By Tim Binnall
In unfortunate news for fortune tellers in Kyrgyzstan, the central Asian country has banned advertising an array of what officials call "magical services." According to a local media report, the prohibition was passed by the country's Cabinet of Ministers earlier this week. Among those perceived practitioners of the dark arts who will no longer be able to advertise their wares are psychics, clairvoyants, shamans, and individuals specializing in curses or hexes. Officials assert that the law is aimed at protecting the public from proverbial 'bad actors,' though the widespread crackdown on the occult is rather troubling nonetheless.
The Kyrgyzstan advertising ban mirrors similar efforts in neighboring Tajikistan, which has been targeting fortune tellers of all stripes since the practice of divination was banned in 2007. This past April, the country's Interior Ministry announced plans to enact forced labor as a punishment for those caught violating the prohibition. This was followed by another draconian decree in August wherein officials indicated that they would be possibly prosecuting the patrons of fortune tellers. While its uncertain what the future might hold for psychics and the like in Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan, one does not have to be clairvoyant to know it likely isn't very good.