Friday, August 19, 2005
TURKMENISTAN ATTEMPTS TO
PSYCHOLOGICALLY ISOLATE CHRISTIANS
TURKMENISTAN POLICE CLAIM INDIVIDUALS MUST
“BELIEVE ALONE”
By Jeremy Reynalds
Special Correspondent for ASSIST News Service
TURKMENISTAN (ANS) - Aug 19/05-
Following a raid on a registered Baptist
church in Turkmenistan, Anti-Terrorist Branch
police summoned church leaders twice-the second time for a “more thorough
interrogation.”
The church was in the north-eastern town of Dashoguz. Forum 18 News Service
learned about the incident from unnamed sources.
Turkmenistan is located in Central Asia, bordering the Caspian Sea, between Iran
and Kazakhstan.
The interrogation took place at the 6th Department for Combating Terrorism and
Organized Crime, Forum 18 reported.
According to Forum 18, church leaders were warned that the Baptist Church's
national registration with the Adalat (Fairness or Justice) Ministry in the
capital Ashgabad is “not valid for northern Turkmenistan,”a claim that
Baptists strongly dispute
see www.forum18.org/Archive.php?article_id=623).
As unregistered religious activity is illegal in Turkmenistan, Forum 18
commented that the claim of the 6th Department (which has responsibility for
terrorism and other organized crime) implies that any organized activity by the
congregation would be considered to be illegal.
The same claim has been repeated to a variety of faith communities by other
police departments outside the capital, Forum 18 reported. Barring unregistered
religious activity breaches Turkmenistan's international
human rights commitments.
Officers warned church leaders that they had no right to hold church services or
to corporately read the Bible in the countryside, and that such activity was an
offence. They said that without registration of the congregation in Dashoguz,
the congregation cannot meet or spread its
faith.
“Individuals can only believe alone on their own at home,” Forum 18 reported
that police warned.
Forum 18 reported the news service was told that police questioning the church
leaders were unable to find Article 11 of Turkmenistan's constitution, which
reads in part, “Everyone shall have the right independently to define his
attitude toward religion, to profess any religion or not profess any either
individually or jointly with others, to profess and disseminate beliefs
associated with his attitude to religion, and to participate in the practice of
religious cults, rituals, and rites” (For the full text see the Forum 18's
Turkmenistan religious freedom survey at www.forum18.org/Archive.php?article_id=296).
According to Forum 18, police pressured the church leaders to write statements
on how they had become Christians, why they had copies of the Bible and why they
read it. They were also pressured to sign a declaration that the church would
not meet until it had obtained state registration.
“We met for worship before ‘your registration’ existed, and will continue
to meet now we have registration, even if you did not recognize it,” Forum 18
reported church leaders told the police. “And we will continue to meet in
future, as our faith does not depend on registration.”
Trouble began for the Turkmen-language Baptist congregation after an open-air
Sunday service on Aug.14 near the town.
“The church traveled out into the countryside with the aim of holding a
service outside the walls of a private flat, to praise God and read the Injil,
the Word of God,” Forum 18 reported one Baptist told the news service. “It
was a purely Turkmen service in the Turkmen language.” After the service,
church members intended to share a meal of Plov, a local rice dish, but no
sooner was the food ready than “uninvited guests appeared from nowhere.”
About ten police officers, some in uniform and some in plain clothes, questioned
the church members about what they were doing. Forum 18 reported sources told
the news agency the officers confiscated all the Turkmen-language Bibles and
hymn books owned by church members.
The officers were very interested in the children present, asking why they were
there and whether permission from their parents had been obtained. “To their
great disappointment,” one source told Forum 18, “their parents were present
with the children, as they too are believers.”
According to Forum 18, officers drew up an official report listing those present
and recording the confiscated books.
Asked by church members to identify themselves, Forum 18 reported, only three of
the ten police officers did so. They were Bahram Hasanov, head of the detective
Criminal Investigation Department for Niyazov region (which includes Dashoguz),
Orazgeldy Kurbanbaev of the 6th Department for Combating Terrorism and Organized
Crime, and local police Inspector Hairula Rahimov.
Forum 18 reported that registered Baptists in the eastern towns of Turkmenabad
(see www.forum18.org/Archive.php?article_id=535)
and Mary have also had their services attacked by police - in the latter case
anti-terrorist police - and similar claims were made in both cases that the
congregations are in fact unregistered (see www.forum18.org/Archive.php?article_id=623).
