Nazarbayev urges Crackdown on Religious Groups

    Kazakhstani President Nursultan Nazarbayev urged tighter regulation of religious organisations in response to violence in western Kazakhstan, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty reported September 1.
    Speaking to a joint session of parliament, Nazarbayev expressed support for upcoming legislation on religious activity and religious organisations, according to Novosti-Kazakhstan.
    The bill is meant to “protect the state from religious extremism” rather than “prohibit freedom of conscience,” he said, according to Novosti-Kazakhstan. “We need to put our house in order.”
    All religious organisations in Kazakhstan will have to re-register with authorities if the bill becomes law, Kairat Lama Sharif, head of the State Agency for Religious Affairs, said September 1, media reported.
    Meanwhile, authorities shut down 51 foreign extremist websites in Kazakhstan, Tengri News reported September 1, quoting the general prosecutor’s office.
    The prosecutor followed a court order in shutting down sites that promoted terrorism and religious extremism, Zhandos Umiraliyev, spokesman for the general prosecutor’s office, said, according to Central Asia Online.