A Protestant leader has said that he fears churches may be forced to close following the implementation of concerning new laws which restrict freedom of religion in Kyrgyzstan.
The new Religion Law and an Amending Law came into effect last month. The legislation dictates that religious activity can only be conducted in public with state permission, and that religious groups must be registered to legally exist, with a minimum registration requirement of 500 adult members, up from the 200 required previously.
Registration with the state, as reported by Forum 18, must now be done every ten years, must include the history, beliefs and activities of the religious group in question, as well as its views on issues such as family, marriage and education.
The new legislation also cracks down heavily on public worship; the state holds the power to ban any form of religious activity in public which they deem unacceptable, while citizens are not allowed to meet for worship in their homes or build venues on land owned by individuals.
Additionally, all worship places must now be registered with the State Commission for Religious Affairs (SCRA), which has wide-ranging powers to ban religious communities and censor religious texts.
Failure to adhere to these new draconian measures in Kyrgyzstan will carry harsh consequences, with the Amending Law dictating that religious activity without permission could result in a 20,000 Soms fine for individuals and 65,000 Soms for organisations.
A Protestant leader told Forum 18: ‘The new law does not make anything better or easier for us to practice our faith but makes it more difficult. I have stopped believing in any improvements in the laws or in the attitude of the government towards us Christians.’