The country’s so-called 2004 “liberalization”of state religious policy, in
particular announced changes in registration policy, was greeted by some outside
observers with optimism. But many religious believers within Turkmenistan, Forum
18 reported, viewed the announcement with scepticism (see www.forum18.org/Archive.php?article_id=390).
Experience since the “liberalization” tends to confirm the view of the
sceptics, Forum 18 reported. Continued strong official pressure has been used
against registered communities of Baptists, as well as other officially
registered religious communities, such as Seventh day Adventists, Pentecostals
and Hare Krishna devotees (see www.forum18.org/Archive.php?article_id=582).
Forum 18 commented that registered congregations are pressured to honor “the
extreme cult of personality” surrounding the country's president, Saparmurat
Niyazov, who likes to be called Turkmenbashi, or Father of the Turkmens (see www.forum18.org/Archive.php?article_id=522).
Strong official pressure also continues to be used against unregistered - and de
facto illegal - communities, such as those from the Baptist Council of Churches,
whose congregations refuse on principle to register with the state authorities
in post-Soviet countries
(see www.forum18.org/Archive.php?article_id=621).
Friday, July 29, 2005
TURKMENISTAN POLICE ABUSE WOMEN AND DENY HUMAN RIGHTS
BEAT BAPTIST WITH BIBLE AND THREATEN TO HANG HER
Based on reports by Jeremy Reynalds
Special Correspondent for ASSIST News Service
TURKMENISTAN (ANS) - JULY 29/05 - Police in a Turkmenistan city raided a Bible study taking place in a private home, beat the host with her Bible and even threatened to hang her.
Local Baptists from the city of Turkmenabad, who meet together regularly at the house for
the "great crimes" of prayer and personal growth through the study of
the Philosophy of Love of Jesus - known as Bible study, alerted Forum 18 News to the situation on July 23.
Asiya Zasedatelevaya has now appealed for the return of all the Christian literature that authorities confiscated from her, Forum 18 reported. She said there is a great need for it.
Forum 18 reported that the news organization was unable to reach the city police chief to ask him the reason for the raid, confiscation and reported threats.
According to Forum 18, Zasedatelevaya said that three men burst into her apartment on the evening of July 19, two of them in civilian clothes, accompanied by the local police captain in uniform.
“Without identifying themselves or showing authorization for a search they pushed me away from the door and began a search,” Zasedatelevaya told Forum 18. She said that while the police took away all her religious literature and a Russian dictionary, they
also failed to give her a receipt for the confiscated items.
“Then they started to interrogate me, despite the fact that I’m ... unable to hear and
speak,” Forum 18 reported Zasedatelevaya said.
According to Forum 18, Zasedatelevaya said that when she refused to disclose where she had got her Christian books, one of the plain clothes men hit her over the head with her Bible, while the second hit her in the face. “The local policeman threatened to hang me,” she added. “During all this my four-year-old child was present in the flat (apartment).”
Forum 18 reported that Zasedatelevaya was then taken to the police station, where another local policeman, Durliev (first name unknown), claimed neighbors had written a statement reporting that meetings lasting two to three hours were held in her apartment.
Zasedatelevaya told Forum 18 that she regularly hosts meetings of between ten and fifteen local Baptists in her apartment each week “to study the Word of God.”
In addition to asking that her confiscated literature be returned, Zasedatelevaya also demanded that officials stop harassing people wanting to meet privately for Bible study.
According to Forum 18, Zasedatelevaya’s Baptist congregation belongs to the Baptist Council of Churches, whose congregations refuse on principle to register with the state authorities in post-Soviet countries.
Forum 18 reported that members of another Baptist congregation in Turkmenabad, who belong to the nationally-registered Baptist Union, were fined in March and two families were evicted from their hostels in punishment for meeting for worship, despite being part of a registered church. The police described the worship as “illegal,” and
stated that it would be better for the Baptists to follow Islam (see
www.forum18.org/Archive.php?article_id=535
).
The activity of registered communities remains restricted, Forum 18 reported, with officials insisting that no religious meetings can be held in private homes. According to Forum 18, “registered congregations are pressured to subscribe to the blasphemous cult of personality around the country's president, Saparmurat Niyazov” (see
www.forum18.org/Archive.php?article_id=522
).
