In the Kyrgyz Republic, everyone is guaranteed freedom of religion and equality for all, regardless of religious affiliation, which imposes certain obligations on the state, including a fair hearing when disputes arise.
Research in recent years shows that the country's citizens face various facts of intolerance and discrimination on religious grounds. The most high-profile cases involve the burial of believing citizens, missionary activities, and the wearing of religious paraphernalia in schools. When such cases arise, states are obliged to ensure due process. Legal protection should be based on the principles of equality for all citizens and without discrimination on the basis of their religious affiliation.
In this regard, the Bar Training Center under the Bar of the Kyrgyz Republic and the Center for Religious Studies conducted online training for lawyers on June 25-27 and July 10-11, 2020, on mechanisms and tools to protect victims of discrimination and persecution on the basis of religious affiliation.
The purpose of the training is to assist lawyers and defense attorneys.
The training covers the following relevant topics:
Mechanisms for appealing a denial of record registration of a religious
Organization.
Responding to restrictions and bans on missionary activity.
Responding to violence or threats of violence.
Response to violation of the right to bury the deceased.
Responding to a ban on the wearing of the headscarf in schools.
Protecting individuals from being forced to adhere to their religious beliefs or to change them to other beliefs.
The training sessions included an examination of legal mechanisms and remedies for legal protection of freedom of religion, as well as comments on national acts and law enforcement practice of the Kyrgyz Republic.
The trainers were:
Gulshayyr Janyzakovna Abdirasulova - human rights expert, human rights consultant in PF "Kylym Shamy";
Nurlan Asanovich Ismailov - PhD in Law, Head of the Department of Jurisprudence of the Faculty of Economics and Management, Associate Professor of the Legal Department of the International University "Ala-Too";
Nurlan Satylkanovich Alymbaev - lawyer, legal expert, Deputy Chairman of the International Court of Arbitration under the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the Kyrgyz Republic;
Ulugbek Khudayberdievich Azimov - lawyer, expert of PF Legal Prosperity.