Turkmenistan freedom violations some of world’s worst

When one thinks of international violators of religious freedom, totalitarian communist regimes such as North Korea or China often come to mind, as do theocratic Islamic nations like Saudi Arabia or Iran.

But members of two federal panels turned a spotlight May 11 on an often overlooked ex-Soviet state whose violations of religious freedom may be some of the world’s worst.

“Overall, Turkmenistan is a severe violator of religious freedom,” said Ron McNamara, deputy chief of staff for the Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe, also called the United States Helsinki Commission.

McNamara’s group and the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom co-sponsored the briefing for Capitol Hill staff that featured three experts on religious freedom conditions in Turkmenistan.

Despite the fact that Turkmenistan President Saparmurad Niyalov is a signatory to the Organization on Cooperation and Security in Europe, the panelists said the nation has failed to meet human rights protections found in treaties agreed to by that group. The nation essentially bans religious activity groups other than the Russian Orthodox Church and a government-approved brand of Sunni Islam.

Officially, “unregistered” religions are il­legal, and congregations or groups of religious believers who attempt to hold a worship service without the government’s expressed permission face stiff penalties. However, requirements for registration are stiff, and no group besides Sunni Muslim and Russian Orthodox groups has successfully registered since registration laws were created in the late 1990s.

According to Felix Corley, editor of the Forum 18 news service, the experience of congregations that have made applications for official registration has discouraged others from doing so. He noted that all members of a congregation have to add their names to the registration application.

The last time around, they came and went through all the people on the list and harassed them,” Corley said. “I mean, they could kick you out of your job, for example, if you’re on a state-run job. They could … remove your child from higher education.” (ABP)