Kyrgyz President Kurmanbek Bakiyev signed a controversial new religious law on January 12 that bans proselytism, private religious education, and the import or dissemination of religious literature. The law, which has encountered strong opposition from human rights activists, comes into effect the same week civil rights watchdog Freedom House criticized Kyrgyzstan for increasingly authoritarian tendencies.
The bill, "On Freedom of Conscience and Religious Organizations," also proscribes children from membership in a religious community and mandates that religious groups must have a membership of at least 200 adult citizens who permanently reside in Kyrgyzstan before the groups can be registered. The previous law required only 10 members for registration.
In an interview with Forum 18, an Oslo-based religious freedom watchdog, Human Rights Ombudsman Tursunbek Akun condemned the law for failing to meet international rights standards and for imposing "a range of restrictions that will prevent small religious communities from developing."
Three-quarters of Kyrgyzstan's five million people consider themselves Muslim. Another 20 percent are Russian Orthodox Christians, while the remaining five percent are Protestants and members of other religious minority groups.
Proponents -- including the heads of both the Russian Orthodox and official Islamic communities -- say the new law is designed to prevent the spread of radical groups, such as the banned pan-Islamic party Hizb-ut-Tahrir. Other supporters admit fears that Protestant Christian groups are converting Muslims away from their "true" faith.
The deputy director of Kyrgyzstan's State Agency on Religious Affairs hailed the new rules. "This is a demand and requirement of today's reality. It is necessary to bring order to the chaotic processes we see in the religious sphere and society," said Kanatbek Murzahalilov.
In an October interview with EurasiaNet, Kanatbek praised the then-draft law, saying that proselytism "damaged society" and violated others' human rights.
But critics worry the law is an affront to those very human rights, including international charters the Kyrgyz government has signed. Kyrgyzstan's constitution guarantees religious freedom.
Felix Corley, editor of Forum 18, says the directive is a step backwards.
"This law clearly violates Kyrgyzstan's commitments to religious freedom," Corley commented to EurasiaNet. "It remains to be seen how draconian the implementation will be, but many religious communities have expressed their fears to Forum 18."
Citing examples in neighboring Kazakhstan and Tajikistan, Corley sees this as part of a wider trend: "Laws on religion across Central Asia have repeatedly been amended over the past decade, each time becoming harsher and more restrictive. . . . Let us not forget that repression of religious communities is already the norm in Central Asia, especially in Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan, and increasingly in Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and now Kyrgyzstan."
Sergei Lysov, a pastor and head of Kyrgyzstan's chapter of Bible League, a non-profit Christian group, sees the bill as yet another challenge to religious freedom in Kyrgyzstan and worries it will curtail his organization's activities. "We prayed this law would not be passed," Lysov said. But "I think it will only strengthen religious communities. For a true believer, it is important to have tests, because it only makes him stronger."
Other minority groups told EurasiaNet they will go underground and complained their voices were not heard during the drafting process.
A week before the president signed the new law a group of American representatives wrote an open letter to Bakiyev, urging him to work with lawmakers to remove articles that threaten freedom of religion.
The leaders of the US Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe, also known as the Helsinki Commission, praised Kyrgyzstan's previous development of democratic institutions, but warned Bakiyev that the law would "damage your country's reputation."
"We strongly urge you not to sign this law, which would mark a serious regression in your country's observance of OSCE [Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe] norms," the group wrote.
OSCE representatives in Bishkek did not outright condemn the bill, but expressed cautious optimism it could still be modified. Noting "discrepancies with international standards," Lilian Darii, deputy head of the OSCE Center in Bishkek, said the OSCE had made recommendations on the draft law last fall, at the government's request, but noted that much of the advice was ignored. "We hope there is still room for review," he added.
Kyrgyzstan's Muftiate officially supports the legislation.
Despite repeated attempts, EurasiaNet was unable to reach the administration of the Russian Orthodox community in Bishkek for comment. Last fall, church representatives told EurasiaNet that they broadly supported the law.
