10 May 2021
Felix Corley, Forum 18
All 16 known jailed conscientious objectors were freed under amnesty on 8 May. The 16 – all Jehovah s Witnesses – were serving terms of one to four years. However, no Muslims jailed for exercising freedom of religion or belief are known to have been amnestied. Nor has the regime given any indication that it will heed repeated UN calls to introduce a civilian alternative to compulsory military service, though Jehovah s Witnesses say no new criminal cases against conscientious objectors have been handed to prosecutors. Forum 18 was unable to reach any officials.
In a surprise move, the regime freed from prison on 8 May all 16 of Turkmenistan s known jailed conscientious objectors in a prisoner amnesty. The 16 – all of them Jehovah s Witnesses – were serving jail terms of between one and four years. They are among the very few prisoners of conscience - including political prisoners - ever to be freed in the regular prisoner amnesties. No Mus
15 February 2021
Felix Corley, Forum 18
A court in Lebap Region jailed 20-year-old Jehovah s Witness conscientious objector Nazar Alliyev for one year for refusing compulsory military service. He is the seventh to be jailed in 2021 so far and joins 14 other jailed conscientious objectors (9 of them serving second sentences). We deeply regret the criminalization of conscientious objection, four UN human rights Special Procedures wrote to the Turkmen government in December 2020, adding that Turkmenistan must provide meaningful alternative service . The regime has not responded to the UN.
On 10 February, a court in the eastern Lebap Region jailed 20-year-old Jehovah s Witness conscientious objector Nazar Alliyev for one year for refusing compulsory military service. He is the seventh conscientious objector known to have been jailed so far in 2021. All had offered to perform an alternative civilian service, but Turkmenistan does not offer this. Turkmenistan has rejected repeated Un