Kyrgyzstan: Political shake-up brings no change for Christians

Kyrgyzstan | 09 May 2018

Radio Free Europe reported on 4 April 2018 that a conflict between the former president (Almazbek Atambaev) and the current president of Kyrgyzstan (Sooronbai Jeenbekov) had erupted. This came as a surprise since Atambaev had more or less pushed Jeenbekov into power last year. The conflict has led to the dismissal of many powerful people in Kyrgyzstan, including - on 19 April - the cabinet of Prime Minister Sapar Isakov. This was replaced one day later by a new cabinet under Prime Minister Mukhammedkalyi Abylgaziev, as reported by Radio Free Europe on 20 April 2018. Rolf Zeegers, persecution analyst at World Watch Research, points out: "Kyrgyzstan is the least authoritarian of the Central Asian states - although it is far from being a democratic country compared to Western nations. Two former allies have ran into a bitter conflict and it seems that the current president wants to ensure that his position in the country remains secure. Hence, many powerful people linked to the former president have been removed from positions of power. These changes are unlikely to bring any deterioration or improvement in the situation for Christians in the country. All the politicians involved in this conflict have the same background and the same negative attitude towards the freedom of religion."