Turkmenistan afraid of philosophical discussions
Thursday, June 15, 2006
Religious Activity Leads to a Baptist’s Deportation in
Turkmenistan
By Jeremy Reynalds
Special Correspondent for ASSIST News Service
TURKMENISTAN (ANS) -- A Russian citizen has been deported
from Turkmenistan because of his religious activity.
Turkmenistan is located in Central Asia, bordering the Caspian Sea, between Iran
and Kazakhstan.
Aleksandr Frolov was reportedly deported from Turkmenistan on June 10 because of
his activities within the Baptist faith community Forum
18 News Service reported.
Frolov's deportation separates him from his wife, a Turkmen citizen, their
three-year-old son, and their five-month-old daughter at their family home in
Turkmenabad in eastern Turkmenistan.
Turkmenistan's state Migration Service, in the capital Ashgabad declined to
discuss Frolov's deportation.
"We can't respond to such questions by telephone," Forum 18 reported
an official in the agency's headquarters told the news service. An additional
call later went unanswered.
The Russian Embassy in Ashgabad also declined comment on the case, Forum 18
reported.
An individual answering the embassy switchboard told Forum 18 that such an issue
is "a consular matter," and referred the issue to the Consular
Department. However after being given the details of the case, an official of
the Consular Department, who did not give her name, refused to say what, if
anything, the Embassy would do to help Frolov.
"I am not authorized to give out such information," Forum 18 reported
the told the news service before terminating the conversation.
Forum 18 reported that local Baptists told the news service that Frolov's latest
problems began early this year, after he visited Russia. On his return via
Kazakhstan, Christian literature he was bringing back with him was confiscated
by Turkmen border guards.
On March 24, soon after his return, forum 18 reported that three Migration
Service officials, led by Senior Lieutenant Merdan Melebaev and an official of
the department that registers foreign citizens, came to Frolov's home and
confiscated his Residence Permit.
Forum 18 reported that the officials gave their reasons as Frolov's attempt to
import Christian literature, failure to notify the Migration Service of his exit
from the country, and the holding of worship services in his home. "These
three accusations were made to him verbally," Forum 18 reported Baptists
stated.
Under a new Migration Law adopted in Dec. 2005,
foreign citizens living in Turkmenistan must inform the local office of the
Migration Service where they live, and if they go abroad or travel within the
country. However, Forum 18 reported that the law does not
make clear how long such visits must last before the Migration Service
must be informed of the visit.
In addition to Frolov’s deportation, his Residence Permit was cancelled. Local
Baptists have called for prayer and appealed for Frolov to be allowed back to
his home and his family in Turkmenabad. They have also asked for the
local Baptist congregation to be allowed to hold worship services freely, for an
end to restrictions on receiving Christian literature and for believers to be
able to travel freely to visit other churches.
Frolov - who forum 18 reported has intermittently received deportation threats
in recent years - was among a number of church members fined in June 2003 after
a police raid on the Turkmenabad Baptist congregation. Although officials again
threatened him with deportation, the threat was not carried out at that time.
The raid came during a particularly intense wave of
anti-religious activity, when many Protestant, Hare Krishna and Jehovah's
Witness communities were subjected to raids, fines and other harassment (see
F18News www.forum18.org/Archive.php?article_id=91).
Forum 18 reported that Baptists also complain of the recent denial of exit
permission to local Baptist and former religious prisoner Shageldy Atakov, who
was taken a Moscow flight on May 25 by MSS secret police officers at Ashgabad
airport, shortly before departure (see F18News www.forum18.org/Archive.php?article_id=790
). The Baptists told Forum 18 that the Migration Service has still not responded
to Atakov's letter asking why he has been banned from leaving his native land.
Frolov and Atakov are both members of the Council of Baptist Churches, whose
members refuse on principle to register their congregations in any of the former
Soviet states, arguing that such registration amounts to unwarranted state
interference in their religious activity. The Baptists complain of what forum 18
said they call "unceasing persecution" in Turkmenistan.
Forum 18 reported Baptists said, “Our believers of our brotherhood there are
not allowed to conduct services peacefully, their meetings have been broken up,
those present have been fined and sometimes beaten, and several have even been
deported from the country and their homes confiscated. Those who love Christ
have tolerated this only because this has allowed them to bring salvation to
dying sinners."
Many registered and unregistered religious communities regard state registration
- made more possible as part of an alleged "liberalization" of
government policy - with great dislike, as registration brings with it
oppressive conditions (see F18News www.forum18.org/Archive.php?article_id=787
).
Forum 18 reported that at least six Baptist families were among the estimated
hundreds of Muslim, Christian, Hare Krishna and Jehovah's Witness believers
deported from Turkmenistan - mainly in the second half of the 1990s - in
retaliation for their religious activity. Almost all of these were foreign
citizens living and working in Turkmenistan legally, though at least one was a
Turkmen citizen.
The deportations are part of a long-standing policy of isolating religious
believers from their fellow brethren abroad, Forum 18 reported, which also
includes denial of entry visas to foreign citizens wishing to visit religious
communities in Turkmenistan (see F18News www.forum18.org/Archive.php?article_id=439).
ISLAMIC TURKMENISTAN and the PLAN to make (E.U.) EUROPE their CLIENT-STATE
THERE IS NOT ONE CHRISTIAN NATION ON EARTH WHERE MUSLIMS ARE PERSECUTED.
