13 December 2024

KYRGYZSTAN: Repressive new Religion Law passes first reading

Parliament has given first reading approval to two draft new laws increasing freedom of religion or belief restrictions. Among many other restrictions, the draft Religion Law makes it impossible for communities with fewer than 500 adult members to legally exist. Violations Code amendments sharply increase fines. "This is a very dangerous law," a religious community leader who wished to remain anonymous for fear of state reprisals told Forum 18. "They seem to be in a rush, and this is alarming," a human rights defender who wished to remain anonymous for fear of state reprisals told Forum 18.

6 December 2024

UZBEKISTAN: Demands to reopen, not demolish, church and mosque

Urgench Council of Churches Baptist Church and Tashkent's Shaykhontohur District Imam al-Bukhari Mosque are being simultaneously demolished. The Baptist Church is being demolished by the Bailiff's Department, and the Mosque by an unknown person or company with the full co-operation of the regime. By 5 December most of the roof, walls, and floors of the Baptist Church were destroyed, and most of the walls, roof, and dome of the Mosque were destroyed. Baptists and Muslims in both cities insist to Forum 18 that they want the demolitions stopped and their buildings returned, so they can use them to meet for worship.

3 December 2024

BELARUS: Concern and secrecy surround compulsory re-registration process

Officials and most religious leaders Forum 18 reached refuse to discuss how the compulsory re-registration of the more than 3,500 registered religious communities by the deadline of 5 July 2025 is proceeding. The Religious Board of Muslims, a registered religious association, will have to be liquidated as it does not meet new legal requirements. Nor will many village religious communities. Officials so far re-registered only one religious organisation. Officials are to go to court to liquidate all registered communities that fail to gain re-registration by the deadline.

29 November 2024

UZBEKISTAN: Religious communities blocked from using own buildings, registering

A wide range of religious communities continue to be blocked from using or repairing their own buildings, forcibly closed, gaining state registration, or having their grounds seized without compensation. These include Bukhara's registered Baptist Union Church, Tashkent Region's Abu Zar Mosque, Gazalkent's local Baptist Union Church, Gulistan's Baptist Church, Urgench Council of Churches Baptists, Jehovah's Witness communities nationwide, and the country's only functioning Buddhist temple in Tashkent. Officials do not answer their phones, refuse to answer, or give evasive excuses when questioned by Forum 18 about this.

21 November 2024

RUSSIA: Pentecostal pastor, Buddhist in pre-trial detention for anti-war remarks

Under arrest since 18 October, Moscow Pentecostal pastor Nikolay Romanyuk faces up to 6 years' imprisonment if convicted for preaching in September 2022 that believers should not go to fight in Ukraine "on the basis of Holy Scripture". His arrest came after early-morning armed raids on church members' homes. Under arrest since 22 June is Ilya Vasilyev, director of the Moscow Zen Centre. He is being prosecuted for an online post about Russian rocket attacks on Ukrainian cities which he made "solely out of religious conviction", his lawyer told Forum 18.

15 November 2024

KAZAKHSTAN: Court bailiffs burn book seized at border, owner fined

On 12 July, border guards seized "Selected Hadiths" by Muhammad Yusuf Kandhlawi from Russian-based Kyrgyz citizen Sardor Abdullayev. The same day a court fined him 6 weeks' average wages for the book containing "social, national, clan, racial, or religious discord" and ordered it confiscated "with subsequent destruction". Asked what had happened to Abdullayev's book, Raikhan Nurzhalpova, head of North Kazakhstan Regional Justice Department's Implementation of Court Decisions Department, responded: "It was burnt." Under the strict religious censorship system, travellers can import only one copy of any religious book.

14 November 2024

KAZAKHSTAN: Religious Affairs Department "fighting against a quote from the Koran?"

Astana's Religious Affairs Department is seeking to punish Nurtas Adambay for quoting from the Koran in a video discussion on Islam on Instagram. "Frankly, I didn't know that in our country it is not allowed to quote a translation of the Koran," he wrote. Astana Inter-District Specialised Administrative Court has not yet heard the case. Department Head Kairolla Keshkali would not say why Adambay should be punished. Courts in Atyrau Region fined two people 3 weeks' average wage each for quoting from the Koran online.

7 November 2024

KAZAKHSTAN: Constitutional challenge to sharing faith ban

Courts have twice fined Zhangazy Biimbetov, a Jehovah's Witness from Oskemen, 2 months' average wages for sharing his faith. In July he challenged the constitutionality of the ban on and punishments for sharing faith. The Constitutional Court accepted the case on 4 October but has not yet set a date for a hearing, which will be held in public. No one was available at the regime's Religious Affairs Committee to explain why individuals continue to be punished for talking to others about their faith. Regime-sponsored warnings against so-called "destructive religious movements" and sharing faith are widespread in advertisements – including on bills for utilities and on public transport.