Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent discussions she has had with the Government of Kyrgyzstan on registration requirements affecting Council of Churches Baptist congregations and their ability to meet for worship.

The UK champions Freedom of Religion or Belief (FoRB) for all, including in Kyrgyzstan. On 8 July, the UK's Special Envoy for Religious Freedom, David Smith MP, set out the Government's new strategy on FoRB, providing a framework for engagement with other countries, and describing the links between the protection of FoRB and other goals including the prevention of conflict. As part of this strategy, the UK continues to support FoRB on the international stage, through our position in the United Nations, G7 and Article 18 Alliance.

The UK raised concerns regarding several human rights issues, including freedom of expression in the 2025 UN universal periodic review into Kyrgyzstan, the most recent iteration.