Yet in most nations where the majority of the population are Muslims, there is systematic government persecution of Christians.
NO HAY UNA NACIÓN CRISTIANA EN LA TIERRA EN DONDE PERSIGUEN A LOS MUSULMANES.
Con todo en la mayoría de las naciones donde está musulmanes la mayoría de la población, hay persecución sistemática del gobierno de cristianos.
CI NON È UNA NAZIONE CRISTIANA SU TERRA DOVE I MUSULMANI PERSECUTED. Tuttavia nella maggior parte delle nazioni dove la maggior parte della popolazione è musulmani, ci è persecution sistematico di governo dei cristiani
ER IS NIET ÉÉN CHRISTELIJKE NATIE TER WERELD WAAR MOSLIMS WORDEN VERVOLGD. Maar toch in de meeste naties waar de meerderheid van de bevolking Moslims is, is er systematische overheidsvervolging van Christenen
NÃO HÁ UMA NAÇÃO CHRISTIAN NA TERRA ONDE OS MUÇULMANOS PERSECUTED. Contudo em a maioria de nações onde a maioria da população é muçulmanos, há um persecution sistemático do governo dos cristãos.
ES GIBT NICHT EINE CHRISTLICHE NATION AUF MASSE, IN DER MOSLEMS VERFOLGT WERDEN. Dennoch in den meisten
Nationen, in denen die Majorität der Bevölkerung Moslems sind, gibt es systematische Regierung Verfolgung der Christen.
"Everyone has the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion; this right includes freedom to change his religion or belief, and freedom, either alone or in community with others and in public or private, to manifest his religion or belief in teaching, practice, worship and observance."
--Article 18 of the Universal
Declaration of
Human
Rights--
Christian Conversions - According to the Bible - Can NEVER be forced.
Any Conversion to Christianity which would be "Forced" would NOT be recognized by God. It is in
His True and KIND nature, that those who come to Him and choose to believe in Him, must come to Him OF
THEIR OWN FREE WILL.
Don't Let anyone tell you that Christians support Forced Conversions.
That is False. True Christianity is NEVER forced.
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Le conversioni cristiane - secondo la bibbia - possono MAI essere forzate. Nessuno che fossero un cristiano allineare forzerebbero o compell chiunque da diventare un cristiano contro il loro propri. Il motivo per questo è quello che agisce contro la volontà o contro l'intenzione di qualcuno sia un'azione di disrespect al dio. Alcuna conversione a christianity che sarebbe "forzato" non sarebbe riconosciuta da God. È nel suo allineare e la natura GENTILE, quella coloro che viene a lui e sceglie credere in lui, deve venire a lui della LORO PROPRIA VOLONTÀ LIBERA. Il dio cristiano è abbastanza grande capire come rispondere a coloro che decide che non desiderano conoscerle o capire. Il lavoro dei cristiani deve continuare a comunicare l'amore del dio a tutto che sia disposto a sentire parlare di esso. Molti popolano persino oggi, non desiderano sentire parlare del dio cristiano. Più specificamente, che cosa quella gente non desidera è affinchè senta parlare della bontà del dio cristiano. Quella gente è impaurita che se scoprite circa la bontà e la qualità e l'amore del dio cristiano, quello che potete desiderare per scoprirgli più circa. E quella gente è impaurita che il dio che servono sarebbe opposto a vostro scoprire la verità circa il dio di christianity che offre per sempre la vita Eterna a coloro che chiede esso e decide credere in lui e scoprire più dal libro denominato "il nuovo Testamento". Quello è il timore reale di coloro che oppone il dio cristiano. Non lasci chiunque dirvi che il supporto dei cristiani abbia forzato le conversioni. Quello è falso. Il christianity allineare non è MAI forzato
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Core Universal Rights
The right to believe, to worship and witness
The right to change one's belief or religion
The right to join together and express one's belief
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Las Derechas Del Universal De la Base
La derecha de creer, de adorar, de explicar y de atestiguar la derecha de cambiar su creencia o religión la derecha de ensamblar junto con otras y de expresar su creencia
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Diritti Dell'Universale
Di Nucleo La destra credere, adorare, spiegare e testimoniare la destra cambiare la sua credenza o religione la destra unirsi insieme ad altre ed esprimere la sua credenza
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De Universele Rechten van de kern
Het recht om en het recht te getuigen zijn geloof of godsdienst te veranderen het recht te geloven, te aanbidden, te verklaren samen met anderen toe te treden en zijn geloof uit te drukken
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중핵 보편적인 권리
자기의 신념 또는 종교를 변화하는 권리를 믿, 숭배하, 설명하, 목격하는 권리 다른 사람와 함께 결합하, 자기의 신념을 내색하는 권리
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Καθολικά δικαιώματα πυρήνων
Το δικαίωμα να θεωρηθεί, να λατρευτεί, να εξηγηθεί και να βεβαιωθεί το δικαίωμα να αλλαχτεί η πεποίθηση ή η θρησκεία κάποιου το δικαίωμα να ενώσει μαζί με άλλους και να εκφραστεί η πεποίθησή κάποιου
Stand up for Human Rights. Help Support Freedom of Speech, Freedom of thought and Freedom of Conscience - for all.