TURKMENISTAN

United State s Commi ss ion on I nternational R eligio us Freedom

W INTER 2007

THE U.S. COMMISSION 

ON INTERNATIONAL 

RELIGIOUS FREEDOM

was created by the International Religious Freedom 

Act of 1998 to monitor 

the status of freedom 

of thought, conscience, 

and religion or belief 

abroad, as defined in the 

Universal Declaration of 

Human Rights and related 

international instruments, 

and to give independent 

policy recommendations to 

the President, Secretary of 

State, and Congress.

visit our web site at 

www.uscirf.gov

POLICYFOCUS

introduction 

Since 2000, the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom has raised serious 

concerns about conditions for freedom of 

religion or belief in Turkmenistan and has recommended that the country be designated by 

the Secretary of State as a “country of particular 

concern,” or CPC, for engaging in systematic, 

ongoing, and egregious violations of religious 

freedom and related human rights. Despite 

the Commission’s repeated recommendation, 

throughout some of the darkest years of repression in Turkmenistan, the U.S. government has 

never designated it as a CPC under the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998.

Under the late President Saparmurat Niyazov, who died in December 2006, Turkmenistan 

was among the most repressive and isolated 

states in the world. Virtually no independent 

public activity was allowed and severe government restrictions meant that most religious 

activity was under strict and often arbitrary 

state control. The 2003 law on religion further 

codified the country’s highly repressive policies, in effect banning most religious activity, 

despite legal changes to relax registration 

requirements. Registration for many religious 

groups remained difficult, and any activities 

by unregistered groups were deemed “illegal.” 

Moreover, the law set severe penalties for 

those found guilty of participating in so-called 

“illegal” religious activity. 

Commissioners Argue and Eid meet with Foreign Minister Rashit Meredov.

Turkmenistan
2

Michael Cromartie

Chair

Vice President, Ethics and 

Public Policy Center

Preeta D. Bansal

Vice Chair

Partner, Skadden, Arps, 

Slate, Meagher & Flom

Richard D. Land

Vice Chair

President, Ethics and 

Religious Liberty 

Commission of the Southern 

Baptist Convention

Donald H. Argue

Commissioner 

Chancellor, Northwest 

University

Imam Talal Y. Eid

Commissioner

Director of Religious Affairs, 

Islamic Institute of Boston

Felice D. Gaer 

Commissioner

Director, Jacob Blaustein 

Institute for the 

Advancement of Human 

Rights, The American Jewish 

Committee 

Leonard A. Leo

Commissioner

Executive Vice President, 

The Federalist Society for 

Law & Public Policy Studies

Elizabeth H. Prodromou

Commissioner

Associate Director, Institute 

on Culture, Religion & 

World Affairs and Assistant 

Professor, Department of 

International Relations, 

Boston University

Nina Shea

Commissioner

Director, Center for Religious 

Freedom, The Hudson 

Institute

John V. Hanford Iii 

Ex-Officio

Non-voting Commissioner

Ambassador-at-Large for 

International Religious 

Freedom, U.S. Department 

of State

C OMMI S S IONER

S

POLICYFOCUS

In addition, Turkmenistan’s public 

life was dominated by President Niyazov’s quasi-religious personality cult, including most notoriously the president’s 

two-volume work of “spiritual thoughts” 

known as the Ruhnama. The Ruhnama 

was employed by the government to 

play a pre-eminent role at various levels 

of the country’s educational system, 

displacing some—and in some areas, 

most—academic subjects. What is more, 

the government under President Niyazov required that the Ruhnama be given 

equal prominence to the Koran and the 

Bible in mosques and churches. 

President Niyazov was succeeded by 

Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov, who 

moved to implement educational 

reforms and also promised reforms in 

a variety of other sectors. Despite the 

flaws accompanying his orchestrated 

presidential election, and while no 

changes have been made to the country’s oppressive laws, he nonetheless 

has initiated some limited positive steps 

relevant to religious freedom and other 

human rights. These include the release 

in August 2007 of 11 political prisoners, 

some decline in President Niyazov’s 

oppressive personality cult, the formation of two new official commissions 

relevant to human rights concerns, and 

an expressed willingness to consider 

reform of the country’s religion law. 

Unfortunately, the system of oppressive laws and practices that have led 

to severe violations of human rights, 

including freedom of religion or belief, 

remain in place. In addition, the overall 

repressive atmosphere that characterized public life in Turkmenistan under 

President Niyazov remains largely 

unchanged.

In order to examine religious freedom and related human rights concerns 

in Turkmenistan and in light of the new 

government’s statements and actions, 

the Commission traveled to Turkmenistan in August 2007. The Commission 

delegation visited Turkmenistan in 

part to ascertain the measures taken to 

address religious freedom problems, 

including whether the new Turkmen 

government will in fact adopt reforms 

leading to major improvements in 

protections for human rights, including freedom of religion or belief, and 

whether further democratizing reforms 

will be undertaken in the near future. 

The late President Niyazov had severely 

isolated Turkmenistan, limiting both 

foreign visitors to the country and the 

number of Turkmen citizens allowed to 

travel abroad. The new government, in 

contrast, has re-opened the country to 

many official visitors from other countries, including high-ranking representatives from the UN and the Organization 

for Security and Cooperation in Europe 

(OSCE) responsible for human rights. 

The Commission delegation met 

with President Berdimuhamedov and 

the Ministers of Foreign Affairs, Justice, 

Education, Culture, and Internal Affairs, 

as well as representatives of the Council 

on Religious Affairs (CRA), the Institute 

on Democracy and Human Rights, and 

the head of the parliamentary human 

rights committee. The delegation also 

held meetings with the representatives 

of a variety of religious communities 

and civil society organizations, and took 

part in a public meeting with the country’s former chief mufti, Nasrullah ibn 
3

Tu rkmeni s tan

Ibadullah, who had been released from 

prison in August, shortly before the Commission visit. In addition, the delegation 

met with OSCE representatives, the Papal 

Nuncio, and ambassadors from several 

western countries. 

The Commission raised a number 

of key concerns with Turkmen government officials. Among these issues were 

the 2003 law on religion, particularly 

those articles that violate international 

norms pertaining to freedom of religion 

or belief; the state-imposed ideology, 

particularly that of the personality cult, 

that infringes upon or severely diminishes the practice of freedom of religion 

or belief and related freedoms of association, movement, expression, and the 

press; intrusive and onerous registration 

procedures that hinder the registration of 

peaceful religious communities; administrative fines on and imprisonment of 

leaders or members of peaceful unregistered religious communities whose 

activities are deemed “illegal”; obstacles 

to the purchase or rental of land or buildings to be used as houses of worship or 

for meeting purposes; the great difficulty 

in using private homes and public halls 

in residential areas for worship services; 

and a legal ban on the importation and 

printing of religious and other material. 

The Commission wishes to thank the U.S. 

Embassy in Turkmenistan, as well as the 

Department of State, for facilitating the 

Commission’s visit. 

General Conditions for Freedom of 

Religion or Belief

• Most Turkmen government officials, 

including President Berdimuhamedov, 

were willing to discuss the various issues raised by the Commission, including the possibility of amending laws 

relevant to freedom of religion or belief. 

In addition, President Berdimuhamedov 

has taken some steps to diminish the 

oppressive personality cult of the former president, and has formed two new 

official commissions relevant to human 

rights concerns (discussed below). 

• The 11 political prisoners released by 

President Berdimuhamedov following 

the recommendation of a new official 

commission to examine citizens’ petitions on the work of law enforcement 

bodies included the country’s former 

chief mufti, Nasrullah ibn Ibadullah, 

who had been sentenced in a secret trial 

on unsubstantiated charges of involvement in an alleged coup attempt. The 

Commission delegation took part in a 

meeting with Ibadullah, whose imprisonment the Commission had long protested. Other than Ibadullah, however, it 

is unclear whether those released have 

had their full civil and political rights 

restored. 

• President Berdimuhamedov and other 

officials also told the Commission that 

the Turkmen government is considering 

the adoption of certain legal reforms 

relevant to human rights, including religious freedom. In August 2007, during 

the Commission’s visit to Turkmenistan, 

President Berdimuhamedov announced 

the formation of a new commission to 

examine how Turkmenistan’s legislation 

conforms to international human rights 

commitments. 

• Significant religious freedom problems and official harassment continue 

and, at least in some regions, certain 

religious freedom conditions may be 

deteriorating. 

• Religious practice continues to be 

fully controlled by the state, including severe limitations on religious 

instruction even for the two largest religious communities, Sunni Muslims 

and Orthodox Christians. 

Findings

Ashgabat

CYPRUS

SOMALIA

DJIBOUTI

ARMENIA

AZERBAIJAN

GEORGIA

SAUDI ARABIA

TURKMENISTAN

Arabian Sea

Black Sea

Caspian 

Sea

Gulf of Aden

Gulf of Oman

Persian Gulf 

terranean Sea

Red Sea

Najran

Medina

Mecca

Jeddah

Dashoguz

Turkmenbashi
POLICYFOCUS

4

• The repressive 2003 religion law remains in force, giving rise to, among 

other problems, serious difficulties 

for the legal functioning of religious 

minority groups. 

• Despite an apparent decreased emphasis on the forcible state promotion of former President Niyazov’s 

spiritual writings, or Ruhnama, 

the book continues to be present 

in mosques, all of which are tightly 

controlled by the state. 

• Police raids and other forms of 

harassment of registered and 

unregistered religious groups have 

increased somewhat, particularly 

on the local level, at least during the 

first six months of 2007. 

