Turkmenistan

Although the Turkmen government announced plans to revise the Religion Law, work on a draft hasn't begun.

Religious believers told Forum 18 they remain sceptical that any legal changes will end the violations of religious freedom.

Turkmenistan government ignores Protestant registration requests. Police raid prayer gatherings and demand Christians to “renounce”.

Turkmenistan continues to raid Protestants meeting for worship in different parts of the country, Forum 18 news Service has learnt.

The authorities claim that Atakov owes another individual 12,000 US Dollars over a 1995 transaction, for which he was subsequently imprisoned. He and his fellow Baptists insist he was innocent of all charges.

Turkmenistan continues to impose strict censorship on religious literature brought into the country, and copies data from personal computers.

"It is all being done because I am a Christian - I don't owe anyone anything,"

Officials of Turkmenistan curtail freedom of religion of the country’s protestant Christians.

In former Soviet republic of Turkmenistan, the gospel of Jesus Christ is spreading like wild fire despite persecution of Christians. New churches are being planted and previously unreached people are hearing about Jesus Christ in that country.

"Officials summoned me for what they said was a conversation, but at the end presented me with a pre-written statement saying that I agreed not to meet with my fellow-believers."

Relatives and friends of Turkmenistan's former Chief Mufti, Nasrullah ibn Ibadullah, as well as local people in his northern home region and visitors from neighboring Uzbekistan have held a traditional Turkmen "sadaka" (thanksgiving feast) to celebrate his release from prison.

"They took me to the capital at the beginning of the month and then, on 7 July, put me on the train to Russia; they gave me no reason for the deportation."

Baptist prisoner Vyacheslav Kalataevsky has been moved to a harsher labour camp.Baptist Yevgeny Potolov remains in jail six weeks after his arrest. Merdan Shirmedov has been denied permission to leave Turkmenistan since January.

There is a growing crackdown on Protestants in Turkmenistan

Just five days after one Baptist, Vyacheslav Kalataevsky, was sentenced to three years in a labour camp another Baptist was arrested

a Baptist leader, given a three-year labour camp sentence for illegally crossing the border in 2001

The criminal trial of imprisoned Baptist leader Vyacheslav Kalataevsky may begin very soon, his wife has said

Vyacheslav Kalataevsky was forced to return to Turkmenistan "illegally" after being dumped with no money or food across the border in Kazakhstan

"Controls are not as tight as they were from 1997 to 2004, when all non-Muslim and non-Orthodox activity was banned and communities were regularly raided and harassed"