New rules outline religious censorship in Kazakhstan

ASTANA, Kazakhstan — Kazakhstan’s state Agency of Religious Affairs (ARA) has prepared — but not yet adopted — the new rules to implement the system of compulsory state censorship of almost all religious literature and objects. The rules for “expert analyses” will also apply to religious organizations’ statutes.

Without such ARA approval, religious books cannot be imported (apart from in small quantities) or distributed and religious organizations will not be able to gain state registration.

The draft rules make no provisions for any challenges to ARA’s censorship decisions. The draft rules were presented to a closed Oct. 27 meeting of about 20 senior government officials to devise plans for implementing that month’s harsh new religion law. No one at the ARA was prepared to discuss the censorship rules with Forum 18 News Service or when they might be adopted.