KYRGYZSTAN: Fear of state reprisals for registration applications grows

Many smaller churches have not sought state registration, Protestants say, as they are “afraid of state reprisals for themselves as communities as well as their members.” These fears are echoed by Hare Krishna devotees whose Bishkek community has been trying for years to register. Jehovah’s Witness communities have also repeatedly been denied state registration, against two UN Human Rights Committee decisions. State officials have claimed – wrongly – that Human Rights Committee views “are for consideration but not for implementation.” Such denials have “a chilling effect,” Jehovah’s Witnesses note.