Photo: Flickr / Katie Putz (cc)
On December 12th, 2024, a draft bill was introduced to the parliament of Kyrgyzstan which proposed significantly tighter restrictions on the country's existing religion law. Referred to as a "very dangerous law," the draft legislation sought to enact stricter registration requirements, prohibit the public sharing of one's faith, and mandated that religious communities possess a minimum of 500 adult members in order to gain legal status. For more information, see our previous report.
Regrettably, the law passed through parliament and came into force on February 1st. When asked about the consequences of the new legislation, Floyd Brobbel, CEO for Voice of the Martyrs Canada, explained that the intensified restrictions were implemented by officials in their attempts to further stifle Christian activities within the nation. "We will see these restrictions [curtailing] the church from doing the work of the church – restricting the freedom of Christians on how they can worship, where they can worship, how they can share their faith, [as well as] how they can be witnesses to their neighbours and do good."
- Pray that the Lord would swiftly intervene in this situation, urging the parliamentary officials to mitigate their stance on freedom of religion and thus revoke the recently passed restrictions.
- May God give His church the strength to endure, reminding our Kyrgyz brothers and sisters in Christ that – despite the increased pressures – they can confidently fix their eyes on the One who has “all authority in heaven and on earth” (Matthew 28:18).
- In general, pray that the country’s believers will be encouraged in their faith and that they will find new initiatives for effective outreach so the saving message of Jesus can continue being proclaimed in their communities and beyond.
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