Kyrgyzstan

Religious freedom conditions in Kyrgyzstan are worsening as the government increasingly enforces long existing legislation that restricts freedom of religion or belief. Under the authoritarian government of President Sadyr Japarov, Kyrgyz authorities are cracking down on Muslims who deviate from the state-sanctioned interpretation of Hanafi Sunni Islam by inspecting and closing independent Islamic institutions, detaining Yakin Inkar and Hizb ut-Tahrir members and forcing them to renounce their beliefs, and prosecuting those who criticize state policy on religion. The Kyrgyz government is also targeting non-Muslim groups, such as Catholics, Protestants, Jehovah’s Witnesses, and International Society for Krishna Consciousness devotees, by issuing fines, closing places of worship, limiting the import of religious materials, and restricting registration.