• The absence of a law providing 

genuine alternatives to military service has resulted in prison sentences 

for the members of certain minority 

religious communities. 

• The government prevents unregistered churches from buying or 

renting property, and there is official 

pressure on homeowners to prevent 

unsanctioned meetings for worship. 

 It is still too early to determine whether any of the government’s statements 

or actions will have a substantial impact 

on the legal structure or actual enjoyment of freedom of religion or belief in 

Turkmenistan.

• In light of the persistent, serious 

problems, the Commission concludes that its recommendation that 

Turkmenistan be designated a CPC 

should not be rescinded at this time. 

The Commission acknowledges the 

positive steps undertaken by the 

government of President Berdimuhamedov, and encourages the new 

government to implement reforms to 

bring Turkmenistan’s laws, policies, 

and practices into accordance with 

international human rights norms. 

At the very least, these steps should 

include reform of the religion law and 

the removal of any state-imposed 

ideology from the religious practice of 

Turkmenistan’s citizens.

 

Legal Reforms and Registration

• During the Commission’s visit, Turkmen government officials referred to a 

2004 presidential decree lowering the 

requirement for the number of persons 

belonging to a religious community to 

qualify for its legal registration from 

500 persons to five. The government 

told the Commission that there are 

only two religious communities with 

pending registration requests; since the 

Commission visit to Turkmenistan, two 

religious groups have been registered. 

With regard to other ongoing problems 

for members of registered religious 

minority communities, Turkmen officials told the Commission delegation 

that they are prepared to hold a second 

conference with members of registered 

religious communities to discuss outstanding issues. 

• Nevertheless, the 2003 religion law 

remains highly problematic and some 

of its provisions continue to violate 

international standards with regard to 

freedom of religion or belief, including the requirement that the religious 

groups must be registered in order for 

their activities to be legal; the strict 

government control of, and limitations 

on, people’s ability to gather for worship; the ban on the public wearing 

of religious garb except by religious 

Commissioner Argue with Russian Orthodox Father Andrei Sapunov and interpreter 

Ayjemal Kulhanova
B ANGLADE S H

5

leaders; and the severe restrictions on 

religious education.

• There continue to be significant 

problems in gaining legal registration 

in Turkmenistan. Local and regional 

governments sometimes do not recognize a religious group or organization 

even if the group is registered at the 

national level. Because of the intrusive 

requirements and the ongoing harassment of registered communities, several 

religious groups are not currently seeking registration, thereby increasing the 

likelihood of official interference in the 

ability of those groups to function. 

• Obtaining worship space is difficult for 

most if not all communities. For unregistered groups, it is virtually impossible, as 

it is illegal for them to rent or buy worship space. Worship in private homes, 

even for members of registered groups, 

is strictly limited to nuclear families; 

security officials routinely break up 

religious meetings in private homes and 

search homes without warrants. 

Other Religious Freedom Concerns

• Various minority religious communities, both registered and unregistered, 

continue to face official harassment, 

particularly outside the capital city 

of Ashgabat. These problems include 

police raids, detentions, and threats by 

police and other security services, as 

well as demands for payment of onerous fines, some of which were levied by 

courts years ago. Religious literature is 

also routinely confiscated.

• The printing and import of religious 

literature continues to be rigorously 

controlled and limited by the government and customs agents still confiscate religious materials. Even the 

import of literature that is technically 

legal is reportedly extremely difficult 

in practice. Representatives of almost 

all registered religious minority communities reported a severe shortage of 

religious literature.

• Turkmenistan’s legal code lacks a genuine civilian alternative to compulsory 

military service. Article 219, Part 1 of the 

Criminal Code punishes refusal to serve 

in the armed forces with a maximum 

penalty of two years’ imprisonment. 

In recent months, five members of the 

Jehovah’s Witnesses have been sentenced to jail under this article, though 

all ultimately were given suspended 

sentences. 

• There continue to be restrictions on 

freedom of movement on account of 

religion. For example, the Turkmen 

authorities continue to place severe 

limits on the number of Muslims permitted to perform the hajj. Moreover, 

despite official protestations to the 

contrary, the Turkmen government still 

appears to have a secret “black list” of 

individuals who are denied permission 

to leave the country, although one such 

case, involving family reunification of 

an unregistered Baptist from the city 

of Dashoguz (often spelled Tashauz) 

and a U.S. citizen, was resolved in July. 

Representatives of various religious 

minority communities told the Commission delegation that they are not 

allowed to travel overseas, including for 

religious education not permitted inside 

the country, and their co-religionists are 

also often denied permission to enter 

Turkmenistan. 

Tu rkmeni s tan

President Niyazov’s 

personality cult, bolstered 

by the forceful official 

promotion of the Ruhnama, 

was comparable to a 

state-imposed religion. 

 
POLICYFOCUS

6

Current Status of the Personality Cult 

and the Ruhnama

• There are some, though contradictory, 

indications that the new government 

has decreased official emphasis on President Niyazov’s all-pervasive personality 

cult and the Ruhnama. For example, 

President Berdimuhamedov has made 

some initial attempts to curtail the 

imposition of the sworn oath of loyalty 

to President Niyazov. Although the 

Ruhnama continues to be part of the 

school curriculum, government officials 

told the Commission that they have 

significantly decreased the time devoted 

to its study. Reportedly, new textbooks 

were printed with greater focus on 

conventional subjects, although other 

reports indicate that not enough time 

has passed to implement significant 

changes to the actual texts and that in 

fact, only the presidential photographs 

have been updated. 

• Nevertheless, the Turkmen government is still promoting the Ruhnama 

in religious affairs and as a mandatory aspect of public education. The 

Ruhnama remains a required aspect of 

school exams, and in September 2007, 

the government sponsored an international conference devoted to the text. 

Moreover, also in September, President 

Berdimuhamedov told a U.S. audience 

at Columbia University that “I want to 

emphasize this—the book [Ruhnama]

will be mandatory teaching in all 

educational institutions, from kindergarten through college. Why? Because 

it contains a lot of wisdom related to 

our heritage.” 

• The Ruhnama is still widely found 

in mosques; indeed, in the Niyazov 

Memorial Mosque, the country’s largest 

mosque located in the village of Gipchak just outside Ashgabat, virtually all 

of the inscriptions carved on the walls 

were from the Ruhnama. 

POLICYFOCUS

I. General Conditions for Freedom of Religion or Belief

Turkmenistan Under President Niyazov

Under President Niyazov, Turkmenistan 

was among the most repressive states 

in the world and engaged in systematic 

and egregious violations of freedom of 

religion or belief. President Niyazov’s 

pervasive authoritarian rule and escalating personality cult effectively prevented 

any opposition or independent religious activity within the country. While 

President Niyazov’s government had 

made small adjustments to the laws that 

closely regulate religious practice, these 

changes over the years had done little to 

alter in practice the country’s generally 

repressive policies.

A 2003 law on religion further codified the Turkmen government’s highly 

repressive policies, effectively banning 

most religious activity and setting criminal penalties for those found guilty of 

participating in “illegal” religious activity. 

The law also required religious groups 

to coordinate with the Turkmen government any contacts with co-religionists 

abroad. In response to international pressure, President Niyazov issued a decree 

in March 2004 stating that religious communities may register “in the prescribed 

manner,” and reduced the registration 

requirement from 500 members to five. 

In May 2004, President Niyazov issued 

several decrees decriminalizing unregistered religious activities and easing other 

requirements for registration, resulting in 

the registration of nine small groups, in 

addition to the majority Sunni Muslims 

and the Russian Orthodox Church. These 

amendments, however, did not substantially change the overall highly repressive 

environment in Turkmenistan; in fact, 

some reports indicate that the new, 

ostensibly eased registration requirements were used as a method of more 

effective state control over religious com-
7

Tu rkmeni s tan

munities, not least because they afforded 

officials the legal right to know what occurs at every meeting of a religious group. 

In any case, religious groups that did not 

meet the often arbitrary registration rules 

still faced administrative penalties that 

even included imprisonment and large 

fines due to their unregistered status.

President Niyazov’s personality cult, 

bolstered by the forceful official promotion of the Ruhnama, was comparable to 

a state-imposed religion. Students were 

required to study the Ruhnama extensively at all public schools and institutes 

of higher learning, and Niyazov insisted 

that the Ruhnama supersede other 

religious and historical texts. Reports 

indicate that mullahs in Turkmenistan 

were told to stop reading the Koran in 

mosques and restrict themselves to the 

Ruhnama, which also was required in 

mosques and churches alongside the 

Koran and the Bible.

Changes with the New President

After his highly orchestrated presidential win in February 2007, President 

Berdimuhamedov moved to implement 

educational reforms and also promised 

reforms in the agricultural, health, and 

other social sectors. He has also expanded Internet access and promised 

to allow more international contacts; 

indeed, his first official action was to 

order the opening of 15 Internet cafes 

in various cities, although access fees 

are high, politically sensitive sites are 

blocked, and copies of the Ruhnama reportedly are displayed. In the president’s 

first decree, aimed at the educational 

system that President Niyazov had done 

much to destroy, secondary schooling 

was increased from nine to 10 years 

and higher education from two to five 

years; the new president also promised 

to facilitate access for Turkmen citizens 

to universities and institutes in other 

countries. In March 2007, the Turkmen 

president signed an educational reform 

decree that recognized foreign diplomas 

and initiated reform of the high school 

curriculum. Reportedly, 23,000 teachers 

have returned to work, and the Commission delegation was informed that the 

country’s new leader has told U.S. diplomats that he wants more international 

exchange programs. Police and street 

controls on travel inside Turkmenistan 

also have been eased. 

