The government of Kazakhstan is renewing its efforts to restrict religious freedom in the country under proposed changes to legislation that would require all religious groups to re-register with the state. President Nursultan Nazarbaev told Parliament that amendments to the religion law will be adopted in the current session, which ends in June 2012. The details have not yet been made public, but the head of the new state Agency of Religious Affairs, Kairat Lama Sharif, said that the law will require all currently registered religious organisations to re-register. The government previously tried to amend the religion law, in 2008, increasing the harshness of penalties for unregistered religious activities. But the move was blocked by the Constitutional Council the following year. Officials vowed that they would try again, and it is feared that the new amendments will be essentially the same.

Pray: that this fresh move by the Kazakh government would again be thwarted. (Is.8:10)

More: http://www.barnabasfund.org/Kazakh-government-bids-to-tighten-grip-on-religious-freedom.html