VZCZCXRO6378
RR RUEHDBU RUEHFL RUEHLA RUEHMRE RUEHROV RUEHSR
DE RUEHAH #1136/01 3051417
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
R 011417Z NOV 06
FM AMEMBASSY ASHGABAT
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 7962
INFO RUCNCIS/CIS COLLECTIVE
RUCNOSC/OSCE POST COLLECTIVE
RUEHIL/AMEMBASSY ISLAMABAD 1682
RUEHBUL/AMEMBASSY KABUL 0423
RUEHNE/AMEMBASSY NEW DELHI 0484
RHEFDIA/DIA WASHINGTON DC//DHO-2/REA/NMJIC-J2//
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHINGTON DC
RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK 0432
RUEKJCS/JOINT STAFF WASHINGTON DC//J5/RUE//

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 ASHGABAT 001136 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR SCA/CEN (PERRY) 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/01/2016 
TAGS: PHUM KIRF PREL PGOV TX
SUBJECT: UNREGISTERED JEHOVAH'S WITNESSES IN TURKMENISTAN 
PLAYING A DANGEROUS GAME 
 
 
Classified By: Charge d'Affaires Jennifer L. Brush for reasons 1.4 
(B) and (D). 
 
SUMMARY 
-------- 
 
¶1.  (SBU) Jehovah's Witnesses remains one of the larger 
unregistered minority religious congregations in Turkmenistan. 
This is largely by the church's choice:  Jehovah's Witnesses 
is making a meeting with President Niyazov for overseas 
Jehovah's Witness leaders a prerequisite for submitting its 
application.  The authorities have not yet agreed to this 
requirement, nor are they likely to do so in future. 
Meanwhile, although two congregants were detained for three 
days over the weekend of October 28 (they were released 
Monday, October 30, several hours after embassy brought their 
detention to the notice of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs), 
lengthy detentions and detentions involving physical 
harassment have become the exception over the last year. 
And, though officials threaten congregants with internal 
exile, there have not been any cases of this threat being 
carried out.  Post believes that Jehovah's Witnesses may be 
playing a dangerous game, since there remain strict 
penalties for non-registration, but given the current 
relaxed atmosphere, Jehovah's Witnesses may believe that 
they have most of what they need to worship, less the control 
that registration gives the government over their activities. 
 
End Summary. 
 
JEHOVAH'S WITNESSES MAKE NIYAZOV MEETING A PREREQUISITE 
FOR REGISTRATION 
--------------------------------------------- ---------- 
 
¶2.  (SBU) The Jehovah's Witness church has not yet submitted 
its registration application to Turkmenistan's Ministry of 
Justice, the organ responsible for registering minority 
religious groups.  According Andrei Zhbanov (please protect), 
a Jehovah's Witness leader and long-time embassy contact, 
although the application has been completed for some time, 
the group has decided not to submit it until after the 
Government of Turkmenistan has approved visas for church 
leaders based in the United States to come to Turkmenistan 
and meet with President Niyazov "to discuss the benefits of 
registration."  (Comment:  We have been led to believe that 
this requirement is coming from U.S.-based leaders, rather 
than church members here.  End Comment.)  Although the 
request has been made, for over two years the Government 
of Turkmenistan has refused to agree to this requirement 
and is unlikely to do so in future.  Meanwhile, meetings 
of unregistered groups remain a civil offense. 
 
TWO JEHOVAH'S WITNESSES RELEASED AFTER THREE DAYS' DETENTION 
--------------------------------------------- --------------- 
 
¶3.  (SBU) Notwithstanding the fact that Jehovah's 
Witnesses remains unregistered, however, Zhbanov has 
reported a general relaxation of official harassment 
against congregants. Two Jehovah's Witness congregants, 
Andrey Pomerantsev and his wife, Orungul Umirova, were 
detained by the police October 28-30 after they were 
caught preaching in public.  Yet, the couple was quickly 
released without any charges or fines hours after the 
embassy, acting on information received from Zhbanov on 
October 30, sent in a diplomatic note inquiring about the 
circumstances surrounding the couple's detention.  And, in 
fact, Zhbanov reported that detentions of more than a few 
hours -- and beatings and other forms of physical harassment 
while individuals are in detention -- have become rare in 
the last year.  (Comment:  The couple's prolonged detention 
may have been due to the fact they were detained during the 
15th anniversary celebration of Turkmenistan's independence, 
when most officials were tied up with the ceremonies.  End 
Comment.)  Zhbanov attributed the relaxation to the 
government's recognition that the United States is following 
the treatment of Jehovah's Witnesses here closely and its 
desire to avoid a spat on this issue. 
 
¶4.  (SBU) Zhbanov also indicated that the police continue to 
call in Jehovah's Witness congregants individually -- 
 
ASHGABAT 00001136  002 OF 002 
 
 
particularly ethnic Turkmen.  While in detention, congregants 
were questioned about their reasons for "turning their backs 
on their heritage" and joining the Jehovah's Witness Church; 
many also were threatened with internal exile in 
Turkmenistan's most difficult regions.  However, to date 
there have been no cases of Jehovah's Witnesses being sent 
into internal exile. 
 
COMMENT 
------- 
 
¶5.  (C) Registration has come as a mixed blessing for those 
religious groups that have registered:  although congregants 
are allowed to worship openly in larger groups and face less 
harassment, the religious groups have had to accept much more 
scrutiny of their membership rolls, and stronger government 
oversight and control over their activities.  Some groups, 
including the Jehovah's Witnesses, have refused to register 
for that reason.  Yet Jehovah's Witnesses may be playing a 
dangerous game.  Given the current relatively relaxed 
atmosphere regarding religious freedom, Jehovah's Witnesses 
may have less motivation to go forward with registration, 
believing that they already have most of what they need to 
worship, less the government control.  However, with tough 
laws against unregistered religious group activity still on 
the books, staying unregistered under the pretext of waiting 
for visas for their headquarters representatives, is ill 
advised. 
BRUSH