Jehovah’s Witness Jailed In Turkmenistan

A court in Turkmenistan has jailed a Jehovah’s Witness for objecting to military service, the religious group’s spokesperson told RFE/RL.

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TURKMENISTAN: Human Rights Committee finds former prisoners’ rights violated – JWnews

In two Decisions the United Nations (UN) Human Rights Committee has found that Turkmenistan violated the rights of three Jehovah’s Witness prisoners of conscience. Two Jehovah’s Witnesses were jailed on fabricated pornography charges to punish them for exercising their right to freedom of religion and belief. The third was among the many Jehovah’s Witness young men jailed for refusing compulsory military service on grounds of conscience.

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TURKMENISTAN: Human Rights Committee finds former prisoners’ rights violated – JWnews

In two Decisions the United Nations (UN) Human Rights Committee has found that Turkmenistan violated the rights of three Jehovah’s Witness prisoners of conscience. Two Jehovah’s Witnesses were jailed on fabricated pornography charges to punish them for exercising their right to freedom of religion and belief. The third was among the many Jehovah’s Witness young men jailed for refusing compulsory military service on grounds of conscience.

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Turkmenistan, Jehovah’s Witness, after four years of imprisonment, was released – JWnews

On February 13, 2019 in Turkmenistan, the 55-year-old Jehovah’s Witness was released after serving a four-year prison sentence in a labor camp in the city of Seydi.

This was a welcome event for his wife and their four children. The believer was arrested on March 14, 2015 only for the fact that a peaceful religious meeting was held in his house near Turkmenabad. On May 19, 2015, the Lebap Regional Court convicted him.

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TURKMENISTAN: Time to jail Jehovah’s Witnesses – JWnews

With the 7 January one-year jailing of 18-year-old Azamatjan Narkulyev, 12 conscientious objectors – all Jehovah’s Witnesses – are now jailed for refusing compulsory military service on grounds of conscience. No officials would comment on why, in defiance of United Nations calls, Turkmenistan jails these young men.

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Turkmenistan vs the UN Human Rights Committee

The UN Human Rights Committee (Committee) called upon the government of Turkmenistan to honor its commitments to protect the human rights of its citizens. * The decisions, released in 2015 and 2016, stated that the government must stop punishing conscientious objectors

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Turkmenistan, As Turkmenistan votes, authorities crush dissent with an iron fist

There is no civilian alternative to compulsory military service in Turkmenistan, and Jehovah’s Witness conscientious objectors continue to be prosecuted for refusing to serve in the army.

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TURKMENISTAN: Six conscientious objectors sentenced in 2016

Courts have sentenced five Jehovah’s Witness conscientious objectors in 2016 to two-year suspended prison terms for refusing compulsory military service on grounds of conscience. A sixth received a one-year corrective labour sentence. Turkmenistan ignored OSCE calls for the new Constitution to recognise conscientious objection.

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TURKMENISTAN: Search, arrest, torture of Jehovah’s Witness

Jehovah’s Witness Mansur Masharipov has appealed against a one-year prison term handed down on 18 August in the northern city of Dashoguz for allegedly assaulting a police officer back in July 2014. Police subsequently destroyed Bibles and other religious literature confiscated from him during a raid on his home, according to the verdict seen by Forum 18.

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TURKMENISTAN: Conscientious objectors face corrective labour sentences

Young men continue to be convicted on criminal charges in Turkmenistan for refusing compulsory military service on grounds of religious conscience and sentenced to corrective labour. Six young Jehovah’s Witnesses have been convicted and given such corrective labour sentences since October 2014, Jehovah’s Witnesses told Forum 18, with the most recent known sentence in February 2016. The men must live at home under restrictions and a fifth of their wages are seized by the state.

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Turkmenistan authorities beat and torture Jehovah’s Witness – JWnews

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TURKMENISTAN: Torture and jail for Jehovah’s Witnesses | JWnews

Jehovah’s Witness Bahram Hemdemov has been tortured and given a four-year prison term on 19 May in Turkmenistan’s eastern city of Turkmenabad [Turkmenabat, formerly Charjew]

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TURKMENISTAN: “Who can forbid us from praying?” Yet raids, fines continue | JWnews

In March 2014, a court in the same Region handed down 15-day prison terms to ten Jehovah’s Witnesses to punish them for exercising their right to freedom of religion.

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NO Jehovah’s Witnesses convicted and imprisoned in Turkmenistan as conscientious objectors | JWnews

“Narkuliyev’s release means that there are no longer any Jehovah’s Witnesses convicted and imprisoned in Turkmenistan as conscientious objectors,” one Jehovah’s Witness told Forum 18 on 18 February. “This is the first time for many years and is obviously a very welcome development.”

