Kyrgyz Baptist crackdown

Baptist churches in Kyrgyzstan are the latest religious group to be targeted by National Security Committee (NSC) secret police officers, with raids and fines being imposed on believers.

NSC officers have carried out raids on Council of Churches Baptist congregations, which refuse to officially register with the state. They have become the latest religious minority group to be targeted, in addition to crackdowns on other communities.

According to Norwegian human-rights organisation Forum 18, the secret police recently raided a church in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan’s capital city, during a Sunday service, following which the church’s leaders were fined for holding meetings without registration. Similar incidents have also taken place in recent months, including a raid on a church in the nearby village of Vasilyevka, which did not result in punishment.

A mission worker for Central Asia with Release International, which supports persecuted Christians worldwide, told en that the situation is complex, having arisen out of Christians’ struggle to maintain a gospel witness in Kyrgyzstan before the fall of Communism.

The worker detailed how some churches, including Baptist congregations, believe they should never register or have any communication with the authorities under any circumstances, to such an extent that this “became the doctrine of their theological teaching and education” despite “the complete change in the situation” since the fall of the Soviet Union.

However, while state hostility towards Christians generally has lessened, the recent passing of tougher laws has exacerbated the situation between non-compliant churches and the state. Release stated that a law passed in early 2025 is “threatening Christians, banning all unregistered religious activities, and criminalising sharing the gospel.”