The Bottom Line Upfront

The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) has recommended that Kyrgyzstan be added to the special watch list for violating religious freedoms. This is the first time that all five Central Asian states have been named in the annual USCIRF report for these violations.

The Breakdown

  • The inclusion of Kyrgyzstan in the special watch list highlights the ongoing issue of religious repression in Central Asia. It also brings attention to the targeting of Muslims and non-Muslims who deviate from the state's preferred interpretation of Islam, as well as the reluctance of certain religious groups to report hate crimes due to fear of government retaliation or non-response.
  • USCIRF has recommended that Kyrgyzstan be added to the special watch list alongside Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan, highlighting the religious repression by the Kyrgyz government in 2023.
  • The report calls out Kyrgyzstan for targeting Muslims and non-Muslims who practice different forms of Islam or belong to other religious groups.
  • USCIRF also mentions the draft religion law introduced by the Kyrgyz State Commission for Religious Affairs, which could further restrict peaceful religious practices.
  • The recommendations made by USCIRF shed light on the broader trend of authorities in Kyrgyzstan and elsewhere using the promotion of a specific vision of tradition and culture to limit people's contemporary behavior.