Dozens Detained During Easter Gatherings in Turkmenistan

Several dozen Turkmen citizens who visited Balkanabat’s only Christian church to celebrate Catholic and Orthodox Easter were detained before entering the church premises, according to several eyewitnesses.

“Officers from the local branch of the Ministry of National Security (MNS) and the police, both in civilian clothes and in official uniform, carried out raids around the only Christian church in the Balkanabat region on April 5 and April 12, the days when Christians celebrate Easter,” said a local resident who spoke to Radio Azatlyk, RFE/RL’s Turkmen Service, on condition of anonymity due to fear of persecution.

According to eyewitnesses and local police sources, churchgoers at Easter gatherings were being closely watched by Turkmen police and security forces.

“The number of detainees was around 50, and they were taken away in both state and private vehicles belonging to the police and the MNS. It looked like the identities of these people had been studied in advance by the MNS,” said another resident Balkanabat, a city of about 98,000 in western Turkmenistan.

The authorities acted as though they had prior knowledge about the citizens, they added. “When Turkmen citizens who had converted to Christianity approached the church, they were not allowed inside and were taken to the police station for questioning.”

The exact religious affiliation or denomination of those detained is not clear. Some Christian groups, such as Jehovah’s Witnesses and Baptists, are banned or remain unregistered in Turkmenistan.

A source within the local police, speaking anonymously to Radio Azatlyk, said detainees were questioned about their religious choices and subjected to screening.

“They were asked questions such as: ‘Who encouraged you to convert to Christianity? Were you offered money? Why did you leave Islam?’ Their mobile phones were checked one by one,” the source in the police said. “Detainees who had a Bible with them were questioned in a separate room.”

According to the same police officer, various forms of coercion, including physical violence, pressure, and threats, were used in an attempt to make them return to Islam. Authorities also involved imams from local mosques in follow-up meetings with some of the detained individuals.

“Imams called on them to repent for Christianity and return to Islam, warning that otherwise they would burn in Hell forever,” the source said.

The only registered Christian church in Balkanabat is a Russian Orthodox parish. According to Radio Azatlyk sources, the church itself was not targeted and its Easter celebrations took place uneventfully.

“I do not know whether Easter, the main Christian holiday of the year, could create such alarm within the regime. But in Turkmenistan, police and security services monitor places where people gather. The government closely monitors all religious-related activities. The secret services play a very important role in ensuring that religion remains under strict control of the regime,” Felix Corley, editor for Forum 18 News Service, a Norway-based organization that monitors religious freedom in former Soviet states, said to RFE/RL.

Radio Azatlyk and international monitors of religious freedoms have long reported pressure on Turkmen converts from Islam to other faiths, particularly unregistered or banned religious groups.

“Whether they are Orthodox or Protestant Christians or Jehovah’s Witnesses, it makes no difference; the authorities always view Turkmen citizens who join non-Muslim religions with suspicion. But there are also concerns about those who join the Muslim community being kept under government control. Therefore, the regime monitors people in any religious community who join Muslim, Christian, or other religious movements,” Corley said.

Turkmenistan faces persistent unemployment and limited economic opportunities, particularly among younger generations. Independent observers and religious freedom reports note that some young people who join minority religious communities, including groups such as Jehovah’s Witnesses, may be drawn to social networks and community support.

Others are attracted by access to educational materials, such as language learning resources and religious literature provided freely by such groups globally.

Islam is closely tied to national identity for many ethnic Turkmens. Conversion from Islam to minority religions is viewed as socially destabilizing, potentially divisive within families and communities and a challenge to traditional norms, which propagates obedience to authorities and being grateful to them.

Turkmenistan is regularly designated as a “country of particular concern” by the US State Department and watchdog groups, placing it among the world’s most restrictive states for religious freedom.

The further fate of the detainees is unknown to Radio Azatlyk, as Turkmen authorities do not respond to inquiries from RFE/RL. They and their families remain silent out of fear of further persecution.