Since Niyazov issued his July 1 call for the country to adopt one set of religious rites, stating that “we have one
[islamic] religion and unique traditions and customs, and there is no need for people to look beyond these” (see
www.forum18.org/Archive.php?article_id=614
), Forum 18 said that Deutsche Welle has reported increased pressure on religious minorities.
TURKMENISTAN: WHY DID TURKMENISTAN LIE TO THE UN?
By Felix Corley, Forum 18 News Service
Late 2004 - In their unsuccessful attempts to head off a critical resolution at the
United Nations, senior Turkmen officials have lied about the state of
religious freedom in Turkmenistan. Speaking to the Third Committee
(Social, Humanitarian and Cultural) of the UN General Assembly on 9 November,
Foreign Minister Rashid Meredov claimed that there were "no cases of
arrest or conviction on political grounds or for religious beliefs".
Three religious prisoners are known to Forum 18 News Service to be
held, and arrests continue to be made. On the day of the debate and adoption
of the resolution, 18 November, the Turkmen representative went even
further, claiming that there was "no truth to the allegations of limits on the
rights to belief, conscience or religion".
The resolution called on the General Assembly to "express its grave
concern at the continuing and serious human rights violations occurring
in Turkmenistan, in particular the persistence of a governmental policy
based on the repression of all political opposition activities, the
continuing abuse of the legal system through arbitrary detentions and imprisonment
of persons who try to exercise their freedoms of expression, assembly and
association and continued restrictions on the exercise of the freedoms
of thought, conscience, religion and belief." It also called for
"the Government of Turkmenistan to work closely with the Office of the
United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights with regard to the
areas of concern and to release immediately all prisoners of conscience," as
well as "to remove remaining restrictions on the activities of public
associations, including non-governmental organizations and in
particular human rights organizations."
Those countries speaking in the debate in favour of adopting the
resolution were the Netherlands, speaking on behalf of the entire European Union
and its other sponsor, the USA, and Brazil. The Netherlands noted that the
resolution was motivated purely by concerns about the human rights
situation on the ground, stating that "improvements on paper and good
intentions alone do not suffice" and that two previously adopted Third
Committee resolutions should be implemented by Turkmenistan (see
F18News 4 December 2003 http://www.forum18.org/Archive.php?article_id=204
).
Brazil expected that the draft "would contribute to greater progress to the
promotion and protection of human rights in Turkmenistan" and
"hoped the draft would serve as an incentive for further
progress."
The countries who spoke supporting the Turkmen government were
Pakistan, Iran, China, Burma, Uzbekistan, North Korea, Cuba, Sudan, Syria,
Algeria, Venezuela, and Belarus, whose representatives made a variety of
statements decrying what they said was the "politicization of the United Nations
human rights mechanism" and "the senselessness of these types of
selective processes" and calling for what they described as
"dialogue," and "a cooperative approach and with objectivity
and impartiality."
Despite Foreign Minister Meredov's protests that the draft resolution
was "biased" and "did not correspond to reality", the
committee adopted it on 18 November with 65 votes in
favour, 49 against
and with 56 abstentions.
In his 18 November speech to the committee, the representative claimed
that there had been "positive developments in the human rights
situation" in Turkmenistan, and added that "laws had been
adopted, and measures introduced, to register and ensure the work of
religious organisations". He claimed (wrongly) that his country had
continued to work with the United Nations and its specialised agencies,
as well as other agencies working in the humanitarian sphere. Turkmenistan
has failed to respond to repeated communications from the UN Special
Rapporteur on Freedom of Religion or Belief and to requests to visit the country
to study the religious freedom situation at first hand (see F18News 26
October
2004 http://www.forum18.org/Archive.php?article_id=439
).
False claims about its human rights record have been made by
Turkmenistan in the past. For example, in 2003 President Niyazov falsely claimed
that his country had never held religious prisoners of conscience and that
it cooperates fully with international bodies on human rights.(see F18News
24 November 2003 http://www.forum18.org/Archive.php?article_id=194
).
Questioned by Forum 18 News Service, the Secretary to the Ambassador of
the Permanent Delegation of Turkmenistan to the United Nations refused to
discuss the issue, claiming, after taking 3 minutes to consult
colleagues, that there was no diplomat available.
Although Turkmenistan did amend its religion law earlier this year to
reduce the number of adult citizens needed to register a religious
community with the Adalat (Justice) Ministry, this has not made any
real practical change in the state of religious freedom, as religious
communities mostly cannot gain registration and unregistered religious
activity is still de facto criminalised - which is against
international law. Only Sunni Muslim and Russian Orthodox communities
can register freely.
