Church Shut Down for Not Having Enough Fire DetectorsMarch 18, 2018 — ICC Note: A court in Kazakhstan fined Shymkent’s New Life Protestant Church and forced them to shut down for one month. The reason: only having three fire detectors in an...
Is Downloading a Bible App Illegal in Kazakhstan?March 17, 2018 — ICC Note: On March 13, a court in Kazakhstan found a Christian woman “not guilty” of illegal missionary activity. The lady had helped someone install a Bible app on a...
Leaders Recognize Religious Radicalization as Problem in Central Asian StatesMarch 5, 2018 — ICC Note: From February 22-23, 2018, five Central Asian and European Union leaders met to discuss the most pressing issues surrounding Central Asia. One of the topics included religious radicalization....
Tajikistan Now Requires Religious Minorities to Report Actions to StateFebruary 21, 2018 — ICC Note: Tajikistan has made it more difficult for religious minorities to practice their faith by implementing amendments to the already restrictive Religion Laws. Now religious organizations must report all...
Church Raided in Azerbaijan, Will Likely Face FineFebruary 8, 2018 — ICC Note: On January 28, police raided Star in the East Pentecostal Church in Azerbaijan. Officials said the church goers “didn’t do anything wrong…they simply had no registration," but police...
In Kyrgyzstan, Muslims Harass Religious Minorities Who are Burying Their DeadFebruary 2, 2018 — ICC Note: Despite a Muslim imam’s confession that he led a “mob” to block the burial of a Christian in a public cemetery, authorities refuse to punish the imam. Forum...
In 2017, Kazakhstan Punishes Over 300 People for Practicing Their FaithJanuary 31, 2018 — ICC Note: Forum 18 reports that Kazakhstan had a busy 2017 in terms of squashing religious freedom. The primarily Sunni Muslim country punished hundreds of religious minorities including Christians, Jehovah’s...
Evangelical Churches Denied Registration in TurkmenistanJanuary 27, 2018 — ICC Note: In March 2016, Turkmenistan passed a new law on Religious Organizations and Religious Freedom which required all religious entities to re-register with the government. Without registration, the entities...
Kyrgyzstan Christians Have Little Faith in Law EnforcementJanuary 26, 2018 — ICC Note: Kyrgyzstan, a small Central Asian country, is regularly monitored by United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) for violations of religious freedom. Religious restrictions against minorities have...
Town in Belarus Begins Harassing Christians After 13 Years of SilenceDecember 7, 2017 — ICC Note: For the last 13 years, Belarus has allowed Christians to operate churches and a religious library in Lepel, a town in northeastern Belarus. Recently, police have begun detaining...
Kazakhstan Preparing to Restrict Religious Freedom Even MoreDecember 1, 2017 — ICC Note: Kazakhstan’s laws are filled with restrictions on religious freedom that have been criticized by international organizations and human rights defenders. In 2016, the UN Human Rights Committee called...
Christians in Kazakhstan Fined for Going to Church MeetingNovember 30, 2017 — ICC Note: Despite Kazakhstan’s constitutional guarantee to freely exercise one’s faith, a group of 20 Baptists were fined for “participation in an unregistered, halted or banned religious community or social...
Report: The 50 countries where you cannot be a Christian in 2017November 12, 2017 — ICC Note: Christian human rights watchdog organization Open Doors reveals in its latest research the top 50 countries where it is most difficult to practice the Christian faith, and rated...
Christian in Kazakhstan Fined and Threatened for Practicing His FaithNovember 7, 2017 — ICC Note: Despite Kazakhstan’s constitutional guarantee to freely exercise one’s faith, a Baptist man, Yuri Bekker, was arrested in 2015 for handing out religious literature to people in a market...
2017 World Watch List reveals troubling trendsJanuary 1, 2017 — ICC Note: As with every new year comes a new World Watch List from Open Doors USA. For the third consecutive year we are seeing an overall increase in the...
Christian Convert from Islam Released Early from His 10-year SentenceNovember 29, 2016 — ICC Note: In Uzbekistan, an already very hostile place for religious freedom, Tohar Haydarov, a Christian convert, has been released early from his 10-year sentence. Sources say he was released early...