Since the hopeful Tulip Revolution in 2005, Kyrgyzstan has slid steadily backwards in human rights and corruption assessments. This week, the Washington, DC-based civil rights monitoring group Freedom House said that individual liberties in Kyrgyzstan had decreased in 2008 because of "new legislative constraints on the media and freedom of assembly, as well as moves by the authorities to enfeeble the political opposition and silence civil society."
The government has not yet responded publicly to the criticism.
TIMELINE-New clashes in Kyrgyzstan's south 11 Jun 2010 09:57:11 GMT Source: Reuters
June 11 (Reuters) - At least 17 people were killed on Friday when ethnic conflict flared in Kyrgyzstan's second-largest city Osh, the worst outbreak of violence in the Central Asian state since the president was overthrown in April.
Here is a timeline on Kyrgyzstan in the last five years:
March 21, 2005 - Osh, Kyrgyzstan's second biggest city, falls to opposition control as protests sweep across the country's south to demand the resignation of President Askar Akayev.
March 23 - Police violently break up a protest in the capital, Bishkek, and the interior minister says prepared to use force and weapons to restore order.
March 24 - Kyrgyzstan's opposition declares itself in power after seizing key buildings as Akayev vanishes after protests.
March 25 - Opposition party leader Kurmanbek Bakiyev is named acting president. Akayev confirms reports he has left the country, but says he has not resigned.
March 28 - Kyrgyzstan's new parliament takes over and confirms Bakiyev as prime minister as well as acting president.
July 10 - Bakiyev wins presidential elections.
Nov. 8, 2006 - Parliament adopts a new constitution reducing the president's powers. The opposition, which had staged days of protests calling on the president to quit if he would not cede to their demands, hailed the vote as a victory.
Feb. 19, 2009 - Parliament votes to close the only U.S. air base in Central Asia. Washington later agrees to pay $180 million to Kyrgyzstan to keep the base open.
March 17, 2010 - Thousands of Kyrgyz protesters threaten to oust Bakiyev if he fails to accede to their demands within a week, five years after violent protests propelled him to power.
April 3 - Visiting U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon calls on Kyrgyzstan to protect human rights after protesters shout "help us" as he drove to parliament.
April 7 - Bakiyev orders a state of emergency in Bishkek and three other areas after police clash with protesters. He later flees to southern Kyrgyzstan, his traditional power base.
-- Some 1,000 people storm the prosecutor-general's office in the capital.
-- Plumes of smoke billow from the White House, the main seat of government, as crowds rampage through the building.
-- Opposition activists also take control of state television channel KTR.
April 8 - Opposition leader Roza Otunbayeva says she is taking over the president's and government's responsiblities. She says the government has resigned and the opposition is negotiating the resignation of Bakiyev.
-- Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin speaks to Otunbayeva effectively recognising her government.
April 9 - Otunbayeva says she will guarantee the safety of Bakiyev and allow him to leave the country if he resigns.
April 12 - The U.S. welcomes statements from the interim government that it will abide by agreements covering a U.S. air base that supports military operations in Afghanistan.
April 15 - The ousted president Bakiyev leaves Kyrgyzstan for Kazakhstan. At least 85 people are killed in the upheaval.
April 27 - The interim government says it has charged Bakiyev with "mass killing" and has formally prepared an extradition request.
May 4 - Belarussian President Alexander Lukashenko says he will not hand over Bakiyev to face charges over the violent upheaval last month.
May 13 - Bakiyev supporters seize control of government buildings in the cities of Osh, Jalalabad and Batken, kidnap the governor of Jalalabad region and try to take control of the area's main airport in Osh.
May 14 - The interim government says it has regained control across the south after at least two people die in violent clashes with supporters of the ousted president.
May 19 - A state of emergency is declared in Jalalabad after two people die and 74 are injured in clashes between Kyrgyz and Uzbeks in southern Kyrgyzstan.
-- Otunbayeva's government says she will act as president until the end of 2011, after which she will be replaced.
June 11 - At least 17 people are killed and 253 wounded as ethnic conflict flares up in Osh and in the souther region.
-- The interim government declares a state of emergency in four southern regions.
Kurmanbek Bakiyev, driven from country last week, is accused of corruption, ordering shootings of protesters
By PETER LEONARD and YURAS KARMANAU, Associated Press Friday, Apr 16, 2010 14:32 ET
With the tremors of Kyrgyzstan's violent revolution subsiding, the country's provisional leader said Friday that her government will push for an international probe of the former president, who has fled the country.
