A fine of 20,000 soms will be imposed for wearing a niqab in public places. The draft law «On Freedom of Religion and Religious Associations» that is discussed in Parliament of Kyrgyzstan says.
It is proposed to supplement the Code of Offenses with Article 127.1. This concerns wearing of clothing that prevents the identification of individuals in government institutions and public places.
Deputy Dastan Bekeshev believes that the amount of the fine is excessively burdensome for citizens.
«A fine of 20,000 soms for covering your face by wearing a niqab or burqa. Women who wear niqabs are often from socially vulnerable groups. I’ve rarely seen women with good income and education in niqabs,» he said.
Earlier, the State Commission on Religious Affairs was asked to exclude from the draft law the provision banning wearing a niqab in public places, arguing that this contradicts the principles of democracy.
«Such comments were not taken into account, since the principle of democracy is to provide the right to participate in voting, freedom of voting, the right to stand as a candidate in elections. This restriction only concerns clothing that does not allow identifying a citizen in government agencies and public places,» the initiators of the bill responded.
The draft law on amendments to legislative acts in the religious sphere will be considered in Parliament in the second reading today, December 26.
