeal in the Supreme Court of Russian Federation.

The Evangelical Lutheran Mission in Khakassia asks all who can do something to help us. Please send letters to Russian ambassadors abroad.

And the main: please pray for our Mission in Khakassia for God defend us in our struggle with the one who î... is prowling around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devourî (1 Pet. 5: 8).

Yours in Christ,

Rev. Vsevolod Lytkin.

P.S. Detailed message we will send you tomorrow, September 24, 1998.

The verdict was passed after two days of a court examination - September 22 and 23. Plaintiff, respondent and witnesses were heard. I could write that, but I'll go farther and say that during this court rules of Russian citizens connected with the freedom of religion were trampled down and spitted.

First of all - ABOUT THE CLAIMS OF THE PROCURATORS OFFICE. They claimed (and this is the central part of the charge) that "according to the results of the tests", only three of ten founders of the ELMK confessed the Evangelical Lutheran faith although in the 1st article of the Charter of the ELMK it is written that the ELMK is the union of citizens "who confess the Evangelical Lutheran teaching ..." I repeat that it was the main point of the charge. (According to the Russian Laws there there must be ten persons minimum to organize a religious organization).

Our side was insisting upon the statement that facts about the confession of the founders which were represented as an evidence were got by the Procurators Office in illegal way with infringement of constitutional rules and freedoms of citizens: the pressure upon the people was shown, they were subject to intimidation.

In order to confirm the fact of pressure upon the founders while getting information from them the Mission invited witnesses.

Perhaps the INTERROGATORY OF WITNESSES was the most dramatic part of the trial. What was going on in the Court Hall! I can_t call the interrogatory of founders of the ELMK in another way then psychological rape. In spite of all our protests the Procurator Office and judge Fishman himself right in the Court Hall were clearing up from witnesses which religion did they confess and what did they think about the Lutheran teaching and why did they join the Lutheran Church and so on without any explanation to citizens of their rules as regards to articles 28 and 29(3) of The Constitution of Russian Federation and article 3(5) of the Federal Law "About the freedom of conscience..."

Two of witnesses right away refused to answer the question about their belief and there was no more questions to them. But the rest of them were subjected to pressure and were asked questions in order to get private information. When one of the witnesses (who was among first founders of the ELMK) S. Vorobjev was asked a question: _Here you write in your evidence that you are non-believer at all, so tell us why did you become a founder?_ - this man was so scared that fell with faint. When I exclaimed: 'Please help him, he is feeling bad!' the representative of the Procurator_s Office A. Konopelko answered rudely: 'It does not matter, it is a trial, it's OK'. The judge became to shout too for I did not interfere and did not come to the witness but nevertheless let to bring some water. When Vorobjev came to himself the interrogatory continued from the same point.

I'll remind that all the "evidences" appeared when representative of the KGB officer Bobrovnikov visited Touim. He visited all the founders of the Mission and most part of the parishioners and asked them what did all that guest missionaries do here. May be they are spies? You can easily imagine what effect had this visit of a representative of the KGB upon inhabitants of the small town.

At once rumors became to spread all around the town ("they don't put somebody into prison for nothing; KGB does not come for nothing"). Then he came to me and asked about Americans and at the end suggested me to denounce him about them if I would see something suspicious in their activity.

And then the head of local administration of Touim Mr. V. Kachaev (who repeatedly declared that there is no place for Lutherans in Khakasia and that all the Lutherans are American spies and so on) accompanied by policemen made visits to all the founders of the ELMK and 'asked' them to write declarations and indicate there their religion and circumstances of their participation in the ELMK. Certainly, taking into account our Soviet past and also the authority and pressure of power in the face of Mr. Kachaev and policemen and mainly thanks to the preceding visit of the KGB representative to the same people, they wrote all that Mr. Kachaev needed, all the more that he gave them "example of declaration". All that was mentioned during the trial. But judge Fishman did not consider that it was the infringement of legality and did not take into account the request of the defense to refuse this declarations as got under the pressure and with illegal way.

When they interrogated Mrs. Vorobjova (also former founder of the ELMK) this elderly woman was so scared by the questions of the judge and the public prosecutor that refused all - her former Orthodoxy and present Baptism and Lutheranity: "Yes, I went to the Lutherans, but I don't go there anymore...I visited many places but NOW DON'T GO ANYWHERE and even don't visit them."

