Kyrgyzstan's New Government Seeks To Liberalize 2009 Religion Law

The Washington Post reported today that with the overthrow of Kyrgyzstan's president Kurmanbek Bakiyev, interim leader Roza Otunbayeva says her new government is working on a new constitution that will set up a parliamentary democracy. Religious groups in the country are wondering if this will mean a backing off from the restrictive Religion Law passed last year by the Bakiyev government. (See prior posting.) According to a report today from Forum 18, Kanybek Imanaliyev, head of the interim government's Press Service, said: "We want to establish freedom of speech and freedom of religion. We will reform the Constitution, the laws as necessary and the Religion Law." However Imanaliyev said he is unsure whether religious groups will be able to carry on normal activity in the period before the changes are made.