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Today's Christian, November/December 2007
Turkmenistan: Crackdown on Christians
A Baptist church leader was sentenced to three years in a labor camp after crossing the border—but in a welcome postscript, is later released from prison.
By Jerry Dykstra
Vyacheslav Kalataevsky, a Baptist church leader from the city of Turkmenbashi on the Caspian Sea, was arrested on March 12, 2007, by Turkmenistan's secret police. Two days later he was charged with illegally crossing the border in 2001. This spring he was sentenced to three years in a labor camp, according to Forum 18 News.
Kalataevsky, who holds a Ukranian passport, was deported to Kazakhstan in 2001, when the government exiled many foreign citizens who were active in religion. The original decision stated that he was being deported for "violating the law of Turkmenistan on religious organization by establishing a prayer house and by organizing Baptist meetings."
He was taken across the border without any documents or money and had to live on the streets in Kazakhstan. Soon he was told by the Kazakh authorities to leave the country within 24 hours if he didn't want trouble. His family was still in Turkmenistan, so Kalataevsky decided to go back home.
Six years later, the Ministry of State Security decided to open the case against him. According to the family, it was done to punish Kalataevsky for his ongoing religious activity.
Many Turkmen hoped for a change in society—especially freedom to worship without harassment—when President Sapamurad Niyazov suddenly died on December 21, 2006. On February 11, 2007, Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov was elected as the new president of Turkmenistan, whose 5 million people are mostly Sunni Muslims.
Berdymukhamedov promised reforms, but according to Forum 18 News, many Christians think "the bad times are coming back" due to the recent crackdown on Turkmenistan's Protestants. Christians regularly experience raids on their churches or home groups, as well as confiscation of literature and other materials.
There are approximately 2,000 indigenous Christians in Turkmenistan. Although church growth has stabilized over the last four or five years, the number of believers continues to increase steadily.
Persecution Report is presented in cooperation with Open Doors USA, which serves the Persecuted Church through training, Bible distribution, and community development. For more information, call 1-888-5-BIBLE-5 or visit www.odusa.org.
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Pray for:
• Vyacheslav Kalataevsky, moved to a harsher Seydi Labor Camp in late June.
• His wife Valentina as she struggles with asthma and caring for five children on her own.
• The church in Turkmenbashi and in other places in Turkmenistan as believers experience a new wave of persecution.
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Update:
On Nov. 6, one month after being amnestied, Kalataevsky was freed from a detention center in the capital Ashgabad and was allowed to join family members who live in the city. "My wife Valentina wrote an official statement that I will not violate the law," Kalataevsky told Forum 18 News Service. "She took the responsibility on herself." He said no restrictions on his movement or other conditions were imposed. "I want to offer my heartfelt thanks to all who supported me and my family during my imprisonment." Asked about his health in the wake of his eight months in prison, Kalataevsky responded: "God strengthened me physically."
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Copyright © 2007 by the author or Christianity Today International/Today's Christian magazine.
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November/December 2007, