Kyrgyzstan President signs new religion law

http://www.religiousintelligence.com/news/?NewsID=3643

[Religious Intelligence] 15 Jan 2009--Kyrgyzstan's President, Kurmanbek Bakiev, has signed the restrictive new Religion Law, Forum 18 News Service is reporting.

Tursunbek Akun, the country's Human Rights Ombudsperson, told Forum 18 that "this Law is not in accord with international human rights standards," as it "imposes a range of restrictions that will prevent small religious communities from developing."

Human rights defender Aziza Abdirasulova, of the Kylym Shamy (Candle of the Century) Centre for Human Rights Protection agreed, stating that "the new Law contradicts international human rights standards - and it is not the only Law now being signed that does so," she told Forum 18.

She complained that civil society and smaller religious communities had been "left on the sidelines" in the Law's drafting.