The new leadership also has begun 

to distance itself from President Niyazov’s 

personality cult. For example, President 

Berdimuhamedov has made some initial 

attempts to alter the imposition of the 

sworn oath of loyalty to President Niyazov, 

calling for assigning a specific time and 

place when the oath should be made and 

suggesting that it should be restricted 

to special occasions. In March 2007, 

Berdimuhamedov proposed a new law on 

loyalty oath procedures and regulations, 

enabling people to swear an oath on a 

book other than the Ruhnama, and signed 

a decree ordering that President Niyazov’s 

name be replaced by the words “Turkmen 

president” on the presidential banner. 

While new primary, secondary, and university textbooks were printed, there are 

reports that their publication was rushed. 

As a result, there was not enough time for 

increased focus on genuine academic subjects. The only change is in the pictures: 

the new president’s photographs replaced 

those of President Niyazov.

President Berdimuhamedov acknowledged to the Commission that his country 

“may have some shortcomings on religion 

and other issues” but that he hoped that 

the Commission delegation would discuss 

specific issues of concern with the relevant officials. According to Shirin Akhmedova, director of the Presidential Institute 

on Democracy and Human Rights, “the 

government of Turkmenistan is looking 

forward to working more closely with the 

international community.”

In August 2007, on the last day of 

the Commission’s visit to Turkmenistan, 

President Berdimuhamedov announced 

the formation of a new commission 

to examine how Turkmenistan’s laws 

conform to its international human 

rights commitments, thus indicating a possible willingness to consider 

reform of the country’s repressive laws 

on human rights, including freedom of 

religion or belief. The commission held 

A poster of the late President Niyazov 

prominently placed in a government building.
POLICYFOCUS

8

its inaugural session in September, when 

it formally adopted a new draft national 

program on human rights and approved 

a human rights project in conjunction 

with the European Union and with UN 

refugee and development agencies. The 

commission also reportedly reviewed 

existing Turkmen human rights-related 

laws in an effort to ensure greater conformity with international human-rights 

standards and norms.

The Release of the Former Chief Mufti

In February 2007, President Berdimuhamedov ordered the establishment of 

a government commission to examine 

citizens’ petitions on the work of law 

enforcement bodies, though neither its 

membership nor procedures were specified. By establishing this commission, 

the new president continued a previous 

tradition of allowing citizens to petition 

the president, however theoretically. 

With the new commission, however, the 

president indicated that government 

agencies, rather than the office of the 

president, should address the petitions. 

Reportedly, this governmental commission has received thousands of petitions 

from Turkmen citizens. Some observers 

have suggested, however, particularly 

given the obscurity of the process, that 

by setting up this commission, the 

new president may have been testing 

the political loyalties of various government agencies to which the petitions 

were sent. 

In a significant move, in August 

2007, the president acted on the new 

commission’s first decision, which was 

to pardon and release from prison 11 

prisoners of conscience, including the 

country’s former chief mufti, Nasrullah 

ibn Ibadullah, who had been serving a 

22-year prison term handed down during a closed trial in 2004. Ibadullah, 

who opposed President Niyazov’s 

decree that the Ruhnama be displayed 

next to the Koran in the country’s 

mosques, was officially charged with 

treason for an alleged role in a 2002 

coup attempt against President Niyazov. 

However, the presidential pardon ordering the release of the 11 prisoners stated 

that the convicts had expressed “sincere 

repentance...for the acts committed 

by them,” implying that the 11 former 

prisoners had committed actual crimes, 

although neither their supposed 

crimes nor the nature of their trials 

had been specified. 

Ibadullah was allowed to resume 

work with the official Council of Religious 

Affairs, no longer as a deputy chairman 

but as a senior adviser. Other former political prisoners, however, including those 

imprisoned for alleged religious offenses, 

as well as three Jehovah’s Witnesses 

who were given suspended sentences 

in July 2007 for their refusal to serve in 

the military, are not eligible for employment. Under Turkmenistan’s laws, such 

cases require the restoration of a former 

prisoner’s civil and political rights, or 

“rehabilitation,” and not just pardon by 

the government. 

In a significant move, in August 2007, the president 

acted on the new commission’s first decision, which was to 

pardon and release from prison 11 prisoners of 

conscience, including the country’s former chief mufti, 

Nasrullah ibn Ibadullah, who had been serving a 22-year 

prison term handed down during a closed trial in 2004. 

 

TURKMENISTAN
B ANGLADE S H

9

Religious affairs are technically governed 

by the Council on Religious Affairs (CRA), 

whose members are appointed by the 

government and report to the president. 

Membership includes representatives of 

the Sunni Muslim community and the 

Russian Orthodox Church (ROC), as well 

as government officials, but includes no 

representatives of other minority religious 

groups. Although the CRA is supposed 

to act as an intermediary between the 

government bureaucracy and registered 

religious organizations, it acts essentially 

as an arm of the state. The CRA controls 

the hiring, promotion, and firing of Sunni 

Muslim and Russian Orthodox clergy, who 

are required to report regularly to the CRA. 

It also examines and controls all religious 

publications and activities.

Since Turkmenistan gained independence in 1991, religious groups 

have been required to register with the 

government in order to engage in religious activities. The 1997 version of the 

country’s religion law effectively banned 

all religious groups except the statecontrolled Sunni Muslim Board and 

the Russian Orthodox Church, though 

religious instruction even for these two 

communities remained severely limited. 

Despite decrees issued in 2004 easing 

registration requirements, obtaining registration continued—and continues—to 

be a serious problem for many religious 

groups, a problem compounded by 

the penalties leveled on unregistered 

groups that are accused of engaging in 

“illegal” religious activities. In May 2004, 

President Niyazov issued several decrees 

decriminalizing unregistered religious 

activities. However, representatives of 

various minority religious communities told the Commission that they face 

continuing official harassment, particularly outside the capital city of Ashgabat, 

regardless of whether they are registered 

or unregistered. These problems include police raids and threats by police 

and other security services, as well as 

demands for payment of onerous fines, 

some of which were levied by courts 

years ago (see below).

Moreover, the new version of the religion law, promulgated in 2003, remains 

highly problematic and some of its 

provisions continue to violate international standards with regard to freedom 

of religion or belief. These problems 

include intrusive registration criteria; a 

ban on worship in private homes for unregistered groups and the public wearing 

of religious garb except by religious 

leaders, and severe and discriminatory 

restrictions on religious education. The 

Turkmen government has also interfered 

in the internal affairs of religious and 

other communities. 

President Berdimuhamedov’s 

establishment of a new commission to 

examine how Turkmenistan’s legislation 

conforms to international human rights 

commitments may be a sign that legal 

changes to improve religious freedom 

and other human rights protections are 

being considered. Clearly, however, it 

is too early to determine whether this 

commission will result in any substantive changes in Turkmenistan. During the 

Commission meeting with Turkmen Foreign Minister Rashit Meredov, he indicated 

his hope that “cooperation could emerge 

from collaboration in other areas...to 

work together to improve existing legislation” in connection with U.S. assistance 

on exchange and training programs.

Registration 

For many years, as a result of the 1997 law 

on religion, only two religious communities were legally registered in Turkmenistan: the Sunni Muslim community 

and the Russian Orthodox Church. That 

II. Legal Structures, Registration, and the Fundamentals of Religious Practice 

Chief Mufti Rowshen Allaberdiyev meets with Commissioners at Niyazov Mosque in Gipchak

Tu rkmeni s tan
POLICYFOCUS

10

law made it all but impossible for other 

religious groups to register and thus function legally. In March 2004, in response to 

international pressure, President Niyazov 

issued a decree stating that religious 

communities may register “in the prescribed manner,” reduced the registration 

requirement from 500 members to five, 

and eased other requirements for registration. The result was the registration 

of nine small groups, in addition to the 

Sunni Muslims and the Russian Orthodox 

Church. Since the 2004 decree, however, 

registration has been used as a method of 

more effective state control over religious 

communities, as it affords officials the 

legal right to know what occurs at every 

meeting of a religious group. Participants in religious meetings who refuse 

to provide details about their gatherings 

risk having their communities charged 

with violating registration requirements. 

Moreover, religious groups that do not 

meet the often arbitrary registration rules 

still face administrative penalties that 

may include imprisonment and/or large 

fines due to their unregistered status. 

In spite of the difficulties, other religious groups, including various religious 

minority communities since the 2004 decree, have gained registration, including 

groups of Adventists, Baptists, Baha’is, 

and Hare Krishnas. Since the Commission visit, two small minority Protestant 

communities outside Ashgabat have been 

registered, one in the city of Turkmenabat 

and another in the city of Turkmenbashi. 

Turkmenistan’s small community of Shi’a 

Muslims, most of whom belong to Iranian 

or Azeri minorities, remains unregistered. 

The country’s small Roman Catholic 

community remains unregistered, due 

to the legal requirement that a religious 

community be headed by a citizen of 

Turkmenistan. The Catholics in Ashgabat, 

however, are permitted to meet for worship services in the chapel of the Vatican 

Nunciature. Turkmenistan’s Jewish community, estimated by the State Department to number 1,000, are mostly ethnic 

Russians who came to Turkmenistan after 

World War II. Although the Jewish community meets for religious observances, it 

has decided not to seek registration, but 

is allowed by the government to meet. 

Shirin Akhmedova, director of the 

Presidential Institute of Democracy and 

Human Rights, told the Commission that 

there are 120 religious organizations currently registered in Turkmenistan. Other 

government officials claimed that many 

steps had been taken to ease registration, 

referring to the 2004 presidential decree 

that lowered the numerical threshold to 

qualify for registration as a religious group. 

