Police officers and agents of the MSS secret police in Turkmenistan have raided members of the "Light of the East" Pentecostal church in the city of Dashoghuz. During one of the raids, members of the congregation were practicing the songs for the service the following Sunday. The authorities who carried out the raid said that "it is forbidden to sing about God here." In addition, religious literature, including people's own Bibles, was seized. One of the church members was threatened with 15 days in prison and expulsion from the country - despite being a Turkmen citizen. The church was threatened with losing its state registration, which would make it illegal. An official in the State Office for Religious Affairs, who is also an imam, told the church's pastor, Yuri Rozmetov, that the Christian faith is "wrong" and pressured him to become a Muslim.
When the news agency Forum 18 (of which the Danish European Mission is a co-founder and involved in the management of) requested a comment from the authorities by phone, they hung up as soon as they realized it was Forum 18 calling.
The level of fines applicable to punishment for exercising religious freedom has also been increased, both for individuals and religious communities. It is not only Christians who suffer from the state's increasing control over religious life. A maximum of 188 Muslims are allowed to participate in the annual pilgrimage to Mecca - and that number includes members of the secret police.
