Kyrgyzstan

Source of persecution: Tribal antagonism/organised corruption

Kyrgyzstan is the first country in Central Asia to have a democratically elected head of state. Unlike the rest of Central Asia, persecution of believers comes mainly from family, friends and community. In rural areas especially, Muslim-background believers face enormous pressure to recant their new faith. The Islamic clergy have a lot of influence and sometimes pressurise the Christian minority. Organised corruption is widespread and if the Christian minority is perceived as being in the way, they will run into trouble.

• For God to inspire the church; religious materials are permitted but very difficult to obtain  
• For churches: in order to register a religious group needs to present 200 members, which is nearly impossible, especially in villages 
• The government has been considering introducing new rules on the censorship of religious materials. Pray for those involved in distributing Christian literature.