Foreign Minister Meredov said that some 

of these steps were in response to concerns 

raised by the U.S. government. Meredov 

also claimed that at present, all organizations wanting to register have done so. He 

denied that there were obstacles to gaining 

registration and claimed that those who 

wish to register need only apply. Turkmenistan’s Ministry of Justice is currently 

reviewing four such applications, he continued, though some have been returned 

to applicants to “improve compliance with 

Turkmen law.” As for other ongoing problems for members of registered religious 

minority communities, Turkmen government officials also told the Commission 

that they were willing to hold a follow-up 

to the October 2005 roundtable discussion 

between the government and members of 

various religious communities to discuss 

outstanding issues. 

Akhmedova explained to the delegation how the registration process should 

work. The CRA advises the government 

on registration, while the Justice Ministry 

manages the actual registration process. 

All applications are reviewed by an intergovernmental commission that includes 

representatives from the Ministries of 

Justice and Internal Affairs, as well as the 

Security Service. The review process typically takes one month, but can take up to 

three months. Groups denied registration 

will, Akhmedova claimed, receive a written notice and explanation for the decision. If the flaws in the application are 

corrected, the applicants may re-apply. 

Participants in 

religious meetings 

who refuse to provide details 

about their gatherings 

risk having their communities charged with violating 

registration requirements. 

Moreover, religious groups 

that do not meet the 

often arbitrary registration 

rules still face administrative 

penalties that may include 

imprisonment and/or 

large fines due to their 

unregistered status. 
B ANGLADE S H

11

Continuing Registration Problems

According to the representatives of a 

number of minority religious groups, 

there continue to be significant problems 

in obtaining registration in Turkmenistan. 

The Commission was told that despite 

a surge in the registration of religious 

groups in 2004, that process has slowed. 

In addition, local and regional governments sometimes do not recognize a religious group or organization even if it is 

registered at the national level. Turkmen 

officials did not respond to the Commission delegation’s requests for information 

about these reports.

In some instances, these groups said, 

the CRA may not find problems with a 

registration application, but the Justice 

Ministry may oppose that application 

on what were reported as questionable 

grounds. It was also reported that the 

Justice Ministry has taken upon itself 

to advise several smaller unregistered 

groups to combine with other, currently 

registered communities, without giving 

any consideration to possible doctrinal 

differences or some groups’ need for 

organizational autonomy. 

One group was told by the CRA that 

all of the prior decisions denying their 

registration applications “were correct,” 

without any further information. One 

church leader said that his group has 

been trying to register for two years, but 

that the government would not acknowledge the group’s efforts. 

The leader of another registered 

Protestant church described the difficult 

branch registration procedure his group 

experienced. The church was required to 

meet seven registration criteria, and despite providing that information and being 

assured that nothing further was needed, 

the government still had not given registration approval. In many cases, he noted, 

the government will not even acknowledge 

that religious communities have branches 

in other cities. The Hare Krishna Society 

recently was informed by the government 

that it is authorized to open a branch; 

however, the government had told members of that community previously that it 

would begin to register other branches, 

and so far there has been no progress in 

that regard. The Baha’is also submitted the 

necessary documents, but have been told 

by the government that there is “no legislation on branch registration.” 

 Yet when the Commission raised the 

issue of registration, particularly that of 

local branches, during a meeting at the 

Justice Ministry, Serdar Valiyev, Director 

of the Registration Department, said that 

a registered organization automatically 

receives its legal status when it is entered 

in the main national register. Branch organizations are not subject to these requirements, as they are regulated by the main 

organization. To register a branch, he 

claimed, the main organization need only 

present information regarding the branch 

to the Ministry of Justice. However, this 

was clearly not the experience of numerous religious groups in Turkmenistan.

People from historically Muslim ethnic groups who want to register Christian 

churches are viewed as a problem by the 

Turkmen authorities. The Commission 

was informed that in some cases, local 

and national government officials have 

told such church members that they 

“cannot be Christians because they are 

ethnic Turkmen.” Because officials refuse 

to issue registration denials in writing, the 

groups in question have not been able 

to identify the official or officials responsible for these refusals. In one case, the 

members of a church were told repeatedly that their church would never be 

registered because they are Turkmen and 

“Turkmen are supposed to be Muslim.” 

Justice Ministry officials also suggested 

that they remove certain articles from the 

church charter documents in order to 

gain registration. In this case, in addition 

to trying to change the substance of the 

church’s charter, officials also used spurious clerical errors as the basis for denying 

the registration application. 

Finally, the Commission was told 

that the Turkmen government may try to 

convince prospective congregants that 

they should not join minority religious 

communities. Often officials claim that 

religious minority groups are “cults.” 

The Turkmen government has also told 

several churches that it is not their role to 

assist the poor, drug addicts, and others. 

Niyazov Memorial Mosque, Gipchak
2

POLICYFOCUS

12

Practical Effects of Registration

The Turkmen government reportedly 

actively solicited groups to register in the 

period 2004 – 2005, and several groups 

were easily and rapidly registered at that 

time. Once those religious communities 

were registered, however, state officials 

began seriously to review the groups’ 

charters. Thus, some representatives of 

Turkmenistan’s religious minority community believe that the Turkmen government undertook registration mainly due 

to pressure from the United States and 

OSCE and that the Turkmen government still does not truly recognize them. 

Indeed, despite their registered status, 

a member of a religious minority group 

told the Commission that in many instances, the group still needs permission 

from the city of Ashgabat’s CRA in order 

to undertake routine activities, such as 

increasing its membership.

 The situation for religious minorities is particularly difficult outside the 

capital, where some groups continue to 

face onerous administrative documentation burdens. According to the leader of a 

registered religious minority community, 

“the fact that we are registered did not 

help in any way...there is no freedom, 

just pressure from the government. And 

there is certainly no freedom outside Ashgabat.” Some registered groups told the 

Commission delegation that they believe 

that registration has become a method 

to expose their members to possible official discrimination or harassment and 

actually worsens the situation. On the 

other hand, several leaders of registered 

religious minority communities told the 

delegation that in Ashgabat, they are free 

to meet for worship. 

Members of various registered 

religious minority communities told the 

Commission what Turkmen officials had 

claimed would be the benefits of registration. For example, the Adventist Church 

was informed that the government 

would not demolish its churches (one 

had been demolished by the authorities 

in 1999—see below) and the community 

would have access to worship space. The 

government kept its promise to the Hare 

Krishnas that once they were registered 

there would be no further arrests of 

their members. On the other hand, the 

CRA also promised that members of 

registered communities could meet for 

worship in private homes, but this is forbidden under Turkmenistan’s religion law 

except for members of nuclear families. 

Despite their illegal status under 

Turkmen law, several religious minority 

communities have decided that registration in principle either violates their 

freedom of conscience or does not entail 

enough benefits to justify the intrusive 

government requirements and procedures. One leader of an unregistered 

community told the Commission delegation that Turkmenistan’s religion law is 

“only paper and has no operative meaning” and that “even registered churches 

enjoy only limited religious freedom.” 

Another unregistered religious leader said 

that he had asked state officials about the 

practical benefits of registration and they 

had refused to answer him. Faced with 

this lack of information, he had decided 

against applying for registration. 

There are, however, some negative 

consequences for those groups that decide to forego registration. For example, 

the leader of one unregistered group told 

the Commission that his group’s illegal 

status “keeps potential congregants 

away.” He also observed that lack of 

registration limits his group’s ability to 

practice its religion fully, as well as to 

organize charitable assistance programs. 

Worship Space

In Turkmenistan, obtaining worship space is difficult for most if not all 

communities. For unregistered groups, 

it is virtually impossible, as it is illegal for 

them to rent or buy worship space. Worship in private homes is limited to those 

nuclear families who belong to registered 

religious communities; security police 

strictly enforce this law by routinely 

breaking up religious meetings in private 

homes and searching homes without 

warrants. The government has forced 

some groups to write letters stating that 

they will not gather for worship until they 

are registered. 

Indeed, Turkmen officials have 

stated outright that the eased registration requirements promulgated in 2004 

do not mean that religious communities may gather in private homes or that 

religious adherents will no longer be 

required to request official permission 

before holding worship services. Even the 

majority Sunni Muslim community has 

been affected, as in March 2004, President Niyazov proclaimed that no new 

mosques should be built anywhere in the 

country; seven mosques are reported to 

have been destroyed in that year. In addition, according to the State Department, 

the government refuses to allow the 

construction of three Shi’a mosques, two 

near Ashgabat and one in Turkmenbashi, 

to be completed. 
B ANGLADE S H

133

There continue to be very limited 

opportunities for many religious groups, 

particularly those from among the minority communities, to meet for worship. 

The government prevents unregistered 

churches from renting property, and 

there is official pressure on homeowners 

to prevent unsanctioned meetings for 

worship. One leader of a registered Pentecostal church told the delegation that his 

home in Ashgabat had been confiscated 

by the government several years ago 

because he had allowed unsanctioned 

worship services to be held there. He 

has been unsuccessful in efforts to have 

the building—his personal property—

returned to him. 

The leader of one registered religious 

community told the Commission that 

since his group was registered, he no 

longer can invite friends and family to 

worship, even in his own apartment. His 

group was told by the government that 

it could worship privately, but such worship would be limited to husband and 

wife and children and could not include 

adult parents and siblings. Nevertheless, 

five registered minority religious groups 

have managed to establish public places 

of worship, three of which were rented 

and two of which were in the private 

homes of community members.