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Turkmenistan and Jehovah’s Witnesses | JWnews

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TURKMENISTAN: Same court, same judge, same four-year prison sentence, different victim | JWnews

Yet another Jehovah’s Witness has been given a four-year prison term on charges her fellow-believers insist were fabricated to punish her for exercising her right to freedom of religion or belief.

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U.S. Envoy on Turkmenistan’s Release of 8 Jehovah’s Witnesses | JWnews

U.S. Mission to the OSCE
As delivered by Ambassador Daniel B. Baer
to the Permanent Council, Vienna
November 6, 2014

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TURKMENISTAN: Eight prisoners of conscience amnestied | JWnews

Jehovah’s Witnesses told Forum 18 that they are “relieved” that most of their imprisoned fellow believers have been released. They noted on 28 October that the amnesty is an “encouraging” development and are hopeful that it will now result in recognition of the right to conscientious objection to military service.

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A New U.S. Human Rights Policy Towards Turkmenistan | JWnews

Thanks to the valuable work of Forum 18 News Service, we know that the government has resumed its policy of jailing conscientious objectors to military service (currently six Jehovah’s Witnesses) and one Protestant and one Jehovah’s Witness reportedly are imprisoned for their faith.

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Mother Released From Prison in Turkmenistan | JWnews

Bibi Rahmanova was unexpectedly freed from prison on September 2, 2014. Despite international outcry over the case, judges did not clear her of false charges.

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Mother of Four-Year-Old Receives Unjust Prison Sentence in Turkmenistan

•Seized at the Train Station
•Arrest, Detention, and Trial
•Plea for Justice

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TURKMENISTAN: Another Jehovah’s Witness railroaded into jail | JWnews

“This decision is particularly shocking considering that Bibi is the mother of a four-year-old boy and was clearly the victim of police abuse,” Jehovah’s Witnesses added.

“When the police discovered the bags contained religious literature and a laptop computer, they screamed obscene words at Vepa Tuvakov threatening that his son would soon be an orphan,”

When Rahmanova began to record the police action on her mobile phone, officers demanded that she hand it over. She refused and put her phone under her shirt. Jehovah’s Witnesses complained to Forum 18 that officers touched her inappropriately when seizing the phone. The police also beat Tuvakov.

In January 2013, seven weeks after the UN Human Rights Committee sought a response from Turkmenistan to complaints by 10 Jehovah’s Witness conscientious objectors, about 30 police officers raided the lead complainant’s family home in Dashoguz. Six people were detained, beaten and tortured, one of them severely. In what Jehovah’s Witnesses state was “particularly despicable treatment”, one detainee was threatened with being raped on a table in the police station.

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TURKMENISTAN, Imprisoned for Their Faith | JWnews

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U.S. Department of State raises concerns about detention and imprisonment of religious minorities in Turkmenistan | JWnews

The officials raised concerns about the arrests of Jehovah’s Witnesses and other religious minorities, the right of religious groups to register, the lack of readily-available information about registration procedures, and restrictions on the importation and distribution of religious literature.

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Turkmenistan Joins List of World’s Worst Religious Freedom Violators | JWnews

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U.S. Department of State raises concerns about detention and imprisonment of religious minorities in Turkmenistan | JWnews

docs U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry presented to Congress the 2013 International Religious Freedom Report last week.

The constitution and some laws and policies of Turkmenistan provide for religious freedom; however, other laws and policies restrict religious freedom and the government enforced those restrictions, according to the report.

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Turkmenistan, Raids, arrest, fines of Jehovah’s Witnesses | JWnews

Yet another young Jehovah’s Witness in Turkmenistan has been imprisoned for refusing to perform compulsory military service

Atamurat Suvkhanov, given a one-year prison term (his second) by a Dashoguz court in March. A further four conscientious objectors are serving suspended sentences.

18-month prison sentence handed down in early July brings to nine the number of known imprisoned conscientious objectors, all of them Jehovah’s Witnesses.

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TURKMENISTAN, a Jehovah’s Witness falsely charged with distributing pornography | JWnews

During their detention in police custody, all three were beaten, Jehovah’s Witnesses said. Also beaten in police custody in early July was another local Jehovah’s Witness Mansur Masharipov. He was forcibly transferred to a Drug Rehabilitation Centre, and injected against his will with an unknown substance which caused partial paralysis, vomiting, fever and headaches.

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Turkmenistan • Continued arrest and imprisonment of Jehovah’s Witnesses | JWnews

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TURKMENISTAN: “If you adopt their faith I’ll tear off your head”

Police in the Turkmen city of Mary have resumed pressure on relatives, friends and members of the Protestant congregation led by former religious prisoner of conscience Pastor Ilmurad Nurliev. One police officer threatened to “tear off” the head of one of his relatives if she adopted “their faith”, Pastor Nurliev told Forum 18 News Service from Mary on 17 September.

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