When witness Serkov said that he had became a founder including for his six years old son did not perish in vilenesses of life but grew in a normal Christian upbringing and went in trips (Lutheran Teenagers Club attached to the Mission organizes trips into mountaines and camps for youth) were interpreted as an example of pressure from the side of the director of the ELMK rev. Zajakin: 'You'll become a founder and then I'll take care of your son'. It was, certainly,denied by the witness, but for some reason went in the Prosecutors charge. In general, all this looked a kind of dirty.

The head of the local administration of Touim Mr. Kachaev declared on the interrogatory that he gathered "typical" declarations from Lutherans not by his own initiative but because of the commission of vice-head of the administration of Shirinsky district Mr. Abdin (remember, it was he, who tried to close our Mission in September, 1997). And Mr. Abdin, in his turn, was acted by the commission of the Khakasian Ministry of Justice. Present on this trial representative of this Ministry and called as a witness vice minister of justice of Khakasia Mr. Tupitsyn categorically denied this commission to Mr. Kachaev.

All that looks strange.

The beginning was strange - look like without somebody's initiative. It is strange that in the case was constantly mentioned, the KGB representative Sergey S. Bobrovnikov (cert. N211) This figure which led a nomad's life from evidence to evidence in the Court Hall did not call any interest of judge Fishman. Bobrovnikov even was not invited as a witness.

It is interesting how Mr. Kachaev explained the fact of the presence of policemen with him while visiting founders. It is found that their presence was necessary for the defense ... from me! It turned out, it was me, who spread îdiscrediting rumorsî about Mr. Kachaev. And, being afraid of my (evidently equipped) interference, Kachaev took with himself policemen as bodyguards. This explanation completely satisfied the judge.

But evidences of witnesses Serkov, Vinogradova, Burdina, Osintseva, who said that had perceived the presence of policeman during visits and "requests" to write a declaration as a method of psychological pressure and that they were scared were not taken into consideration.

Rev. Pavel Zayakin,
director of the Evangelical Lutheran Mission in Khakasia.

(TO BE CONTINUED)

Received:    10/5/98 6:55 PM
From:        Rev. Fr. Jon  Vieker, PrVieker@aol.com

Thank you for your desire to help us again.

At present time Khakassian authorities do not use new religion Law against our mission. You know that they tried to use this new law in the past, but not succesfully.

So now they are working by another way. They try to show that some founders of our mission were not Lutherans. According our laws there there must be 10 persons who can organize religious organization. You know from our press-releases (I will send it to you again for to be on safe side) that local authorities did strong pressure on this founders (some of them are very old persons), because authorities wanted them to say they are not Lutherans. After visits of KGB officer few founders said they don't know now who they are (they are afraid). (Our Russian Constitution strongly prohibits this way to collect information.)

So judges used this to say that there there were less than 10 people who were Lutherans at the moment of state registration of our Mission, and because this our registration must be canceled.

Now we are preparing special appeal to the Court of Russian Federation (in Moscow) where this process will continue. I hope (and I pray) the court in Moscow will stop Khakassian court verdict.

Sorry for my bad English. If you have any more questions, I will be glad to answer them.

Thank you again for your help.

In Christ,

Rev. Vsevolod Lytkin

Dear Pastor Loeschman,

I really appreciate your concern about small (yet growing) Lutheran mission in Khakassiya (southern Siberia, Russia). Actually, I personally well know both Rev. Vsevolod Lytkin and Rev. Pavel Zayakin. These two very dedicated Russian Lutheran pastors are truly energetic for promotion of confessional Lutheranism, in Russia, indeed. In addition, Rev. Lytkin is a local supervisor at Concordia College, in Novosibirsk, Siberia, Russia.

You may want to try contacting The Embassy of the Russian Federation at the following address:

The Embassy of the Russian Federation: Chancery
2650 Wisconsin Ave. NW
Washington, DC 20007
USA

As a matter of fact, all of it vividly reveals once again that "Lenin's godless heritage" is still being rather alive in that rest of the World. The System just "re-modified" itself, calling things by their proper names.

May our merciful Lord bless your ministry. 1 Corinthians 10:31.

In Christ Jesus,

Oleg Kravets

 Telephone and fax
 of the Evangelical Lutheran Mission of Khakassia:
 tel/fax + 7 (390 35) 98.293.


 +++
 Rev Vsevolod Lytkin
         P.O. Box 87
         Novosibirsk 630058
         Russia
 Tel.    (3832) 333.868
 FAX     (3832) 333.317
 E:mail  Bible@Lutheran.nsk.ru