President Niyazov refused to allow the Russian Orthodox community 

to build a new cathedral in the capital 

of Ashgabat, though he had allocated 

land for that purpose 10 years ago. Final 

construction work on the communityfunded convent next to St. Nicholas’ 

Church in Ashgabat was halted in late 

2005, after President Niyazov allegedly 

warned Orthodox clergy privately that if 

construction went ahead he would order 

demolition of all the country’s Orthodox 

churches. The Commission was told that 

construction of the Russian Orthodox 

cathedral was now proceeding, albeit 

slowly, due to the need to design the 

building to withstand earthquakes. President Berdimuhamedov told the Commission that the Turkmen government 

recently had granted land to build a new 

church in Ashgabat.

Under President Niyazov, the Turkmen government had a history of closing, 

confiscating, or destroying houses of 

worship. Appropriate compensation has 

never been made to the various religious 

communities affected by this practice, 

nor is there any complaint process or new 

law providing compensation or other 

measures. For example, in 2000, two unregistered mosques were bulldozed by the 

authorities. In 2003, the Abu Bekir mosque 

in Ashgabat was closed and in 2004, seven 

mosques reportedly were destroyed by the 

government, as mentioned above. In July 

2005, a Sunni “family” mosque in Turkmenbashi was demolished, and in 2006, 

two Shi’a mosques were razed. 

In 1999, two Hare Krishna shrines 

near the city of Mary were knocked down 

by Turkmen authorities; the Seventh Day 

Adventist Church in Ashgabat was bulldozed that same year. Baptist and Pentecostal churches were confiscated in 2001. 

In 2005, the historic Armenian Apostolic 

Church in the city of Turkmenbashi was 

partially demolished by local officials and 

sealed off. A court ruling in 2006 denied 

compensation to the Seventh Day Adventist community for the government’s 

destruction of their church.

There have been no reports of the 

destruction of any houses of worship by 

the new authorities, but no measures 

have been taken to redress the claims 

of those whose property was destroyed 

under Niyazov. Some new construction is underway: parliament has voted 

funds to finish building a mosque in the 

city of Mary and the Dashoguz governor 

announced a tender for construction of 

a new mosque. The president told the 

Commission that three mosques are being built in Ashgabat. 

Tu rkmeni s tan

There continue to be very limited opportunities 

for many religious groups, particularly those from among 

the minority communities, to meet for worship. 

The government prevents unregistered churches from renting 

property, and there is official pressure on homeowners to 

prevent unsanctioned meetings for worship. 
POLICYFOCUS

14

Continuing Official Harassment of 

Religious Minorities 

Under the late President Niyazov, police 

routinely interfered in the activities of 

both registered and unregistered religious 

communities. Security police frequently 

broke up religious meetings in private 

homes, searched homes without warrants, confiscated religious literature, and 

detained and threatened congregants 

with criminal prosecution and deportation. Family members of detained religious leaders were subjected to harassment, discrimination and internal exile. 

In addition, members of some religious 

minority groups, particularly Protestants, 

Hare Krishnas, and Jehovah’s Witnesses, 

faced official pressure to renounce their 

religion publicly, and were sometimes 

forced to swear an oath on the Ruhnama. 

Though such raids and other forms of 

harassment were fewer last year than in 

previous years, they have continued following President Niyazov’s death.

Despite official pledges to improve 

the situation, religious groups, registered 

and unregistered, continue to experience 

serious discrimination and maltreatment 

from government officials. Indeed, in 

some areas, there are disturbing trends in 

the official treatment of religious minorities in Turkmenistan, particularly on the 

local and regional level. One leader of a 

registered religious minority community 

told the Commission that some actions 

against his community are carried out 

by the local city governments, while 

other operations involve the Ministry of 

Internal Affairs’ Sixth Department, which 

deals with organized crime and terrorism. 

For example, in March 2007, authorities 

raided a meeting of an unregistered religious group in a private house in Abadan 

and the home owners were fined. In June 

2007, police raided a meeting of the registered Light of the East Pentecostal community in the city of Dashoguz. In August 

2007, a branch community of a nationally 

registered Protestant church in western 

Turkmenistan was raided by police; 

literature was confiscated and a member 

was arrested. There was a similar incident 

at another branch church. The leader of 

another registered Protestant church told 

the Commission that in one incident, local and regional officials brought a bus to 

detain and remove the church members 

who had assembled without government 

authorization. There were no arrests, but 

the religious gathering was broken up 

and the literature confiscated. 

Members of several unregistered 

religious groups, including some Baptists 

and Jehovah’s Witnesses, said that the 

Turkmen government sometimes deploys 

POLICYFOCUS

III. Other Religious Freedom Concerns

TURKMENISTAN

Deputy Chairman of the Council of Religious Affairs Nurmukhammet Gurbanov with 

Commissioners Eid and Argue.
15

anti-terrorist and secret police raids 

against their groups, which are frequently 

followed by arrests. In some instances, 

unregistered church leaders have been 

threatened with the loss of their retirement savings. 

Several religious minority groups 

noted that the Turkmen authorities appear to be using charges leveled against 

them in the past as a means to make 

current religious activity extremely difficult. Since early 2007, there has been 

increased pressure on the Jehovah’s 

Witnesses: meetings have been raided, 

literature confiscated, and fines imposed. 

Jehovah’s Witnesses employed in state 

agencies are being subject to harassment 

and public ridicule and are pressured to 

leave their jobs, while many have already 

been dismissed or had their contracts 

discontinued. Several Jehovah’s Witnesses 

were summoned to police stations in 

connection with incidents that allegedly 

had taken place several years ago, and 

fines, issued as long as three years ago, 

are only now being enforced.

Members of the Jehovah’s Witnesses have experienced other serious 

problems in 2007, particularly in April. 

For example, police confiscated internal 

passports during a raid in the city of Turkmenabad; three Jehovah’s Witnesses were 

detained and a woman reportedly was 

sexually molested by police. Although a 

prosecutor first ruled the passport seizure 

to be illegal, after he talked to police he 

threatened to fine the Jehovah’s Witnesses. In two other incidents, as a result of 

police actions in Ashgabat, two Jehovah’s 

Witnesses lost their jobs after police 

interrogated them about their beliefs. 

Three days later, in the city of Dashoguz, 

police confiscated some literature from a 

Jehovah’s Witness who was later fined at a 

police station.

Absence of Alternatives to Military 

Service

Another unresolved issue affecting 

Turkmenistan’s religious freedom record 

is the country’s lack of a genuine civilian alternative to compulsory military 

service. In the past year, five members of 

the Jehovah’s Witnesses were sentenced 

to prison—although in the end, all of 

those sentences were suspended. They 

were prosecuted under Article 219, Part 

1 of the Criminal Code, which punishes 

refusal to serve in the armed forces with a 

maximum penalty of two years’ imprisonment. The five are still denied their full 

civil and political rights, including the 

free choice of employment. For example, 

Jehovah’s Witness member Suleiman 

Udaev, who was sentenced in August 

2007 but freed from prison in September, 

must still pay 20 percent of his wages to 

the state. In addition, he will not be able 

to leave his home village without permission, and will be officially assigned to 

work in the local collective farm. 

Freedom of Movement Issues

Under President Niyazov, there was deliberate official interference in the freedom 

of movement of religious adherents in 

Turkmenistan, both into and out of the 

country. Many of these policies have continued under the new government. Entry 

visas are refused to religious workers who 

are, in many cases, critical to the workings of a particular religious community, 

and other individuals known to participate in religious activities have pointedly 

been prevented from leaving the country. 

The Turkmen authorities continue to 

limit the number of Muslims permitted to 

perform the hajj. In November 2006, the 

government announced that only 188 of 

the country’s official quota of 4,500 would 

be allowed to go to Mecca. Yet even the 

country’s official newspaper acknowledged in April 2007 that it was the duty of 

every Muslim to undertake the hajj. The 

Commission delegation repeatedly raised 

the severe limitations on the number of 

Muslims allowed to perform the hajj. In 

response, President Berdimuhamedov 

claimed that while the government will 

pay for only one planeload (188 people) 

of Muslim hajj pilgrims, there is no legal 

limit on those who can afford to undertake 

the hajj at their own expense. This was 

not, in fact, the situation under President Niyazov and reportedly this policy 

remained in place in 2007. 

In the past, the Turkmen government 

has refused entry visas to several priests 

who are Russian citizens and were invited 

by the Russian Orthodox community to 

Turkmenistan. According to Forum 18, in 

Tu rkmeni s tan

Despite official 

protestations to the contrary, 

the Turkmen government 

also still appears to have 

a secret “black list” of 

selected individuals who 

are denied permission to 

leave the country. 
POLICYFOCUS

16

2007 the ROC has not encountered similar problems. Under President Niyazov, 

the Turkmen government had pressured 

the local Church to take Turkmenistan’s 

parishes outside of the jurisdiction of the 

Central Asian diocese in Uzbekistan and 

put them under the Patriarch of Moscow, 

who in July 2005 rejected this proposal, 

although the proposal was accepted two 

years later. President Berdimuhamedov 

told the Commission that he believes 

that the ROC in Turkmenistan should be 

under the jurisdiction of the Moscow Patriarchate. In October 2007, the ROC Holy 

Synod in Moscow placed Turkmenistan’s 

ROC parishes under the Moscow Patriarchate jurisdiction, removing it from 

the Central Asian diocese in Tashkent. 

According to Forum 18, this decision was 

made “to ease pastoral oversight” over 

the 12 isolated parishes and the ROC 

convent in Ashgabat. 

