The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) has once again recommended that the U.S. State Department redesignate Turkmenistan as a “Country of Particular Concern” (CPC) due to systematic, ongoing, and egregious violations of religious freedom in 2024.
The USCIRF report highlights widespread and worsening violations of religious freedom in Turkmenistan, including government control over religious activities, persecution of minorities, travel restrictions, and forced compliance with state-approved religious and cultural practices. These actions continue to justify Turkmenistan’s designation as a Country of Particular Concern under the International Religious Freedom Act (IRFA).
Key findings highlighting the government control and repression:
- Severe Restrictions on Religious Activity: The government strictly controls all religious activities, particularly targeting Muslims who do not follow the state-approved version of Islam. Strict laws prohibit unregistered religious activity, with the 2016 religion law and 2015 extremism law used to suppress religious expression.
- Persecution of Religious Minorities: Christians, Protestants, and Jehovah’s Witnesses face harassment and are blocked from legal registration. In July 2024 Ministry of National Security (MNS) officials visited the home of the Protestant pastor of an unregistered church and demanded information about his relatives, whom anonymous callers subsequently threatened. In January 2024, police raided a Jehovah’s Witness home in Sakar district in Lebap, detaining and interrogating five people for eight hours.
- Travel Restrictions for Religious Reasons: The Migration Service and border officials continue blocking citizens from traveling abroad for religious purposes. In January 2024 civil rights activist Pygambergeldy Allaberdiyev was blocked from traveling to Iran for a funeral and was informed that he was banned from leaving the country for five years. A Protestant pastor was blocked from leaving Turkmenistan at the Ashgabat Airport with no explanation.
- Religious Exploitation & the Cult of Personality: Former president Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedow, under his self-declared title “Arkadag” (Protector), continues to wield influence, using religion to reinforce his personality cult. For example, authorities interfered in a wedding ceremony in Balkanabat and Turkmenbashi cities telling couples to use only Turkmen music, including songs composed by Berdimuhamedow. Similarly, during Ramadan fasting in Lebap, government employees were told to fast to honor Arkadag.
- Crackdown on Religious Expression: State employees with beards or religious head coverings were threatened with termination. Ahead of the Berdimuhamedows’ visit to Avaza, police forced men to shave their beards and women to remove hijabs, stating, “this is a thing the president doesn’t like”. In October 2024, Ashgabat police detained and interrogated women for wearing hijabs, confiscated their belongings, banned them from traveling, and instructed them to wear a “Turkmen-style” head covering instead.
