On February 23 of this year, a draft law "On Amendments to Certain Legislative Acts in the Religious Sphere" was introduced to parliament. The proposed amendments affect the Code on Children, the Code on Offenses, as well as the laws "On External Migration," "On Education," and "On Freedom of Conscience and Religious Associations."
According to the document, citizens of Kyrgyzstan under the age of 18 will be completely prohibited from traveling abroad for religious education.
Additionally, the draft proposes introducing liability for parents and other individuals who facilitate such travel.
In particular, a new provision is planned to be added to the Code on Offenses, according to which the travel of a minor abroad for religious education or assistance in such travel will incur fines:
- 20,000 soms — for individuals;
- 65,000 — for legal entities.
In the justification of the draft law, it is stated that the initiative is developed in accordance with the president's instructions and is aimed at protecting the interests of children and ensuring national security. The authors emphasize that there are cases of transporting teenagers to foreign educational institutions with destructive programs, which creates risks of involving minors in radical and extremist groups.
However, the organization "Bir Duyino — Kyrgyzstan" believes that the proposed measures contradict the Constitution and may lead to the restriction of citizens' rights.
According to human rights defenders, the draft law lacks a clear mechanism for determining which foreign educational institutions should be considered "destructive." This could result in effectively banning all religious educational institutions abroad.
Furthermore, the organization emphasizes that such restrictions may contradict numerous norms of the Fundamental Law, including the right to freedom of conscience, access to information, education, and freedom of movement.
In light of the above, the organization "Bir Duyino — Kyrgyzstan" calls on the initiators of the law to withdraw it to avoid potential violations of citizens' constitutional rights.
