WRITTEN QUESTION E-2024/03 by Maurizio Turco (NI) to the Commission. Violation of freedom of worship in Turkmenistan.
Date: 2003-06-17
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: EU relations, Turkmenistan, freedom of religious beliefs, human rights, political violence, protection of minorities, religious group

8.4.2004

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

C 88 E/59

Answer given by Mr Patten on behalf of the Commission

(7 July 2003)

The Commission and Member States have repeatedly called for the immediate release of Daw Aung San
Suu Kyi and the arrested NLD officials and supporters, the reopening of NLD offices throughout the
country as well as the reopening of all universities in Burma/Myanmar.

On 16 June 2003 the Union also decided to implement without delay the strengthened sanctions which
are specifically targeted on the military leaders and their supporters. Originally there were envisaged to
enter into force on or before 29 October 2003 as agreed in the Common Position on Burma/Myanmar
(2003/297/CFSP) of 28 April 2003 (1).

In addition, the Union has intensified discussions on the situation in Burma/Myanmar with its dialogue
partners in Asia in order to encourage them to use their influence on the Burmese Government to release
Aung San Suu Kyi and support progress on the issues of good governance, and economic reform.
On 17 June 2003, the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) has launched an unprecedented
call to Burma/Myanmar for ‘a peaceful transition to democracy’.

It is encouraging to see the strong international reaction to the detention of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, and
the Commission sincerely hopes that this consolidated pressure will influence the Burmese Government to
release her and all her supporters and finally show some signs of willingness to work towards national
reconciliation and a return to democracy.

(1) OJ L 106, 29.4.2003.

(2004/C 88 E/0064)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-2024/03

by Maurizio Turco (NI) to the Commission

(17 June 2003)

Subject: Violation of freedom of worship in Turkmenistan

There are serious, continual and systematic violations of freedom of worship in Turkmenistan.

The latest of countless attacks against
the Protestant church in the country happened on 31 May.
Five members of the church in the city of Abadam, Nuri Berdiev, Nabat Niyazova, Guzelya Syraeva,
Lyudmila Galkina and Akgulya Niyazova were taken from their homes by the local police and interrogated
at length at the police station. The police also confiscated books and threatened to seize their apartment if
they continued to meet there for the purposes of worship.

This attack was only the latest in a long series of acts of repression and intimidation on the part of the
Turkmenistan authorities against Catholics, Protestants and Jehovah’s Witnesses, none of whom are
authorised to be registered with the government authorities, and their activities are considered illegal.

Furthermore, the OCSE office in the Turkmen capital has refused to comment on the reports of raids and
violations of religious freedom in Turkmenistan, and Dieter Matthei, an OCSE official in Ashgabad, states
that he has no information on the attacks against Protestants and that for any information about freedom
of religion in Turkmenistan one should apply to the OCSE head office in Vienna.

In view of the above, can the Commission say whether it is aware of the serious, persistent and systematic
violation of religious freedom in Turkmenistan and the events mentioned?

What steps will it take or request in order to exert pressure on the Turkmenistan authorities to ensure that
religious freedom is guaranteed in the country?

C 88 E/60

Official Journal of the European Union

EN

8.4.2004

Answer given by Mr Patten on behalf of the Commission

(16 July 2003)

The Commission is very concerned about the difficulties faced by religious groups which wish to establish
themselves in Turkmenistan.

While the Constitution of Turkmenistan ensures religious freedom, the law implementing the Constitution
requires all religious groups to register officially and do so with the support of 500 signatures of citizens
over 18 years old. The law effectively restricts all religious activity other than Sunni Islam and the Russian
Orthodox Church.

There is at present no formal bilateral framework for discussing these matters between EU institutions and
Turkmen authorities since our Trade and Cooperation Agreement does not cover issues of human rights.

However, the Commission is working actively with the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in
Europe (OSCE) Office for Democratic Institutions on promoting human rights in Turkmenistan.

(2004/C 88 E/0065)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-2028/03

by Erik Meijer (GUE/NGL) to the Commission

(18 June 2003)

Subject: Greek customs authorities’ unnecessarily lengthy procedure of collecting up EU citizens’ passports

at the border with Macedonia, a procedure that is also open to fraud

1.
Is the Commission aware that in trains from Greece to Skopje in Macedonia and Belgrade in Serbia
the passports of nationals of other EU Member States are collected up shortly after leaving Thessaloniki by
a person who is not recognisable as a Greek government official, and passengers are merely told that their
passports can be collected later from the police?

2.
Is the Commission also aware that at the police station in the Greek border town of Idomeni, where
the passports can be collected, nothing whatsoever is done with the passports and they are merely given
back after a waiting period?

3.
Does the Commission agree with me that maintaining a procedure, which was also in force many
years ago at this border, involves the risk of passports being collected by unauthorised persons, or of one
or more passports from the large number collected by an authorised person being lost, or of unattended
luggage left behind in the train being stolen?

Are citizens of EU Member States in fact allowed to hand over their passports to a person who is not

4.
recognisable as an authorised official or are they entitled to refuse to do so?

5. What is the point of this procedure other than the fact that requiring passengers to disembark and
wait generates customers for the duty-free shops in Idomeni station or that it delays traffic with a
neighbouring country whose name is considered undesirable?

6. What action can the EU take to speed up and normalise passports checks at this border, in particular
for EU citizens? What is the Commission doing to facilitate a solution?