Seventh-day Adventists in Turkmenistan have expressed fear of government harassment related to the investigation of a murder case in the capital, Ashgabat.
Seventh-day Adventists in Turkmenistan have expressed fear of government harassment relating to the investigation of a murder case in the capital, Ashgabat. The bodies of two children were discovered early September on the site where an Adventist Church building once stood. The church was demolished by government bulldozers two years ago, allegedly to make way for a new road, and the site has since remained vacant.
Keston News Service reported September 27 that although Adventists are not suspects, church members were being summoned for questioning, and many were concerned that “the investigation appeared to be focusing more on their beliefs than on establishing who was responsible for the children’s deaths.”
Adventist minister Pavel Fedotov, who was pastor at the destroyed church, confirmed last week that he was interviewed by police September 23, and that other church members and former members have also been called in for questioning. Police asked Fedotov to provide written testimony about church doctrines, worship practices, members, and visitors to the church.
Pavel reported October 1 that the situation seems to have eased. “Nobody is bothering us for now,” he said. “Praise the Lord, the situation has calmed down.”
Until the church’s destruction in 1999, the church had a guard present in the building at all times. When the building was demolished, the site fell into ruin and is now used as a dump. Adventists have not held church services or conducted any other activities on the site since 1999.
“The ruins of our former church building are no longer under our control,” notes Viktor Krushenitsky, public affairs and religious liberty director for the Adventist Church in Euro-Asia.
“The death of these two children is a tragic situation,” says Krushenitsky. “Our Adventist members are saddened by what happened to the children and we believe the government will do its best to find the murderer and protect innocent people.”
Since 1994, Sunni Muslims and the Russian Orthodox Church have received official favor in Turkmenistan, while other groups have faced increasing hostility from the government, led by entrenched president Saparmurat Niyazov. Beginning in 1996, Protestant Christian and other non-mainline religious groups have been required to meet stringent registration rules before being granted legal status, and most, including the Adventist Church, have been unable to comply.