Frank R. Wolf FoRB Victims List: Turkmenistan

www.uscirf.gov/victims-list

Turkmenistan

Updated September 2023

USCIRF Recommended for Country of Particular Concern

Sunni Muslims

Turkmenistan imposes strict registration requirements for all 

religious activity and bans private religious education and 

worship. Sunni Muslims engaging in unregistered religious 

activities–even if conducted outside of Turkmenistan–face 

decades in prison for anti-state activities. Prisoners of 

conscience are often forcibly disappeared in the state’s 

prison system and subjected to harsh living conditions, 

including starvation and torture.

Bahram Saparov

religion or belief:

Sunni Muslim

arrested:

March 9, 2013

sentence:

15 Years’ Imprisonment

reports of torture:

Yes 

reason for persecution:

Leading an unregistered religious community 

Kakadjan Halbaev

religion or belief:

Sunni Muslim

arrested:

February 6, 2018

sentence:

15 Years’ Imprisonment

reason for persecution:

Discussing religion with Turkmen 

citizens in Russia

Annamurad Atdaev

religion or belief:

Sunni Muslim

arrested:

September 27, 2016

sentence:

15 Years’ Imprisonment

reason for persecution:

Studying Islam at al-Azhar University in Egypt

Myratdurdy Shamyradow

religion or belief:

Sunni Muslim

arrested:

May/June 2017

sentence:

12 Years’ Imprisonment

reason for persecution:

Meeting with others to study the writings of 

Said Nursi

Jumanazar Hojambetow

religion or belief:

Sunni Muslim

arrested:

May/June 2017

sentence:

12 Years’ Imprisonment

reason for persecution:

Meeting with others to study the writings of 

Said Nursi

Kemal Saparov

religion or belief:

Sunni Muslim

arrested:

January 25, 2018

sentence:

15 Years’ Imprisonment

reason for persecution:

Discussing religion with Turkmen 

citizens in Russia

Jehovah’s Witnesses

Jehovah’s Witnesses have not been granted registration in 

Turkmenistan and are therefore unable to operate legally. 

The government arrests and imprisons many Witnesses 

for their conscientious objection to military service, for 

which there is no civilian alternative available. In 2021, 

all imprisoned Jehovah’s Witnesses were pardoned 

and released from prison, but the threat of arrest and 

imprisonment remains without changes to law.

FoRB Victims List Stats

30 out of 2,125

Religion or Belief # of Victims

Jehovah’s Witness 21

Sunni 9

Total 30

Type of Abuse # of Victims

Imprisoned 28

Detained 2

Total 30

Average Prison Sentence

5 Years, 4 Months

Reports of # of Victims

Torture 2

Medical Neglect 0

Total 2
Frank R. Wolf FoRB Victims List: Turkmenistan

www.uscirf.gov/victims-list

USCIRF Recommended for Country of Particular Concern

Turkmenistan

Updated September 2023

Frank R. Wolf FoRB Victims List Background

The International Religious Freedom Act of 1998 (IRFA), as amended by the Frank R. Wolf International Religious Freedom Act of 2016, 

requires USCIRF to:

make publicly available, to the extent practicable...lists of persons it determines are imprisoned or detained, have 

disappeared, been placed under house arrest, been tortured, or subjected to forced renunciation of faith for their religious 

activity or religious freedom advocacy by the government of a foreign country that the Commission recommends for 

designation as a country of particular concern [CPC]...or by a nonstate actor that the Commission recommends for 

designation as an entity of particular concern [EPC]. 

USCIRF developed the Frank R. Wolf Freedom of Religion or Belief (FoRB) Victims List—an online public database—to implement this 

provision for countries USCIRF recommends for Country of Particular Concern (CPC) or Special Watch List (SWL) status. The list also 

includes such victims located in the de facto territories of nonstate actors that USCIRF recommends for Entity of Particular Concern (EPC) 

status, according to the same criteria.

Due to limited resources, USCIRF is unable to identify and document all victims that meet the statutory requirement to be included on 

the FoRB Victims List and generally relies on receiving submissions from outside individuals and organizations. As such, the information 

contained in the database does not reflect country, regional, or global trends. Furthermore, percentages highlighted in this section should 

not be used for extrapolation purposes nor interpreted as a particular group experiencing greater violations than another or a particular 

country committing violations at a greater rate than others. To support this project, USCIRF invites those with credible information on 

victims to submit information using the Victims List Intake Form at www.uscirf.gov/form/uscirf-victims-list-intake-form. 

FoRB Victims List Stats Overall

Perpetrator Victims Documented

Algeria 5

Azerbaijan 11

Burma 5

China 770

Cuba 11

Egypt 18

Eritrea 50

Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) 2

Houthis 3

India 55

Indonesia 8

Iran 339

Iraq 2

Islamic State in West Africa Province (ISWAP) 1

Kazakhstan 15

Malaysia 4

Nicaragua 15

Nigeria 9

North Korea 9

Pakistan 90

Russia 449

Saudi Arabia 46

Sri Lanka 1

Tajikistan 13

Turkmenistan 30

Uzbekistan 87

Vietnam 77

Total 2,125

Religion or Belief Victims Documented

Adivasi 1

Baha’i 163

Bon 1

Buddhist – Hoa Hao 6

Buddhist – Theravada 3

Buddhist – Tibetan 76

Buddhist – Unspecified/Other 28

Christian – Catholic 46

Christian – Church of Almighty God 236

Christian – Jehovah’s Witness 258

Christian – Orthodox 17

Christian – Protestant 130

Christian – Unspecified/Other 66

Duong Van Minh 4

ECKist (Eckankar) 1

Erfan-e Halgheh Practitioner 2

Falun Gong 213

Hindu 10

Humanist 1

Jewish 1

Muslim – Ahmadiyya 23

Muslim – Qur’anist 1

Muslim – Shi’a 39

Muslim – Sufi 63

Muslim – Sunni 385

Muslim – Unspecified/Other 237

Santeria 5

Scientologist 1

Shaman 1

Sikh 1

Yarsani 37

Unknown/Unspecified 69

Total 2,125
Frank R. Wolf FoRB Victims List: Turkmenistan

www.uscirf.gov/victims-list

USCIRF Recommended for Country of Particular Concern

Turkmenistan

Updated September 2023

Not Released

Annamurad Atdaev

Bahram Saparov

Ahmet Mammetdurdyyew

Begejik Begejikow

Jumanazar Hojambetow

Kakadjan Halbaev

Kemal Saparov

Meret Owezow

Myratdurdy Shamyradow

Released

Azamatjan Narkulyev

Azat Ashirov

Bahram Hemdemov

Bahtiyar Atahanov

David Petrosov

Eziz Atabayev

Gurbangylych Muhammetgulyyev

Ikhlosbek Rozmetov

Isa Sayayev

Kamiljan Ergashov

Kerven Kakabayev

Maksat Jumadurdiyev

Mekan Annayev

Muhammedali Saparmuradov

Ruslan Artykmuradov

Selim Taganov

Serdar Atayev

Serdar Dovletov

Sokhbet Agamyradov

Veniamin Genjiyev

Vepa Matyakubov