Baptist Vyacheslav Kalataevsky, who 

was born in Turkmenistan but holds 

Ukrainian citizenship, was deported from 

Turkmenistan to Kazakhstan in 2001, 

allegedly due to his membership in an 

unregistered Baptist congregation in the 

city of Turkmenbashi. In March 2007, as 

he attempted to regularize his residential status there, he was arrested by the 

security police. Kalataevsky’s trial took 

place in May 2007, at the same time, as 

it happens, that the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Louise Arbour, 

was visiting Turkmenistan. Kalataevsky 

was sentenced to three years’ imprisonment for “illegally crossing the border” in 

2001. One month later, in June 2007, he 

was transferred to a labor camp to serve 

his sentence. As part of the traditional 

Ramadan prisoner release in 2007, which 

involved 9,000 prisoners, Kalataevsky was 

released from camp. One month later, despite fears he would be deported from the 

country, he was released and allowed to 

rejoin his family in Turkmenbashi. In November 2007, a few days after his return 

to Turkmenbashi, Kalataevsky reportedly 

received an official warning not to meet 

for worship with his fellow Baptists.

In another case, Baptist pastor 

Yevgeny Potolov, head of an unregistered 

congregation belonging to the Baptist 

Council of Churches, was deported in 

July 2007, seven weeks after his arrest 

for religious activity. After Baptist leader 

Aleksandr Frolov was deported in June 

2006, his family moved to Russia following a year of unsuccessful appeals that he 

be allowed to return to Turkmenistan. 

Despite official protestations to the 

contrary, the Turkmen government also 

still appears to have a secret “black list” 

of selected individuals who are denied 

permission to leave the country. Former 

Baptist prisoner of conscience Shageldy 

Atakov reportedly is banned from leaving 

Turkmenistan because of his religious 

activity. He was most recently denied exit 

permission in June 2007. In 2006, when 

he was also denied exit permission, a Migration Service official referred to an exit 

blacklist on which his name appeared, 

most likely because he had not had his 

full political and civil rights restored after 

serving a prison term. In August 2007, a 

court granted exit permission to Merdan 

Shirmedov, an ethnic Turkmen leader of 

an unregistered Baptist community in the 

city of Dashoguz, to travel to Turkey to rejoin his family in the West. Nevertheless, 

the court gave no explanation as to why 

Shirmedov had been denied permission 

to leave the country since January 2007. 

The leader of one minority community told the Commission that some 

religious leaders and their families are 

still prohibited from leaving the country 

and their mail is searched and read by the 

security service. Two years ago, two men 

from this church tried to travel to Azerbaijan to attend a Bible school. A Baha’i 

Interior Minister Hojamyrat Annagurbanov and Interior Ministry officials activist said that there is a secret ban on 
17

Tu rkmeni s tan

invitations for relatives to come to Turkmenistan, although members of the Baha’i 

community can travel out of the country.

When the Commission delegation 

raised the issue of Turkmen citizens being denied exit permission due to their 

religious affiliation, the country’s officials 

denied that this had ever occurred. For 

example, Shirin Akhmedova, Director of 

the Presidential Institute on Democracy 

and Human Rights claimed that Turkmenistan did have an “exit visa regime” 

left over from Soviet days, but those barriers had since been removed. The new 

Deputy Chairman of the CRA, Nurmukhammet Gurbanov, told the delegation, 

“I have never met a person who was not 

allowed to enter or leave Turkmenistan 

because of his religion.”

Religious Literature

The publication of religious literature 

inside Turkmenistan is banned by decree, 

resulting in a severe shortage of such literature, which also is rarely available for 

purchase. An additional difficulty is the 

government’s legal requirement that the 

CRA must approve the content of all religious literature and the fact that there are 

no representatives of religious minorities 

on the CRA 

 By law, only registered religious communities are permitted to import religious 

literature, on a limited basis, depending 

on the number of people in a given house 

of worship. The local Council of Religious 

Affairs routinely confiscates literature 

and in some cases, allegedly requires that 

adherents apologize to the authorities 

in writing for the possession or import 

of such material. Even photocopies of 

religious literature are appropriated. 

Members of all religious minority communities with whom the delegation met 

said that, despite limited legal provisions 

to the contrary, they are denied official 

permission to import religious literature.

In any case, they said, the experts at the 

CRA who are required by law to examine 

such literature are, at best, knowledgeable 

only about Islam and Russian Orthodoxy. 

Moreover, religious literature is often 

confiscated before it can be submitted 

for official examination. On a positive 

note, however, one leader of a registered 

religious community told the Commission 

that there have been some improvements 

with regard to religious literature under 

President Berdimuhamedov; for example, 

one may now receive some religious

 material, though it cannot be shared 

with others.

The head of one registered religious 

community told the Commission delegation that up to now, no pastor in his 

church had received official permission 

to bring the legal allotment of any religious text into the country. Even though 

his church had translated some of its 

religious literature into Turkmen so that 

government officials could read it, the 

government still would not permit the 

church to print copies. The Russian Orthodox Church can receive and distribute 

Bibles easily, but according to the leaders 

of a number of other Christian communities, the Orthodox Church does not share 

the literature with Protestant churches 

because those churches allegedly are 

viewed as competitors. Nevertheless, the 

Russian Orthodox community was also 

affected by the government’s past policies, which banned Turkmen residents 

from receiving Russian publications by 

mail, including the Journal of the Moscow 

Patriarchate. As far as is known, that ban 

remains in effect.

In one instance, a leader of a minority religious community was detained 

for receiving Christian materials in 

the mail. The authorities instructed 

him to write to the sender and ask him 

not to send any more religious material. Even registered churches need to 

consult with the CRA before they import 

religious literature. In another instance, 

the Ministries of National Security 

and Internal Affairs detained a pastor 

for questioning at the post office after 

receiving religious materials in the mail, 

with the justification that the material 

could promote extremism and violence. 

Religious communities reportedly need 

a government license in order to reproduce religious literature already in their 

possession. One leader of a registered 

Protestant community told the Commission delegation that the Justice Ministry 

had called and threatened his church for 

attempting to make copies of religious 

literature without a license. 

Ruhnama in Ashgabat mosque bookshelf
POLICYFOCUS

When the Commission delegation 

raised the issue of religious literature with 

the CRA, Russian Orthodox representative Father Andrei Sapunov first stated 

that Turkmenistan has enough Korans 

and other books and perhaps it is better 

to ask whether there is truly a need for 

such material. According to Sapunov, the 

Russian Orthodox Church does not see 

the need for more religious literature. As 

for the import of other religious literature, 

Sapunov claimed that the law simply 

states what kind of materials one may import and in what quantity. The Council, 

he maintained, has always tried to help 

as much as possible, but the Turkmen 

authorities have the right to inquire why 

people need so many Bibles. Sapunov 

claimed that he himself saw no problem 

with the import of religious materials, but 

the Council must follow the law. Deputy 

Chairman Nurmukhammet Gurbanov 

maintained that there is no evidence that 

the rights of Turkmen citizens have been 

violated with regard to the import 

of religious literature. 

Religious Education 

Turkmenistan’s religion law bans the 

private teaching of religion and those 

who engage in such instruction are liable 

for legal penalties. Only those who have 

graduated from institutions of higher 

religious education (domestic or foreign 

is not specified) and approved by the CRA 

may offer religious instruction. Citizens 

have the right to receive religious education alone or with others from these 

official institutions; some independent 

religious education takes place unofficially. Usually, home schooling is allowed 

only in cases of severe illness or disability 

and not for religious reasons.

Under Article 6 of the November 

2004 amendments to the religion law, 

mosques are allowed to provide religious 

education to children after school for 

four hours a week, as long as parents 

have given their approval. Some Sunni 

mosques have regularly scheduled Koran 

instruction. The 2003 religion law prohibits the Russian Orthodox Church from 

conducting religious education programs 

without CRA and presidential approval 

and there were, according to the State Department, no reports that such programs 

have been approved. 

In June 2001, President Niyazov’s 

government closed the madrassa in 

the town of Dashoguz, leaving only the 

theological faculty at the Turkmen State 

University in Ashgabat to conduct Islamic 

education. That faculty was later dissolved 

and absorbed into another department, 

with the result that only one institution of 

Islamic education is currently open. It was 

set up after 2001 and has a curriculum 

controlled by the government. The country’s largest religious minority, the Russian 

Orthodox, has no institution for religious 

education in Turkmenistan, although 

even under President Niyazov, men were 

allowed to leave the country to train for 

the clergy. The Shi’a, who are mainly 

among the country’s ethnic minorities, 

also have no religious training institutions 

in Turkmenistan.

Religious minorities, even those 

that have gained registration, are in a particularly difficult situation. One religious 

minority leader told the Commission 

delegation that most religious training is 

conducted informally, in private homes. 

Some churches are able to train clergy 

based on formal programs, but others 

are not. Some clergy members are able 

to receive their religious education and 

ordination overseas.

18 

Commissioners Argue and Cromartie with the Papal Nuncio Cultural Affairs Attaché, 

Father Andrzej Madej
B ANGLADE S H

19

President Niyazov’s extensive personality cult had become comparable to a 

state-imposed religion. The personality 

cult was bolstered by the forceful official 

promotion of a book containing the late 

president’s own “spiritual thoughts,” 

known as Ruhnama. Imams were also 

reportedly instructed by the government 

to repeat an oath of loyalty to the “fatherland” and to President Niyazov after each 

daily prayer. 

