Tag: Religion Law

Kazakhstan: Child in church triggers police raid

March 28, 2018 Kazakhstan Children, Kazakhstan, Religion Law

A senior police officer in the southern Kazakh city of Kyzylorda has defended sending anti-extremism officers to investigate the presence of a child in church, reports regional news agency Forum 18. Kuanishbek Urazov, Head of Kyzylorda Regional Police’s Department for the Struggle with Extremism, said it was the police’s “duty . . . Read More

Contrasting freedoms for Vietnam’s Christians

March 27, 2018 Vietnam Evangelical Church of Vietnam, Hmong, Ho Chi Minh City, Maria Tran Thi Nga, Religion Law, Vietnam

The growth of Christianity in Vietnam has been charted by World Magazine, which says religious freedoms enjoyed by those living in cities are in stark contrast to the country’s rural areas. Catholicism has a centuries-old history in Vietnam, but Protestant churches only sprang up last century, the Christian publication notes, . . . Read More

Kazakhstan: 24 faith-related criminal convictions in 2017

March 8, 2018 Kazakhstan Baptists, Censorship, Education, Kazakhstan, Proselytism, Religion Law

New figures show the number of known criminal convictions handed out for exercising freedom of religion or belief in Kazakhstan reached 24 in 2017, reports the Oslo-based Forum 18 news service. The individuals were mainly Sunni Muslims but included one Christian, Yuri Ivanovich Bekker, a Baptist sentenced to a year . . . Read More

Nepal’s ‘opportunity’ to review religion laws

February 27, 2018 Nepal Nepal, Religion Law, Religious freedom, UN

Being elected to serve on the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) gives Nepal an “opportunity for a fresh start” by reviewing its commitment to religious freedoms, writes Canadian MP David Anderson in the Kathmandu Post. Election to the UNHRC means the Council is satisfied with a state’s “contribution to the . . . Read More

Tajikistan’s new Religion Law ‘represents total control’

February 21, 2018 Tajikistan Bakhrom Kholmatov, Communism, Khujand, Religion Law, Tajikistan

The Presidential Palace in Dushanbe, capital of Tajikistan (CC/Wikipedia)

Amendments to Tajikistan’s Religion Law, which came into force in January, have given the state a “total control” over religious freedoms, reports regional news agency Forum 18. “Instead of improving the Law, the amendments worsened it and made it more restrictive. The Law represents total control and is unjust,” human . . . Read More

US agency accuses Russia of abusing anti-extremism laws

February 14, 2018 Russia Churches, Jehovah's Witnesses, Missionaries, Moscow, Protestants, Religion Law, Religious freedom, Russia, Russian Orthodox Church, Soviet Union, Terrorism, USA, Yarovaya Law

Russia’s anti-extremism laws are being used to crack down on peaceful religious minorities such as Protestants, Jehovah’s Witnesses and Hare Krishnas, the top US religious-freedom watchdog says. A report commissioned by the US Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) found that “vague and problematic definitions of ‘extremism’ in Russian law . . . Read More

Vietnam town bans Catholic Mass under new religion law

February 1, 2018 Vietnam Communism, Religion Law, Vietnam

Notre Dame Catholic Cathedral in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

A local authority in Vietnam has used the country’s new religion law to declare a Catholic Mass illegal, reports Asia News. The ruling was made by the People’s Committee of Quỳnh Ngọc, a municipality in the north-central province of Nghệ An, after a Catholic priest failed to register the Mass ahead . . . Read More

Kazakhstan: Hundreds punished for practising faith in 2017

January 31, 2018 Kazakhstan Central Asia, Children, Kazakhstan, Religion Law

Kazakhstan prosecuted 283 individuals, groups and organisations last year for conducting activities related to religion, according to news agency Forum 18. The ‘offences’ included attending worship meetings, importing religious literature, telling other people about a faith, praying, allowing a parent to bring a child to a religious meeting, and inadequate . . . Read More

Chinese bishop reshuffle reinforces fears of state meddling

January 30, 2018 China Catholics, China, Churches, Crosses, Guangdong, Pope Francis, Religion Law, Shantou, Sinicisation, Xi Jinping

Fears are growing that China’s communist government may be gaining more control over the Catholic Church there, as news emerged that the Vatican asked two bishops it had appointed to step aside in favour of ones selected by Beijing. These developments have taken place following a state campaign against China’s . . . Read More

Evangelical churches in Turkmenistan want official registration

January 26, 2018 Turkmenistan Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov, Protestants, Religion Law, Religious freedom, Turkmenistan

Six Evangelical churches in Turkmenistan have submitted a letter to President Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov, asking to be allowed to register as official religious communities. Following the adoption of a new Law on Religious Organisations and Religious Freedom in March 2016, all religious entities are required to re-register in order to operate . . . Read More

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