KAZAKHSTAN: Religious free speech “doesn’t exist”
ICC Note:
Censorship of printed and imported religious literature, controls on when and whether it can be disseminated and the banning of publicly discussing your faith all lead to the conclusion that religious freedom and religious free speech in Kazakhstan “doesn’t exist.”
By Felix Corley
4/26/2013 Kazakhstan (Forum18)-Kazakhstan’s National Library in Almaty has had its religious books checked, its General Director Gulisa Balabekova told Forum 18 News Service, but “there were no problems”. The check was part of the compulsory prior censorship of all printed and imported religious literature and controls on where religious literature can be sold or distributed. In other religious free speech restrictions, who can lead or address worship services is restricted, while discussing faith with other people in public is banned – with punishments for those who ignore these bans. “Unfortunately the right to freedom of speech in the area of religion doesn’t exist in Kazakhstan,” independent journalist Sergei Duvanov told Forum 18.
As part of its controls on free speech in the area of religion, Kazakhstan’s government agency controlling religion – the Agency of Religious Affairs (ARA) – is stepping up pressure on religious communities to instruct their members not to speak about their faith with others in public, Forum 18 News Service has found. The ARA has already instructed people to report such individuals to the police.
With compulsory prior censorship of all printed and imported religious literature, controls on where religious literature can be sold or distributed, restrictions on who can lead or address worship services, and a ban on discussing faith with other people in public – and punishments for those who ignore these bans – human rights defenders and religious communities have concluded that religious free speech does not exist in Kazakhstan.
The ARA has refused to allow some religious publications to be imported and distributed. Confiscation of religious books from individuals in the country and arriving in the country appears to be increasing, as too are fines for those who discuss their faith with others. Those singled out for punishment tend to be from religious communities the government does not like, such as the Tabligh Jamaat Islamic group, Jehovah’s Witnesses and Council of Churches Baptists.
Two courts have ordered religious literature confiscated from individuals sharing their faith – including Bibles – to be destroyed. However, after widespread outrage both decisions were overturned, though fines on the individuals remained (see F18News 10 April 2013 http://www.forum18.org/Archive.php?article_id=1822).
The proposed new Criminal Code due to reach parliament later in 2013 is set to introduce a maximum penalty for those sharing their faith of four months’ imprisonment. One network of religious communities – Council of Churches Baptist congregations – are holding two days of prayers on 26 and 27 April in connection with the existing and proposed punishments (see forthcoming F18News article).
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