Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan - Kyrgyz State Secretary Adakhan Madumarov has called for tougher laws regulating the activities of religious organizations in the country to be adopted.
"Freedom of conscience must have clear-cut boundaries that nobody is allowed to violate, regardless of his or her religion," Madumarov said.
"My opinion is that the time has come for us to improve and to tighten our legislation regulating the functioning of religious organizations. We cannot allow ourselves to cross this line. We need a clear policy in the area of religion," he said.
"Speaking about tougher laws, I do not mean a ban. I am speaking about the introduction of clear and understandable legislative procedures for registering religious organizations and their activities," he said.
Madumarov also referred to the absence of control over the activities of a large number of religious organizations. "Let us put things right. Everybody must know his rights and responsibilities," he added.
All religions are officially allowed in Kyrgyzstan, but parties based on religious lines have been banned. The Kyrgyz Supreme Court outlawed the Hizb ut-Tahrir extremist party in early 2004.