The Human Rights Association (HRA) has issued an urgent appeal to the government of Kyrgyzstan, calling for the immediate and unconditional release of Pastor Pavel Shreider, a 65-year-old Seventh-day Adventist pastor. Reverend Shreider is currently serving a three-year prison sentence following his arrest for leading an unregistered religious community, during which he allegedly suffered severe torture that resulted in permanent brain damage.
Shreider, who leads the True and Free Reform Seventh-day Adventist Church, was detained by officers of the National Security Committee in November 2024. Following his arrest, he was charged under Kyrgyz law with inciting racial, ethnic, national, religious, or regional enmity.
According to the HRA, these charges stem solely from his religious activities. The True and Free Reform Seventh-day Adventist Church refuses, on principled grounds, to comply with Kyrgyzstan’s mandatory state registration. Because Kyrgyz law criminalizes membership in unregistered religious communities, Shreider was handed a three-year custodial sentence for exercising his right to practice and lead his faith.
In a formal complaint filed in November 2024, Shreider detailed horrific abuse endured during his interrogation. He stated that five National Security Committee officers kicked him in the spine, struck his head and chest, and beat him with an iron pipe to extract a forced confession.
As a direct result of this treatment, Shreider sustained a permanent traumatic brain injury that has caused cognitive impairment. The severity of his condition is undisputed; it was confirmed in writing by the prison chief, Major Azat Kudaybergenov. Despite this confirmation, the Kyrgyz government has yet to publicly acknowledge responsibility for the injuries inflicted in its state detention facility.
The case has drawn significant international scrutiny. The United Nations Special Rapporteur on Torture and the UN Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Religion or Belief have both raised Shreider’s case directly with the Kyrgyz government, citing concerns over his torture and the legal foundation of his imprisonment.
The HRA, an initiative of the Cape Town-based WeCare Foundation, argues that criminalizing unregistered religious groups violates Article 18 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), a binding treaty to which Kyrgyzstan is a state party.
” Pavel Shreider is 65 years old. He was arrested for leading a church that declined to register with the state,” stated HRA Chairman Saad Kassis-Mohamed. “The right to practise a faith without state permission is not a privilege. It is a right that Kyrgyzstan committed itself to protect when it ratified the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights”.
The HRA has outlined a list of specific demands for the Kyrgyz government:
- Immediate and unconditional release of Pastor Shreider.
- Immediate and appropriate medical care for his permanent brain injury.
- A full, transparent, and independent investigation into his torture, followed by the prosecution of the responsible officers.
- The repeal or substantial reform of legal provisions that criminalize membership in unregistered religious communities.
- A formal response to the concerns raised by the UN Special Rapporteurs.
“A 65-year-old pastor who has been tortured in state custody and sustained a permanent brain injury is not a criminal,” the HRA noted in its release. “He is a victim”