According to the State Department, 

under President Niyazov students were 

required to study the Ruhnama at all 

public schools and institutes of higher 

learning. Moreover, President Niyazov 

used his teachings “in part to supersede 

other established religious codes, as 

well as historical and cultural texts, and 

thereby influence citizens’ religious and 

cultural behavior.” A law promulgated in 

2002 enjoined parents and guardians “to 

bring [children] up in the spirit of ...the 

unshakeable spiritual values embodied in 

the holy Ruhnama.” The study of the 

Ruhnama also replaced many subjects in 

the school curricula and was a required 

subject at institutes of higher learning.

Turkmenistan’s chief mufti, ibn 

Ibadullah, lost his position in 2003 for opposing the elevation of the Ruhnama and 

was later sentenced for alleged involvement in the purported coup attempt 

against Niyazov. In 2004, three ethnic 

Uzbek imams lost their positions for opposing the elevation of the Ruhnama as a 

sacred text. Indeed, the head of a mosque 

in Ashgabat, Imam Hoja Ahmed Orazgylyjov, died in internal exile in the remote 

town of Tejen, where he was sent for 

alleged “criminal activity.” Some believe 

that Orazgylyjov was sent into internal 

exile due to his refusal to support the Niyazov regime based on his religious beliefs. 

Furthermore, credible reports indicate 

that mullahs in Turkmenistan were told in 

2005 to stop reading the Koran in mosques 

and restrict themselves to the Ruhnama. 

The religion-like quality of the personality cult became even more apparent 

in March 2006, when President Niyazov 

announced on Turkmen state television 

that anyone reading Ruhnama three 

times “would be assured a place in heaven.” The president’s books were required 

to be displayed in mosques and churches 

alongside the Koran and the Bible. In at 

least one instance, a mosque was closed 

by the National Security Ministry after 

mosque leaders refused to place the Ruhnama on a par with the Koran. Ruhnama

quotations also were carved alongside 

Koran citations in the country’s largest 

mosque. As noted above, Turkmenistan’s 

former chief mufti, ibn Ibadullah, who 

opposed this requirement, was sentenced to 22 years in prison; he remained 

in prison until August 2007, when he was 

one of 11 political prisoners released by 

President Berdimuhamedov. 

As during the Soviet period, the 

government under President Niyazov retained tight control over Islamic practice 

and observance and remunerated and 

monitored all members of the Muslim 

clergy. Although Islam was always 

allowed as one of the country’s tolerated 

religions, only those Muslim religious 

teachers and believers who accepted and 

IV. Current Status of the Personality Cult and the Ruhnama 

The president’s books 

were required to be 

displayed in mosques and 

churches alongside 

the Koran and the Bible. 

Commissioners at a celebratory (“sadaka”) lunch to mark the release of former Chief 

Mufti Nasrullah ibn Ibadullah from prison

Tu rkmeni s tan
POLICYFOCUS

20

fully cooperated with state authority were 

tolerated. As his personality cult intensified, President Niyazov attempted to gain 

even tighter control over Islamic practice 

by ordering the publication of a list of 

religious rituals purportedly common 

to all Turkmen to which all Muslims in 

Turkmenistan were expected to adhere. 

Secret police were reportedly sent to 

attend mosques to identify Muslims who 

performed religious rites in a way that 

differed from the officially-prescribed 

Turkmen practice. 

According to some reports, the new 

leadership intends to decrease emphasis on the Ruhnama and has already 

taken some steps to distance itself from 

President Niyazov’s personality cult. The 

imposition of the sworn oath of loyalty 

to President Niyazov has been curtailed 

and limited only to certain occasions. In 

March 2007, Berdimuhamedov proposed 

a new loyalty oath procedure enabling 

people to swear an oath on a book other 

than the Ruhnama. According to Forum 

18, however, the 9,000 prisoners released 

in 2007 were required to swear a loyalty 

oath on the Koran and the Ruhnama.

New primary, secondary, and university 

textbooks were printed. Reportedly, 

however, there was not enough time to 

change actual texts and only presidential 

photographs were updated. In addition, the Turkmen Academy of Sciences, 

closed by President Niyazov, has been 

re-opened. A series of articles by Turkmen scholars exploring the country’s 

history, including through the excavation 

of Islamic and archeological sites, have 

recently been published on official Web 

sites and in November 2007, the works 

of four classical Turkmen authors were 

published in small editions. President 

Niyazov had insisted that these topics be 

influenced primarily by his views of Turkmen history published in the Ruhnama. 

Nevertheless, the future of the 

formal personality cult in Turkmenistan 

remains unclear. During its visit to Turkmenistan, the Commission noticed that 

several of the golden statues of President 

Niyazov that Niyazov himself had had 

built are still found throughout Ashgabat. 

At the same time, many large portraits 

of the country’s new president are also 

apparent in the capital. At this point, it 

is too early to determine whether such 

photo displays are an aspect of President Berdimuhamedov’s consolidation 

of power or mark the beginnings of new 

authoritarian presidential rule, accompanied by a new personality cult. Although 

on his fiftieth birthday, Berdimuhamedov ordered commemorative coins with 

his image, when Turkmenistan marked 

its independence day in October the 

commemorative coins did not bear any 

presidential image.

Ruhnama Still Given Prominence in 

Religious Life

The Commission visited the large 

mosque in President Niyazov’s native 

village of Gipchak, which was built on 

President Niyazov’s orders. It was readily 

apparent that Ruhnama inscriptions 

continue to dominate its exterior and interior walls. Inside the mosque, above the 

mikhrab, or the special bay in the main 

wall that is directed toward Mecca, the 

word “Turkmenbashi,” President Niyazov’s self-designated title, was inscribed, 

something that for many, if not all, Muslims would consider deeply offensive. 

The Commission repeatedly raised 

this matter with various Turkmen government officials, suggesting that among 

other problems, this kind of affront to 

their religion could give rise to a backlash in the form of religious extremism. 

Turkmenistan’s chief mufti responded 

that “the Ruhnama citations do not 

violate Islamic law because there is no 

Commissioner Eid meets with former Chief Mufti Nasrullah ibn Ibadullah, released from prison on requirement that there be writings inside 

August 9, 2007
B ANGLADE S H

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Tu rkmeni s tan

a mosque.” At the Ministry of Culture, it 

was claimed that “the way Islam is practiced in Turkmenistan is different than 

in other places. Our mode of belief is different from Arabs’. Our poetry is adapted 

from the Koran, and the Ruhnama is 

very similar.” The Interior Ministry official also claimed that the matter was 

discussed with representatives from Arab 

countries prior to building the mosque 

and that no one had expressed a concern about the design “because all of the 

verses from the Ruhnama that appear 

within the mosque relate to Turkmenistan’s relationship with God.” 

Clearly, the Ruhnama continues to 

be an imposing state presence in the religious life of the people of Turkmenistan. 

Copies of the text were on clear display 

at several of the mosques visited by the 

Commission. In addition, one interlocutor said that it is still the case that Muslim 

clerics can lose their jobs for refusing to 

teach the Ruhnama in the mosques. The 

Ruhnama apparently also continues to 

impinge on members of the minority 

communities. A member of a religious 

minority group told the Commission that 

“refusing to acknowledge the Ruhnama 

as a sacred text can have serious effects 

on a person’s educational and professional opportunities.” In the past, he had 

also been punished for refusing to write 

about the Ruhnama at school. 

The Role of the Ruhnama in Education

Official and unofficial sources report 

a decreased role for the Ruhnama in 

Turkmenistan’s educational system. 

Turkmenistan’s Minister of Education, 

Mukhammetgeldi Annaamanov, told the 

Commission that “the sacred Ruhnama 

was written by our former leader for the 

education and upbringing of Turkmen 

youth. It was used and will continue to 

be used, but there will now be only one 

hour of instruction each week.” This is 

in contrast to what was the case under 

President Niyazov, when one hour per 

day in institutions of higher learning was 

devoted to study of the text. Annaamanov 

also specified that the government 

currently mandates “only 362 hours of 

instruction in the Ruhnama over 10 years 

of formal education,” and that Muslim 

and Russian Orthodox religious leaders, 

presumably those who are CRA representatives, assist in curriculum development. While at the Ministry of Education, 

the Commission delegation was shown 

the official decree eliminating the teaching of the Ruhnama in primary schools 

and curtailing the teaching of the text in 

high schools from one hour per day to 

one hour per week, except for the final 

year in which it will be taught two hours 

per week. On another occasion, the Commission was told that “recently the new 

president cut Ruhnama classes in high 

schools and totally removed the book 

from elementary schools. They also did 

away with the Ruhnama oath in schools.” 

Another Education Ministry official, 

however, stated that the Ruhnama “tells 

the history of Turkmenistan” and that 

the text is part of the curriculum for 

students from the ages 7 to 17; indeed, 

he claimed, “many students read it of 

their own free will.” He also stated that 

the Ruhnama is a spiritual book and that 

reading it leads to “purity”; it is not a 

religious text, he contended, but provides 

a moral and philosophical background. 

During a visit to one of several Ashgabat 

Turkmen-Turkish public high schools, 

the delegation was shown a special room 

at the school that was still known as the 

Ruhnama room. In addition, since the 

visit to Turkmenistan, it has been learned 

that the government reportedly intends 

to maintain the teaching of the Ruhnama 

in elementary schools. In addition, in 

contrast to what the Commission was 

told by the Minister of Education, reports 

indicate that the Niyazov curriculum is 

still in use with the Ruhnama continuing 

to be one of the main textbooks for all 

university students.

Minarets of the Niyazov Memorial Mosque 

inscribed with Ruhnama citations
POLICYFOCUS

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Recommendations

Below are Commission recommendations regarding U.S. policy toward 

Turkmenistan.

