KYRGYZSTAN: Religious freedom survey, December 2009

Kyrgyzstan: December 17, 2009, (PCTV Newsdesk)

In its survey analysis of freedom of religion or belief in Kyrgyzstan,Forum 18 News Service finds that the state continues to violate itscommitments to implement freedom of religion or belief for all. Limitationson this fundamental freedom and other human rights have increased - in bothlaw and practice - under President Kurmanbek Bakiev. A harsh new ReligionLaw was adopted in 2009, despite international protests, and a similarlyharsh new Law on Religious Education and Educational Institutions is beingdrafted. There are also plans for a new Law on Traditional Religions. Stateactions, including banning unregistered religious activity and raids onmeetings for worship, show little sign of either a willingness to implementhuman rights commitments, or an understanding that genuine security dependson genuine respect for human rights. As a Baha'i put it to Forum 18: "Ourcountry has so many urgent problems - poverty, the lack of medicine, AIDS,crime, corruption. Why don't officials work on these instead of making lifeharder for religious believers?" Kyrgyzstan faces the UN Universal PeriodicReview process in May 2010.

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