of World and Traditional Religions held international conference, Religions against Terrorism, on May 31, 2016. One day later the Congress held its 15th session in Astana. An inaugural Religious Freedom Working Group between the Kazakhstani government and representatives from the U.S. Department of State took place in Kazakhstan in May 2019. The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) delegation participated in the Working Group. "According to the USCIRF report, religious communities "have a positive dialogue with the government and believe their trajectory in the country is good." 2006 Hare Krishna evictions On November 20, 2006, three buses full of riot police, two ambulances, two empty lorries, and executors of the Karasai district arrived at the community in sub-zero weather and evicted the Hare Krishna followers from thirteen homes, which the police proceeded to demolish. The Forum 18 News Service reported, "Riot police who took part in the destruction threw personal belongings of the Hare Krishna devotees into the snow, and many devotees were left without clothes. Power for lighting and heating systems had been cut off before the demolition began. Furniture and larger household belongings were loaded onto trucks. Officials said these possessions would be destroyed. Two men who tried to prevent the bailiffs from entering a house to destroy it were seized by 15 police officers who twisted their hands and took them away to the police car." In response to these events the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe issued a statement: "It appears that state-sponsored action has been focused upon members of the Hare Krishna community in a manner that suggests they have been targeted on the basis of their religious affiliation." Kazakh officials claims that the evictions were legitimate, and that the properties had been acquired illegally. 2018 arrest of WhatsApp group members In 2018, the government of Kazakhstan made a mass arrest of nine Kazakh men who were members of a group chat for discussing Islam on the messaging app WhatsApp. Their arrest was determined to be in violation of international law by the Working Group on Arbitrary Detention. However, five of the men remain imprisoned, and the four that are no longer imprisoned still face restrictions. The five who remain imprisoned are: Beket Mynbasov, Samat Adilov, Nazim Abdrakhmanov, Ernar Samatov and Bolatbek Nurgaliyev. Protests 2011 Zhanaozen oil worker strikes On 16 December 2011, there were clashes between protesters and police due to