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| Title | Kyrgyz law forces registration of religious weddings |
| Publisher | Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty |
| Country | Kyrgyzstan |
| Publication Date | 5 August 2011 |
| Cite as | Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Kyrgyz law forces registration of religious weddings, 5 August 2011, available at: http://www.unhcr.org/refworld/docid/4e4a2931c.html [accessed 4 June 2012] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
Kyrgyz law forces registration of religious weddings
August 05, 2011
A Kyrgyz wedding (file photo)
BISHKEK – Kyrgyz President Roza Otunbaeva has signed legislation that requires all marriages conducted in Islamic, Christian, and other religious traditions to be officially registered in order to be valid, RFE/RL's Kyrgyz Service reports.
The new law states that marriages conducted in a religious ceremony or at a mosque or church must be officially registered at a state board to be legally recognized.
In Kyrgyzstan, a predominantly Muslim country, many couples are married by an imam in short ceremonies that are not registered with state authorities.
The new law also allows people to marry at age 17 – one year before the legal age for marriage – in exceptional situations.
Parliament deputy Ainura Altybaeva, a sponsor of the law, told RFE/RL that such exceptions include when a fiancee is pregnant, or the couple faces a long separation because one of them will work abroad, or the young man must perform his mandatory military service.
Altybaeva said the legal age for marriage can also be lowered to 17 years of age in cases when one of the partners is critically ill and needs to be taken care of.
Link to original story on RFE/RL website
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