Applications from other religious communities for registration are
languishing with no response, while still more communities have decided
there is no point in even applying for registration. Among those
without registration are various Evangelical Churches, including
Pentecostals and Greater Grace, Lutherans.
Jews and Armenian Apostolic Christians have been
unable to resume their religious activity (see F18News 9 August 2004
http://www.forum18.org/Archive.php?article_id=390
).
For more background, see Forum 18's Turkmenistan religious freedom
survey
at http://www.forum18.org/Archive.php?article_id=296
A printer-friendly map of Turkmenistan is available at
http://www.nationalgeographic.com/xpeditions/atlas/index.html?Parent=asia&Rootmap=turkme
Grand
Islamic Mosque Opens in Turkmenistan to
Worshippers
Ashgabat, 23 October 2004 (nCa) --- The
largest mosque of Central Asia opened in Turkmenistan Friday evening. As
the majestic doors of the mosque slid open at dusk, the devout worshippers
stared in awe and reverence and the Ha Ha crowd that lives solely for making
mockery of Turkmenistan rubbed their hands in glee.
The tastefully designed mosque that combines the ancient and modern looks of
Islam has been built by Bouygyes, the largest construction company in the world.
The criticism it has attracted by the western media reflects the poor knowledge
of Islam and contempt for the Turkmen nation and the Turkmen people. It also
betrays the prejudice and racism that is always lurking just below the surface.
The main objection has been that quotes from Ruhnama, a spiritual and moral code
penned by Niyazov, have been inscribed on the minarets of the mosque. This,
somehow, offends the western media.
One may pause and think. Had it really been un-Islamic to display anything other
than Koranic verses on the minarets or other structures related to the mosque,
the Islamic scholars would have been the first to object to it.
Full
Story Here (More
about this website)
Turkmenistan amnesty for Islamic Holy Month of Ramadan
BBC - Oct 23/04 -
The president of the central Asian republic of Turkmenistan
has granted amnesty to about 9,000 prisoners.
The prisoners will be set free on 9 November, in what has
become an annual mass release to mark the end of the Muslim holy month of
Ramadan.
Saparmurat Niyazov made the announcement in an address on
the opening day of the annual session of the country's legislative body.
He also announced an increase in state wages and pensions.
He also unveiled plans for legislation aimed at conserving
water and introducing long-term leases of land.
The 2,500-member People's Council, as it is called,
traditionally passes all legislation proposed by Mr Niyazov, who has made
himself President for Life.
Full
Story Here
The cult of the Turkmen leader
Nov 01
The huge personality cult that surrounds Turkmenistan's President
Saparmyrat Niyazov, which already rivals that of Stalin or Mao Zedong, has been
further inflated with the unveiling of what is probably the world's largest
handmade carpet.
Turkmenbashi, or "leader of all Turkmen", is the title Mr
Niyazov adopted during his transformation from communist
leader of Soviet Turkmenistan to the independent country's president for
life.
Full
Story Here
Land to remain property of state in Turkmenistan
Oct 23/04
ASHGABAT, October 23 (Itar-Tass) -- Land in Turkmenistan will remain the property of the state, President Saparmurat Niyazov said.
Speaking at the 15th session of the parliament on Saturday, Niyazov said the state would also exercise strict control over the use of water.
Source: http:/itar-tass.com/eng/level2.html?NewsID=1381157&PageNum=0
TURKMENISTAN: `DON'T GO TO A JUDGE,' THREATENED BAPTISTS TOLD
July 21, 2001
By Felix Corley, Keston News Service
OXFORD, UK (ANS) - Five officers of Turkmenistan's secret police, the KNB
(former KGB), raided the Baptist church in the western town of Balkanabad
(formerly Nebit-Dag) during a service on 7 July, Protestant sources have told
Keston News Service.
During the raid the officers took down the name, address and place of work of
all those present and warned them not to meet again under threat of confiscation
of their church building. They also warned the Baptists not to take their case
to court, specifically mentioning the case of the Pentecostal church confiscated
in the capital Ashgabad, whose pastor Viktor Makrousov has tried - so far
unsuccessfully - to challenge the confiscation in court. `Don't go to a judge,'
the officers reportedly told the Baptists, `there will be no result.'
