Ahmadis still banned

Source: forum18.org

Some officials in Kyrgyzstan appear unwilling to act on their domestic and international legal obligations, Forum 18 News Service notes. A reluctance by officials to implement their obligation to respect and implement freedom of religion or belief can be seen in a number of ongoing issues in the country.

These issues include but are not limited to: a UN Human Rights Council recommendation to “remove all restrictions incompatible with article 18 of the Covenant [of Civil and Political Rights]”; a ban in Kyrgyzstan on Ahmadi Muslims exercising freedom of religion or belief together; a Constitutional Chamber of the Supreme Court ruling that a religious organisation is not limited to carrying out its activity only in the place where it has its legal address; the expulsion of a Russian Orthodox Church Bishop and a catechist; and continuing state attempts to deprive a Protestant church of its building.

Kyrgyzstan is also proposing to harshen its Religion Law and Code of Administrative Offences by, among other things: increasing the number of founders required for registered religious organisations to be founded from 200 to 500 and all such organisations to be re-registered; requiring anyone working in any capacity in any religious organisation to have an annually renewed State Commission for Religious Affairs (SCRA) license; and requiring every institution offering religious education to have an SCRA license. The proposals go directly against the UN Human Rights Committee’s March recommendation that changes to the Religion Law should “remove all restrictions incompatible with article 18 of the Covenant [of Civil and Political Rights]” (see F18News 24 October 2014 http://www.forum18.org/archive.php?article_id=2008).

Ahmadis still banned

On 10 July the Supreme Court ignored violations of due legal process and human rights obligations by rejecting an appeal against two lower courts’ support of the SCRA’s refusal to give state registration to the Ahmadi Muslim community. Asel Bayastanova, the Ahmadis’ defence lawyer, told Forum 18 that “it means that Ahmadi Muslims cannot act like Ahmadi Muslims and organise meetings for worship or any other activity together”. The community has not been able to meet together since July 2011 (see F18News 17 July 2014 http://www.forum18.org/archive.php?article_id=1977).

The Ahmadis remain banned, and on 22 September received a copy of the Supreme Court decision. It was made by Judge Aynash Tokbayeva, who chaired the hearing, sitting with Judges Kamil Osmonaliyev and Bolotbek Akmatov. The Ahmadi Muslim community told Forum 18 on 29 October that it is now considering what its next steps will be.

A non-Ahmadi Muslim religious leader in Kyrgyzstan, who asked not to be named for fear of state reprisals, told Forum 18 on 29 October that the ban on the Ahmadis is “a political decision”. The leader suggested that the government imposed the ban “to do a service for the [state-backed] Muslim Board and foreign Muslim investors, who dislike Ahmadis”.

Asked why this decision was taken… read more at forum18.org