As part of the proposed changes, a clause is added to the Children’s Code stating that parents or their legal representatives who send minor citizens of the Kyrgyz Republic abroad for religious education may be held liable under the legislation on offenses.
A new part of Article 142 is also introduced in the Code on Offenses: the departure of a minor abroad for religious training or facilitating such departure will be punishable by a fine of 20,000 soms for individuals and 6,600 soms for legal entities.
The amendments also establish that citizens of the Kyrgyz Republic under the age of 18 are prohibited from leaving the country for religious education in accordance with the laws on "External Migration" and "Education".
According to the law on "Freedom of Conscience and Religious Associations", minors will be prohibited from traveling abroad for religious training, and new terms "minors" and "state register of subjects of religious activity" will be introduced into the legislative framework.
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Amendments have been made to legislative acts in the religious sphere. What’s new?
The explanatory note to the draft law emphasizes that the initiative was developed in accordance with the president's directives. The main goal is to protect the rights and interests of children, as well as to ensure national security. The authors highlight cases of sending minors to foreign religious educational institutions with destructive teachings, the risks of involving adolescents in radical and extremist groups, and the problems of social adaptation upon their return to their homeland.
The draft law underwent public discussion twice on the Unified Portal of Normative Legal Acts. Some comments were taken into account, others partially, and one proposal was rejected with an explanation of the possibility of appealing to the Constitutional Court. The document is now to be reviewed by the relevant committees and the chamber of parliament.