The raid came at 5 o'clock in the evening, exactly twelve hours after Baptist
pastor Vasily Korobov - who had been visiting Balkanabad - left to return home
to Ashgabad.
Keston has not been able to verify the reports of the raid independently. Keston
chose not to contact Pastor Korobov for fear of making his situation worse.
The Balkanabad church gained registration in 1968. A decade ago the authorities
gave them the current building - a former clinic for treating drug addicts -
`for ever' in exchange for the building they had been using previously. (The
congregation still has a copy of the letter from the authorities guaranteeing
this.)
However, following harsh amendments to Turkmenistan's religion law in 1996 which
brought in a requirement for religious communities to have 500 members before
they can apply for registration, the Baptist church lost registration (as did
all religious communities apart from those of the officially-sanctioned Muslim
Board and the Russian Orthodox Church). Although there is no provision in
published law banning religious activity without registration, the government
treats all unregistered religious activity as illegal and subject to
administrative and criminal punishments.
The Turkmen authorities have closed places of worship and religious schools,
expelled hundreds of foreigners suspected of involvement in religious activity
and confiscated some of their property, imprisoned religious activists, deprived
active believers of their jobs, denied exit visas to active believers, banned
the import or public sale of most religious literature, demolished a number of
places of worship (including those of the Adventist, Muslim and Hare Krishna
faiths) and confiscated other places of worship.
Turkmen President Saparmurat Niyazov has recently begun a new campaign to crush
Islamic schools which, he complained in late June, were `unreasonably
expanding', particularly in the northern Tashauz region close to the border with
Uzbekistan. He instructed the government's Gengeshi (Council) for Religious
Affairs to sort out this `unreasoned expansion' which, he said, was happening
`without an obvious need for more religious schools'. Niyazov claimed that `in
Turkmenistan religion is separated from the state and in principle we have
nothing against spiritual education'.
The biggest casualty of this new drive is the madrassah (Islamic school) in
Tashauz, which Niyazov ordered closed in mid-June. `[Chief mufti] Nasrullah
Ibn-Ibbadulah has a madrassah in Tashauz where some of his relatives are
working,' Niyazov complained in remarks broadcast on state television on 25
June. `Last week, I summoned him and told him to close down his madrassah. I
told him: "If I don't order you to close it down, you will not do it. Even
a mufti should not infringe laws or consider himself to be above others. People
are watching you. You must be an example. You must be humble and
faithful."'
Yagshymurad Atamuradov, the chairman of the Gengeshi for Religious Affairs,
later declared that, in keeping with Niyazov's order, the Tashauz school would
not admit young people this year. He added that religious students would instead
attend a government-approved madrassah in Ashgabad.
Officials contacted by Keston have repeatedly declined to discuss Turkmenistan's
policy of controlling and crushing religious activity.
Turkmenistan: Observers Say Upcoming
Elections 'Are Elections In Name Only'
 |
| Saparmurat Niyazov (file
photo) |
|
Dec 16/04- Rferl - Turkmenistan is holding
parliamentary elections on 19 December. Some 140 candidates are running for 50
seats in the Turkmen parliament, or Mejlis. Turkmen officials say the
elections will be free and fair, but foreign observers and members of the
opposition believe that is highly unlikely. President Saparmurat Niyazov makes
all political decisions in the country, and only one political party, the
Democratic Party of Turkmenistan, is allowed to function.
Prague, 16 December 2004 (RFE/RL)
-- What type of tobacco to use. What kind of theaters to attend. Which
newspapers to read. How many doctors the nation needs. These questions are
among the many that Turkmen President Saparmurat Niyazov decides for his
nation's people.
Niyazov -- who calls himself Turkmenbashi, or "Father of All
Turkmen" -- also makes decisions about which candidates can run for seats
in parliament.
In a televised speech last week, Niyazov instructed members of the Central
Election Commission on the documents needed by every candidate nominated to
run for the Mejlis, and pointed out how their CVs should be written.
Niyazov also spoke about the skills that members of parliament must possess.
"They should be very educated and intelligent people. Don't include
people who are not known to us," he said. "Let's have different
candidates. We need lawyers who can write laws and people who can defend the
reputation of Turkmenistan in international organizations."
But opposition leaders say that, despite Niyazov's appeal, intelligence and
superior qualifications are unlikely to make much difference, since parliament
has a nominal role in the governance of the country and all decisions are
ultimately made by Niyazov himself.
