On October 13, Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbaev signed two new laws that place severe restrictions on freedom of religion or belief. The two laws have been strongly criticized by civil society organizations, human rights defenders and many religious communities in Kazakhstan, as well as by the Organization for Peace and Security in Europe (OSCE), which Kazakhstan chaired in 2010. Both new laws are expected to enter into force on October 24.
The spokesperson for the OSCE's Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) Jens Eschenbaecher told Forum 18 that ODIHR was disappointed that the laws were signed into law. "The legislation appears to place unnecessary restrictions on freedom of religion or belief and is a stepping stone to restricting the exercise of this freedom in Kazakhstan," he continued. Nazgul Yergalieva of the Center for Legislative Policy Research based in the former Kazakh capital Almaty noted to Forum 18 that "strict regulation and restriction of fundamental rights such as religious freedom by governments has long been proven to be a dangerous path to take, leading to social tension and resentment."
The new laws have previously been criticized by ODIHR and several human rights organizations for not living up to international standards, nor to the country's own commitments to the conventions it has signed. Many newer religious communities that have been operating legally fear that the new laws will make it impossible for them to exist legally. Among other things, re-registration is required after careful scrutiny, and there are simply not enough trained experts to carry out the scrutiny of all existing religious communities required by the new legislation within a year.
