And then there were nine. Secretary of State John Kerry announced July 28 that Turkmenistan has joined the State Department’s list of worst religious freedom offenders.
The State Department’s Countries of Particular Concern (CPC) list had remained static since 2006, when eight countries — Burma, China, Eritrea, Iran, North Korea, Saudi Arabia, Sudan and Uzbekistan — were designated as CPC.
Justifying the addition of Turkmenistan, Kerry cited reports of people detained, beaten and tortured for their beliefs, prohibited from wearing religious attire and fined for distributing religious materials.
Forbidden worship
Turkmenistan, a mostly Sunni Muslim country in Central Asia, once part of the Soviet Union, forbids private worship and greatly restricts foreign travel for pilgrimages and religious education.
All religious organizations in the country must register with the government, and Shiite Muslim groups, Protestant groups and Jehovah’s Witnesses have all had their registration applications denied in recent years.
This edition of the State Department’s annual religious freedom report focused heavily on discrimination, impunity and the displacement of religious minorities.
(RNS)
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