Tag: Kyrgyzstan
Kyrgyzstan keeps a tight grip on religion
Martin Vennard January 18, 2010.
BBC
Authorities in Kyrgyzstan keep a tight grip on religion, fearing both Christian and Muslim fundamentalism. Bolot, a young evangelical preacher in Kyrgyzstan, says he already been arrested twice this year after setting up a new church. He says he is the victim of a new law on religion, which critics say severely restricts religious freedoms and is forcing some groups underground. Under the law, new religious groups have to have at least 200 members before they can register with the authorities and operate legally - previously the figure was 10.
Central Asia’s five stans: Nations without a cause
From The Economist print edition September 23, 2009.
Print: The Economist
THE Central Asian “stans”, as Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan are known by the Western diplomats and oilmen who frequent them, conjure images of megalomaniac rulers, exotic nomads and mineral riches beyond compare. There is some truth in the caricature, as Dilip Hiro makes clear in this new study (which also includes sections on Turkey and Iran), but it is not the whole truth.