Ousted leader Kurmanbek Bakiyev left Thursday for neighboring Kazakhstan on a flight arranged by the U.S., Russian and Kazakh leaders in an unusual joint mediation effort. The United Nations, the European Union and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe also helped negotiate Bakiyev's departure, which eased fears of a civil war in the strategically placed ex-Soviet nation.
Bakiyev was driven from the capital, Bishkek, on April 7 after troops opened fire on protesters, who then stormed government buildings.
This mountainous country of 5 million bordering China hosts the U.S. air base at the capital's airport which provides refueling flights for warplanes over Afghanistan and serves as a major transit hub for troops. Russia also has a military base in Kyrgyzstan.
Interim leader Roza Otunbayeva said Friday that Bakiyev's departure, organized "with the help of our friends from other countries, was the only chance to avoid the escalation of violence, tensions and setting one part of the nation against another."
"We avoided clashes between different groups, and even regions of the republic," she said. While allaying fears of renewed violence, Bakiyev's departure angered many in Kyrgyzstan who wanted him and his clan brought to justice for endemic corruption and allegations they ordered troops to shoot protesters.
Otunbayeva said her government would push for an international investigation of the violence. "Bakiyev won't evade justice," she said.
"If Kurmanbek Bakiyev has no plans to hide in the Tora Bora mountains of Afghanistan, the international community will find him and make him answer on behalf of the Kyrgyz people," said Otunbayeva's chief of staff, Edil Baisalov.
With the prospects of the interim government looking brighter after Bakiyev's departure, both the United States and Russia have cause to be satisfied.
"In Kyrgyzstan, U.S. and Russian interests clashed, but the Kremlin and Washington have managed to quickly come to an agreement and find a common solution," said Kyrgyz political analyst Mars Sariyev. "This is a positive sign that shows that the United States and Russia are able to cope with challenges and threats."
Otunbayeva has said that her government will extend the current agreement allowing the U.S. to use the Manas air base for another year after it expires in July. Operations at base returned to normal Thursday for the first time since the street disturbances that led to Bakiyev's ouster.
Speaking earlier this week on a trip to Bishkek, Assistant Secretary of State Robert Blake rejected suggestions that U.S. efforts to promote democratic standards had been lackluster under Bakiyev, -- a charge that has prompted some to suggest the United States compromised on its human rights standards to maintain its strategic position in Kyrgyzstan.
"Human rights and democracy were a very important part of our agenda," Blake said.
But that assessment clashed markedly with the views voiced by Otunbayeva herself a few months ago, when she criticized U.S. indifference to what she then described as the "severe oppression" of opposition politicians. "We are falling down dramatically, and the United States doesn't care," she said in February.
Russia, which has jealously watched the U.S. military presence in what it considers its backyard, is seen as a beneficiary of the Kyrgyz unrest, which has boosted Moscow's influence over its former fiefdom.
Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin was the first foreign leader to offer support to Otunbayeva. Russia this week pledged $50 million in emergency aid and loans to the provisional government 25,000 tons of fuel to help with the spring planting.
Kyrgyzstan's economy is heavily dependent on the remittances sent back from by Kyrgyz migrant laborers working in Russia, and the nation's reliance on Russia is likely to strengthen under the new authorities.
Bishkek residents celebrated Bakiyev's departure outside the government headquarters, singing songs and congratulating one another. Many said they are tired of the disorder that has wracked their country for the last five years, since the 2005 Tulip Revolution that propelled Bakiyev to power amid a series of streets protests.
"We're sick of revolutions, we just want a quiet life," said 48-year housewife Rysgul Guisalova. "Kyrgyzstan won't survive another revolution."
Zhanybek Bakiyev, brother of Kurmanbek and former head of the presidential guard service, who is accused of ordering that shots be fired into a crowd of protesters on April 7 was still on the run as of Friday evening. Another brother, Kanybek Bakiyev, said Friday at the family compound in the southern Kyrgyz village of Teyit that Zhanybek has left the Bakiyev family home and was talking to "the people."
