ICC Note:
“Ahead of the examination of Turkmenistan’s record at the UN Human Rights Committee… freedom of religion or belief in Turkmenistan, and other intertwined human rights, remain highly restricted,” Forum 18 News Service reports.
By Felix Corley and John Kinahan
3/8/2012 Turkmenistan (Forum 18 News Service) – Ahead of the examination of Turkmenistan’s record at the UN Human Rights Committee, Forum 18 News Service notes that freedom of religion or belief in Turkmenistan, and other intertwined human rights, remain highly restricted. Among systematic violations noted in Forum 18’s religious freedom survey are: prisoners of conscience including conscientious objectors jailed for exercising freedom of religion or belief, who face beatings and other maltreatment; prisoners’ severely limited religious freedom; lack of fair trials and due legal process; state control of religious leaders and communities; racial discrimination; severe restrictions on religious education and sharing beliefs, including banning women from studying academic theology in the country; a registration system apparently designed to impose state control; a ban on unregistered religious activity, and great difficulty in those who want it acquiring registration; raids on both registered and unregistered groups; MSS secret police informer recruitment; restrictions on having a place of worship, even for registered groups; fear of openly discussing human rights violations; severe haj restrictions, an exit blacklist and other freedom of movement restrictions; and censorship of religious literature and other material. The interlocking nature of Turkmenistan’s human rights violations appear designed to impose total state control of all of society.
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