Khudaiberdy Orazov is a former prime minister of Turkmenistan and a founder of
the Watan (Fatherland) opposition movement. "Those 50 [members of
parliament] just receive their salaries. They don't consider any documents or
laws. The presidential administration works out all legislative acts, and then
Niyazov signs them. Signed documents are then sent to the Mejlis. Everything
works according to Niyazov's orders," Orazov said.
International observers, as well as voters, have expressed little interest in
the 19 December elections, knowing that the polls will have no impact on
political life in Turkmenistan.
Erika Dailey, the director of the Turkmenistan Project of the Open Society
Institute (OSI), said the OSI does not take Turkmen elections seriously.
"The elections are elections in name only. Clearly, there is no exercise
of any political opinion in this elections," she said. "Even though
there are approximately -- slightly over -- two candidates for each of the 50
positions in the Mejlis, there is only one party. There is only one platform.
And the environment of fear means that the candidates really are not in any
meaningful way different from one another. So the process of election is very
much as it was during the Soviet period. It's simply a pretension of
democracy."
The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe had expressed interest
in observing the vote. But in September, the organization's Office for
Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) was refused entry after it
attempted to send an assessment mission to Turkmenistan.
ODIHR spokeswoman Urdur Gunnarsdottir told RFE/RL: "We asked for visas to
be able to look into the issue and then decide whether we should have an
observation [mission]. But we've not been able to go to Turkmenistan to talk
to the people that we need to talk. We need to get a picture of the situation
before we decide. And we have not been able to do that because we were not
issued visas."
"As in Soviet times, people will feel the need
to go and vote because of pressure at the workplace or pressure by neighbors
and family, in order not to seem disloyal to the government."
Turkmenistan's Central Election Commission recently announced that foreign
observers may apply for permission to monitor the elections, but notes that no
special invitations have been sent to international organizations.
Turkmen officials say they are ready to demonstrate that the elections will be
free and fair. Some 200 national observers will monitor the polling. Interfax
quoted officials from the Central Election Commission as saying the observers
will represent the Democratic Party of Turkmenistan, as well as some civic
organizations, such as the Youth League and the Union of Women.
Turkmenistan's constitution was amended in 2003 to stipulate that the 50-seat
Mejlis is part of the Halk Maslahaty (People's Council), a supreme legislative
body led by Niyazov. The constitution says the 2,450 members of the Halk
Maslahaty are appointed by the president. The only registered political party
is the Democratic Party of Turkmenistan.
Niyazov admits the Turkmen political system is unique. "Our parliament
dramatically differs from [the parliaments] of other countries of the
world," he said. "According to the constitution, the Halk Maslahaty
has been the main legislature so far. parliament only writes laws for the Halk
Maslahaty [to approve]. This is the job [of members of parliament]."
Parliamentary elections were last held in Turkmenistan in December 1999. At
that time, officials declared that 99.6 percent of voters had cast ballots.
Independent observers said the actual turnout was much lower.
The OSI's Erika Dailey told RFE/RL that a "fear factor" is at work
in Turkmenistan's elections. "Certainly, there are many who understand
that this is an empty exercise and that there is no point in casting a
vote," she said. "But as in Soviet times, people will feel the need
to go and vote because of pressure at the workplace or pressure by neighbors
and family, in order not to seem disloyal to the government."
If international observers and Turkmen voters realize that the elections are a
farce, why does Niyazov even bother? Dailey said the polls at least give the
appearance that Turkmenistan is something other than an outright dictatorship.
"[The election] makes it different from some dictatorships. Not all
dictatorships care. In this case, the government of Turkmenistan does care, in
part, because it allows them to make excuses to the international community
about their compliance with principles of democracy and human rights
norms," Dailey said.
To support this pretension, observers note that voters have more candidates to
choose from on the ballot papers in this election and that many of the
candidates supposedly represent citizen's committees rather than the
Democratic Party of Turkmenistan.
Copyright (c) 2004/05. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.
www.rferl.org
(Rozynazar Khoudaiberdiev of RFE/RL's Turkmen Service contributed to this
report.)
Turkmenistan: 10 Years Later, Ashgabat
More Affluent, But Poisoned By 'Atmosphere Of Political Repression'
Turkmenistan has been called the "hermit
kingdom" and the North Korea of Central Asia. Foreigners are watched when
they enter the country, and the Turkmen government goes to great lengths to
keep foreign media from reaching its people. Many businessmen visit
Turkmenistan, as the country is rich in oil and natural gas, but few people
visit as tourists, and fewer yet have visited more than once. Gregory Gleason
is an expert on Central Asian affairs. He is also one of the few people who
spent a lot of time in Turkmenistan during the first years after the country
became independent. Gleason just returned from Turkmenistan after more than 10
years away. He spoke with RFE/RL about the changes he witnessed.
