Turkmenistan

Persecution in Turkmenistan continues with restriction on Religious literature. In this case, a woman reading Christian literature at work. After her boss complained to officials they showed up at her house, confiscated all religious material, and then proceeded to the house of the man who gave her the literature and confiscated his religious material as well.

“Religious literature is under tight state control. No religious literature may be published in Turkmenistan or imported into the country without permission from the Gengesh. Each title and the number of copies must be specifically approved. State postal authorities hold all religious literature received from abroad, releasing it only when the Gengesh has given written approval. The few books that are approved are stamped as approved by the Gengesh.”

Turkmenistan's government has changed its officially permitted Muslim administration, including the Chief Mufti and regional imams, Forum 18 News Service reports. It remains to be seen whether the imams will play a role in administering the religious affairs of the country, which in the past have led to restrictions on freedom of religion and belief. The appointments came as the head of the Russian Orthodox Church complained of the difficulties of recovering Soviet-confiscated Orthodox churches and as the Armenian Apostolic Church is battling to resume its activity among Turkmenistan's ethnic Armenian minority.

With increasing restrictions on Christians in Turkmenistan, it is interesting that authorities are taking the burning of a church building seriously. With so many Christians receiving penalties, fines and jail time for their religious involvement, the pastor of the church is nervous from all the attention. "It just seemed like--the questions that they were asking him--they were looking for something other than just a church fire. He's not really sure what the authorities are doing." It’s still unclear whether this was arson or an accident. Regardless, the hits just keep coming for believers in Turkmenistan.

Officials in Turkmenistan are turning up the heat on religious groups. Most notably was the recent harassing of a teacher, who was pulled out of the classroom and interrogated and pressured to reveal the names of other Christians. Also, the number of raids on churches and fining of Christians for being involved in religious activity has greatly increased. Making things difficult for religious groups is typical for this government.

Further updates on the situation in Turkmenistan continue to trickle through the news. This article is a great sum-up of the recent beatings, seizure of literature and fines that Baptists in Turkmenistan have suffered through.

Eleven Baptists, one as young as 17, were fined two months of wages for holding a worship service at the end of last month. Turkmenistan has made meetings between Protestant Christians illegal.

In a raid earlier this week police in Turkmenistan attacked an elderly Protestant couple and questioned more than a dozen church members over their involvement in religious activity.

Children can have their grades lowered and be ridiculed by teachers because they’re Christians. There were at least three trials and subsequent exorbitant fines against Christians who participated in unregistered religious community. (Read: Bible study in the privacy of your home.) In one of these cases the Christian was told by the judge that he was not allowed to appeal the verdict. Christians have even been told that if they continue to go to church they could lose their jobs or go to jail. "The situation has got markedly worse since July and we don't know why," said one Christian wishing to remain anonymous. We find this outrageous, even though it comes as no surprise.

Turk Christians suffer from unfair laws and treatment by the government. Required to jump through hoops to register their churches, their applications are almost always turned down for one silly reason or another. Due to this, many churches meet unofficially and are raided by the government, and their property seized. One such raid happened earlier this month, followed by “a key Turkmen pastor having a serious automobile accident.” Please pray.

Turkmenistan lifts import controls for Orthodox but not other religions.