Christians in Turkmenistan are paying a high price for their faith in Jesus. Among them are Pastor Ilmurad Nurliev and his family. The pastor, who has two grandchildren, was sentenced to four years in prison on October 21, which may be served in the Seydi labor camp, where other Christian leaders have also served their sentences as prisoners of conscience. There are indications that prisoners in this camp are tortured with psychotropic drugs, that is, drugs that alter their perception, consciousness, mood and behavior.
Despite these circumstances, he will pray and praise God this Christmas in prison, his wife Maya tells the news service Forum 18, co-founded by the Danish European Mission. She says that he has written hymns and songs in Russian and Turkmen. In prison he is not allowed to have a Bible, not even a copy of the New Testament. At least he knows much of the Bible by heart, says Maya, who has not seen her husband since November 30 this year.
But how is Pastor Ilmurad Nurliev guilty of the harsh sentence? The reason is that the members of the church he pastors in the town of Mary in southeastern Turkmenistan have been paying tithes, or ten percent of their income, to the church. It's a principle that Christians across denominations voluntarily practice and find justification for in both the Old and New Testaments of the Bible.
Did the police fabricate the accusations themselves?
Among other things, one of the two witnesses, Akmuradovna Gurbanova, said that she had given Pastor Nurliev money on January 1, 2010. However, a 17 December 2009 ruling seen by the Forum 18 news service shows that this witness had been given a three-year prison sentence by the same judge and in the same city for "hooliganism using weapons," a sentence she was serving while the alleged payment took place. She was granted amnesty and released on May 9, 2010. How could she have paid money to Pastor Ilmurad Nurliev while in prison? One reason for such testimony, according to observers, may be that prisoners are vulnerable to pressure from the authorities to sign police fabricated accusations. Another witness, according to Pastor Ilmurad's wife Maya, has only been to church once, on May 23, 2010, but claims to have paid tithing since January 1, 2010.
The congregation supports their pastor
While the credibility of the prosecution's witnesses can be questioned, it is worth noting that the members of the congregation publicly support their pastor, which shows great boldness in a country like Turkmenistan, where persecution of Christians is among the most severe in the world. Almost all of the members showed up in the courtroom and signed an appeal for their pastor. In addition, fellow pastors also showed great courage by appearing in the courtroom. A diplomat from the US embassy in the capital Ashgabat was not allowed to appear in the courtroom.
Sentenced to treatment for drug addiction
However, one of the most puzzling aspects of the verdict is that Pastor Ilmurad is sentenced to compulsory medical treatment for drug addiction. Before Pastor Ilmurad was saved in 1999, he was a drug addict, but when he came to faith in Jesus, he gave up drugs in just one day. He has also been a blood donor since then, as he is in a rare blood group, and a certificate confirms that he has been donating blood to pregnant mothers at a district hospital since 2008. How can a person approved as a blood donor for pregnant women be sentenced to treatment for drug abuse?
Given the inconsistent evidence against Pastor Ilmurad, as well as the erroneous treatment verdict, instead of an expression of justice, the verdict can clearly be seen as persecution. The Danish European Mission urges prayers for the pastor and his family this Christmas.