Prague, 12 November 2004 (RFE/RL)
-- The Turkmen capital, Ashgabat, and the city of Albuquerque, New Mexico, are
sister cities. The Turkmen government extended an invitation to officials in
Albuquerque to attend celebrations marking the country's 13th year of
independence on 27 October.
Gregory Gleason, a professor of political science and public administration at
the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque, accompanied the city delegation
to Turkmenistan and spent about two weeks in Ashgabat. He returned to the
United States on 6 November.
It was not Gleason's first trip to Turkmenistan. His last visit was in 1993,
his most memorable in December 1991.
"I recall vividly just by chance being in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, as the
Soviet Union was disintegrating in December 1991, sitting around the floor
with my Turkmen colleagues, my friends who were scholars and officials in the
Turkmenistan government at the time. And I recall the sense of euphoria at
becoming an independent country and the sense of great uncertainty about what
the future would hold for Turkmenistan as an independent country,"
Gleason said.
"One of the other things that's striking is the improvement in the
material standards of many of the people who live in Ashgabat."
At the time, Turkmen President Saparmurat Niyazov promised that he would turn
the country into a second Kuwait. Things haven't worked out that way. While
much of the country's oil and gas wealth has been sunk into grandiose public
works projects, ordinary Turkmen have seen little real improvement in their
lives. The government has drastically cut many social services and spending on
education.
According to human rights and media freedom organizations, Turkmenistan has
one of the most repressive governments in the world. A recently released
report from the Paris-based Reporters Without Borders, for example, lists
Turkmenistan as one of the worst countries in the world in terms of media
freedom, ranking it 164th out of 167 nations.
Gleason says the appearance of the capital has changed dramatically since his
last visit.
"The contrasts [between the early 1990s and now] are striking. One thing,
it's the capital of a country that's undergone significant transformation in
terms of its physical features. Ashgabat is now home to a number of
magnificent public buildings -- the buildings of the ministries in particular.
In addition to a number of quite beautiful mosques and public museums, the
roads are without question some the best I've seen, and there's quite a lot of
new housing construction that's going up. So, the physical features of
Ashgabat are certainly an impressive sight," Gleason said.
Gleason says many residents of Ashgabat -- a city of some 700,000 -- appear to
be better off than they were a decade ago.
"One of the other things that's striking is the improvement in the
material standards of many of the people who live in Ashgabat. It's very clear
that people who lived in the city 15 years ago, 10 years ago, and who
experienced at that time a great deal of deprivation have undergone a
transformation. There's a very marked increase in the number of consumer goods
available in stores," Gleason said
Gleason points out that these improvements are not the result of market
reforms, however:
"There's criticism, of course, that this is simply a populist technique
that's designed to satisfy mere acquisitiveness on the part of individuals and
that the government thereby can basically purchase the political support of
many of the population," Gleason said.
Gleason cautions against inferring too much from the fact that the material
situation of some Ashgabat residents has improved.
"The political situation in the country obviously strikes a sharp
contrast with the material situation. Although the material situation has
improved markedly, the political situation clearly has deteriorated in the
respect that the country has a human rights situation that merits close
international attention," Gleason said.
Gleason says this is clearly seen in the attitude of Ashgabat residents. He
says that while people were friendly and curious, candid conversations were
difficult.
"There is a sense, an atmosphere of political repression, that I think
prevents people from speaking openly with respect to the government, with
respect to their feelings as to how the government is organized and
operates," Gleason said.
Gleason says it is vital for the international community to pay attention to
Turkmenistan and to pressure the government to implement badly needed reforms.
He also notes that the question of succession is crucial, as Niyazov's sudden
death could spark widespread turmoil, as groups inside the country and
opposition figures in exile compete for power.
Gleason says Turkmenistan is a moderate Islamic state in a volatile region.
Ensuring the stability of future Turkmen governments is in the interest of the
world community
Copyright (c) 2004/05. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.
www.rferl.org
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THERE IS NOT ONE CHRISTIAN NATION ON EARTH WHERE MUSLIMS ARE PERSECUTED.
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"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."
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