Kyrgyz civil society protests against conditions for religious customs performance, introduced by Parliament.
Today a number of public and non-governmental organizations protested against Friday three-hour prayer break for governmental workers, which was introduced by Parliament.
“We remind Akhmatbek Keldibekov, Speaker of Parliament, that according to Constitution, the Kyrgyz Republic is independent, democratic, law-governed, secular, and unitary state. According to article 7 of the Constitution, none of the religions can be set as state religion of the Kyrgyz Republic. Article 4 of the Constitution forbids formation of political party on religion grounds; article 5 says that State and its departments serve to all society but not to a part of it,” civil activists said.
Leaders of public associations and NGO also remind deputies that “tax payers of the country can practice any religion or not to belong to any confession, and deputies violate tax payers’ rights and constitutional principle of religion derogation form the state, by creating special praying conditions for one of the religions in Parliament,.”
“Praying and religion practice is free and personal matter of everyone, it must not be done at the expenses of tax payers. Even without that tax payers dole out money for deputy’s corps and provide deputies with offices, transports, communication means and housing perks. Tax payers have moral and legal right to stop paying taxes in the case of violation of main contract, which Kyrgyz Constitution is,” human right advocates remind people’s deputies.
They call Parliament to “rigorously obey constitutional principles and perform their direct law making duties to the interests of the whole Kyrgyz nation.”
Leaders and members of Human Rights Concil, Civil Control Committee, Democracy and Civil Society Coalition, Voice of Liberty and Open Position public associations, Kylym Shamy human right center, Psychological Health public organization, and League of Child rights put their names to the notification.
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