Photo: kaztag.kz.
Former priest of the Russian Orthodox Church Iakov Vorontsov has заявлено that a criminal case against him is being fabricated. This is stated in a letter he sent from detention and which was published on social media.
Vorontsov is a former hieromonk of the Astana and Almaty diocese of the Russian Orthodox Church. After criticizing Russia’s “special military operation” in Ukraine and the leadership of the Church, he was suspended from ministry and defrocked.
He was detained in Almaty on February 13 following a nighttime search conducted by police officers and special forces. An unidentified powder was allegedly found in his home. Police accused Vorontsov of using non-medical narcotic substances, and a court ordered his administrative arrest for 10 days. Later, police reported that a criminal investigation had been launched on suspicion that the former priest organized a drug den.
“There is and has never been any drug den in my home. Different people came for pastoral comfort and kind words. My like-minded supporters and fellow believers came for conversations and prayers.
The powder found in my home does not belong to me. I believe it was planted in order to punish and discredit me. It is not hard to guess who benefits from this and who might be behind it. Everyone knows who publicly discredited me with lies and slander. Everyone knows who publicly called for criminal prosecution against me,” Vorontsov wrote.
According to him, the court sentenced him to 10 days of arrest “based on erroneous expert conclusions.” “The judge listened but ignored the arguments of my lawyer and myself. I disagree with the court’s ruling. I now face a criminal investigation that appears to be fabricated,” he said.
In the final part of the letter, Vorontsov appealed to friends and fellow believers, asking that if he is “locked up for a long time,” they complete the registration of a religious association — an Orthodox Church not subordinate to the Moscow Patriarchate. “At first, the community may exist without a presbyter. After registration, write to Constantinople, seek a bishop who will receive you and appoint a pastor more worthy than I,” he concluded.
In recent years, Vorontsov has repeatedly attempted to register a new religious association with Kazakhstan’s Justice Ministry but was denied. Shortly before his arrest, it became known that he had challenged that decision in court.