Kurmanbek Bakiyev's relatives submitted weapons to officials in Teyit on Friday morning, although it is unclear how much firepower the family may have had its disposal.
Karmanau reported from Bishkek. Associated Press writers Sasha Merkushev in Jalal-Abad and Leila Saralayeva in Bishkek contributed to this report.
WOW, finally found those magnificent mountains again.
Aside: Korea 2 Greece 0 .. late 2nd half .. almost a third .. GREAT SAVE! .. corner kick .. oops, "shot painfully wide" .. in stoppage time now .. a win!
Roza Otunbayeva, Kyrgyzstan's interim leader, has travelled to the country's south to help ease tensions in the region after a week of ethnic violence.
Her government has struggled to put an end to the clashes between ethnic Uzbeks and Kyrgyz that have left at least 200 people dead and displaced thousands more.
"The aim of the visit is to acquaint herself with the situation and take necessary measures," a government spokeswoman said on Friday.
During her visit to Osh, the main city in Kyrgyzstan's south, Otunbayeva was scheduled to meet local leaders and visit hospitals.
She has acknowledged that the number of deaths may be up to 10 times higher.
"I would multiply by 10 times the official figures," she told the Russian daily Kommersant.
"Because there were very many deaths in the countryside, and our customs dictate that we bury our dead right away, before sunset."
Rape reports
Speaking to Al Jazeera from Osh on Friday, Anna Neistat, spokeswoman for the emergency unit of Human Rights Watch, confirmed reports that many ethnic women had been raped.
"I personally documented two cases of rape and received information from one of the doctors at the hospital about nine other cases," she said.
"What is most worrisome is that it continues to date.
"One of the cases I documented happened yesterday as one Uzbek woman tried to go and check on her house."
Neistat, who is in Osh to investigate allegations of human-rights abuses, said that it is hard to determine the scale of the rapes.
"We are definitely hearing more and more horrific stories and are interviewing victims who tell us about young girls being gang-raped during the conflict and even these days," she said.
Ethnic Uzbeks in Osh said that on one street alone, Kyrgyz men sexually assaulted and beat more than 10 Uzbek women and girls, including some pregnant women and children as young as 12.
Members of the Kyrgyz community have denied accusations of brutality and have accused ethnic Uzbeks of raping Kyrgyz women.
The UN has revealed that 400,000 people have fled since June 10, some into refugee camps in neighbouring Uzbekistan.
Many are running short of water and food, crammed into clay huts and makeshift camps in the arid plains straddling the Ferghana valley.
Robert Blake, the senior US official for Central Asia, landed in the Uzbek border city of Andizhan early on Friday to meet refugees and inspect camps.
Ethnic Uzbeks targeted
Witnesses and experts say that while many Kyrgyz were killed in the unrest, most victims appear to have been ethnic Uzbeks, a community of traditional farmers and traders who speak a different Turkic language.
Otunbayeva has blamed Kurmanbek Bakiyev, Kyrgyzstan's deposed president, for hiring "provocateurs" to instigate the riots and said she has "no doubt" that he was to blame. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Kyrgyzstan's 5.3 million population is mainly made up of Kyrgyz (70%) ethnic Uzbeks (15%) and Russians (8%).
About 50% of the Osh region's 1.2 million inhabitants are ethnic Uzbeks.
About 40% of a population of one million in Jalal-abad region are ethnic Uzbeks. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ "His sons have been discussing that they want to organise such a crisis and we thought not of such a scale and not of such a deepness," she told Al Jazeera in an interview on Tuesday.
Bakiyev, speaking from his self-proclaimed exile in Belarus, has denied involvement.
Ole Solvang, a Human Rights Watch researcher in Osh, said that he saw soldiers fail to protect residents, and that many witnesses said the military helped the Kyrgyz rioters.
Solvang said Kyrgyz troops were standing about 200 metres from a neighbourhood in Osh when the looting and killings started but did not interfere.
"This is an extreme failure on the part of the government to intervene and protect these people," he said.
The riots were the worst inter-ethnic clashes to hit Kyrgyzstan since the collapse of the Soviet Union.
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