 The CPC Designation 

The Commission acknowledges the initial 

steps undertaken by the government of 

President Berdimuhamedov to lessen 

some aspects of the repression mandated 

by President Niyazov, and encourages the 

new government to implement further 

specific steps to bring Turkmenistan’s 

law, policies, and practices in line with 

international human rights norms, including for freedom of religion or belief. 

Nevertheless, until tangible reforms have 

been implemented, and in light of the 

persistent, severe problems, the Commission continues to recommend that 

the U.S. government should designate 

Turkmenistan as a “country of particular 

concern,” or CPC. 

The Commission recommends that 

the U.S. government encourage continued 

reforms, indicating to the government of 

Turkmenistan the specific measures that 

should be undertaken to end particularly 

severe violations of freedom of religion or 

belief and other human rights abuses. The 

U.S. government should therefore urge the 

government of Turkmenistan to take the 

following actions: 

1) repeal immediately all laws, decrees 

or regulations, including major 

changes in the 2003 religion law, that 

violate international norms pertaining to freedom of religion or belief; 

2) repeal the state ideology, imposed 

through the Ruhnama, that infringes 

upon or severely diminishes the 

practice of freedom of religion or belief and related freedoms of association, movement, expression, and 

the media. 

3) eliminate intrusive and onerous 

registration procedures and abolish criminal or other penalties for 

engaging in religious or other peaceful activity solely because it is not 

approved by the state; 

4) halt unjust arrest, detention, harassment, deportation, fines, and residential and workplace intimidation 

of religious leaders and their adherents on account of their religious or 

other beliefs; 

5) end fully the past practice of harassing and deporting religious leaders 

and imposing unjust fines on leaders 

or members of peaceful unregistered 

religious communities whose activities are deemed “illegal”;

6) promulgate new regulations and 

adopt new policies to ease the 

importation of religious and other 

material and permit the domestic 

printing and dissemination of such 

material in accordance with international standards; and

7) implement genuine legal alternatives 

to military service on grounds of 

religious or conscientious objection, 

possibly modeled on Organization 

on Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) and other international 

precedents.

 Promoting Freedom of 

Religion or Belief and other 

Human Rights

The Commission recommends that the 

U.S. government urge the government of 

Turkmenistan to:

• end the personality cult of the late 

President Niyazov, particularly in the 

country’s religious life and educational 

system, including by removing the Ruhnama—a book containing President 

Niyazov’s “spiritual thoughts”—from 

mosques and other houses of worship 

and by further decreasing reliance on 

the Ruhnama in educational curricula; 

• release and fully restore the civil and 

political rights of all former political 

prisoners, including those in internal 

exile;

• permit the inspection of places of 

imprisonment, including labor camps, 

prisons, and temporary places of detention, by the International Red Cross 

and/or Red Crescent;

• promote and extend the work of the 

government’s Commission to Examine Turkmenistan’s Legal Obligations 

under International Human Rights Law, 

established in August 2007, including 

by cooperating with international legal 

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experts, such as the OSCE Panel of Experts on Religion or Belief and Panel on 

Freedom of Association, and relevant 

UN agencies; 

• reform laws, decrees, and regulations 

to bring them into conformity with 

international legal obligations, such as 

dropping penalties on individuals under the administrative code for engaging in unregistered religious activities; 

instructing local and other officials to 

remove obstacles to the purchase or 

rental of land or buildings to be used 

as houses of worship or for meeting 

purposes; permit the use of private 

homes and public halls in residential 

areas for worship services; permitting 

the use of private homes and public 

halls in residential areas for worship 

services; allowing children to receive 

private religious education; allowing 

the publication and distribution of religious literature inside Turkmenistan; 

and permitting freedom of movement 

for members of all religious and other 

communities as well as increasing the 

numbers of Muslims allowed to undertake the hajj;

• reform the government’s other policies 

toward religious practice, including ending state interference in the 

management of religious communities and the selection and training of 

religious leaders, including from Sunni 

and Shi’a Muslim and the Russian 

Orthodox communities, as well as from 

Protestant and other minority communities, reopening the country’s Sunni 

theological faculty, and permitting the 

Shi’a Muslim community to practice its 

religion freely;

• promote inter-religious tolerance, with 

one suggested step of publishing the 

heretofore banned historical novel of 

the PEN award-winning writer Rakhim 

Esenov, The Crowned Wanderer, whose 

hero is an ethnic Turkmen Shi’a. 

 Expanding U.S. Programs 

and Other Activities to Promote 

Reform 

The Commission also recommends that, 

in the longer term, the U.S. government 

make the following efforts to expand 

activities in Turkmenistan that would 

protect and promote human rights:

• increase and improve radio, Internet, 

and other broadcasts of objective news 

and information, including topics such 

as religious freedom and other human 

rights and religious tolerance, by: 

1) expanding and improving broadcasts to Turkmenistan by Radio 

Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/

RL), including by increasing coverage of issues relating to freedom of 

religion or belief and by providing 

broadcasts in the Russian language 

and additional programming for the 

estimated 12 million Turkmen in the 

diaspora, particularly in Iran, Iraq, 

and Afghanistan; and 

2) restoring Voice of America’s Russianlanguage television and radio broadcasts to Central Asia, particularly 

relating to human rights, including 

freedom of religion or belief; 

• use appropriate avenues of public diplomacy to explain why freedom of religion 

or belief is an important element of 

U.S. foreign policy, as well as specific 

concerns about violations of freedom of 

religion or belief in Turkmenistan;

• assist in improving Turkmenistan’s educational system, particularly with regard 

to curricula on religious freedom and 

other human rights, by:

1) expanding “American corner” reading 

rooms and Internet access in various 

regions; 

2) reprinting Russian and Turkmenlanguage materials on human rights, 

particularly on international norms 

on freedom of religion or belief, 

including civic education materials 

such as “The Law that Unifies Us,” a 

text on the importance of respect for 

the law that was first published and 

distributed through the OSCE Center 

in Ashgabat; and 

3) providing funds for libraries in 

Ashgabat and other cities, including 

materials on human rights, as well as 

information on freedom of religion or 

belief, tolerance, civic education, and 

international legal standards; 

• develop assistance programs to encourage civil society groups that protect 

human rights and promote religious 

freedom, including by: 

1) expanding “train-the-trainer” legal 

assistance programs for representatives of religious communities to act 

as legal advisers in the registration 

process; and

2) specifying freedom of religion as a 

grants category and area of activity in 

the Democracy and Conflict MitigaTu rkmeni s tan

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POLICYFOCUS

24

tion program of the U.S. Agency for 

International Development (USAID) 

and the Democracy Commission Small 

Grants program administered by the U.S. 

Embassy; and

• expand international contacts and 

increase U.S. involvement in various 

communities in Turkmenistan by:

1) increasing the current Peace Corps 

budget of $70 million and the current budget of USAID programs, 

projected to reach $12 million in FY 

2008, including by involving religious 

leaders on community projects in 

efforts to address social problems 

and to increase religious and ethnic 

tolerance; 

2) expanding exchange programs, 

including with civil society leaders, 

students, and others concerned with 

human rights; 

3) increasing funding for programs, 

which help citizens understand and 

claim their legal rights, particularly 

young women, and also works with 

madrassas, ensuring that these programs involve relevant civic activists 

from Turkmenistan; 

4) cooperating with the OSCE Center in 

Ashgabat, in part by resuming joint 

activities with civic education activists from Turkmenistan to encourage civic education, including on 

international norms on freedom of 

religion or belief as well as other human rights, and also by encouraging 

the OSCE officially to respond to the 

Turkmen government’s offer in May 

2007 to host an OSCE experts’ level 

meeting; and

5) organizing a travel grant category 

for non-governmental organizations 

and members of diverse religious 

communities to enable them to take 

part in various international conferences, including those of the OSCE. 

 Strengthening Efforts in the 

International Arena

With regard to international fora, the 

Commission recommends that the U.S. 

government urge the government of 

Turkmenistan to: 

• abide by the recommendations of the 

October 2006 Report of the UN Secretary General on the Situation of Human 

Rights in Turkmenistan;

• agree to the numerous requests for 

visits by the UN Special Rapporteurs 

on Torture, the Right to Education, 

Extra-Judicial, Summary or Arbitrary 

Executions, Freedom of Opinion and 

Expression, and the Independence of 

the Judiciary; and from the Representative of the UN Secretary General on 

the Human Rights of Displaced Persons; the Special Representative of the 

Secretary-General on the Situation of 

Human Rights Defenders; the Working 

Group on Arbitrary Detention, as well 

as representatives of the OSCE, including the Panel of Experts on Freedom of 

Religion or Belief, and provide the full 

and necessary conditions for such visits 

(the Commission welcomes reports 

that the UN Special Rapporteur on 

Freedom of Religion or Belief has been 

given permission to visit Turkmenistan 

and that her visit is slated for 2008); and 

• participate fully in the OSCE, by

1) participating in the annual Human 

Dimension meeting in Warsaw; and

2) allowing the expansion of the activities of the OSCE Center in Ashgabat, 

particularly on freedom of religion 

and other human rights and tolerance, including programs with local 

schools, universities, and institutes.

DELEGATION TO

Turkmenistan

• Michael Cromartie, 

Commission Chair

• Donald Argue 

• Imam Talal Y. Eid

For Additional Information 

on this Issue Contact:

Catherine Cosman

Senior Policy Analyst

202-523-3240, Ext. 122

ccosman@uscirf.gov

U.S. Commission on 

International Religious Freedom

800 North Capitol Street, N.W.

Suite 790 • Washington, D.C. 20002

202/523-3240 • 202/523-5020 (fax)

www.uscirf.gov

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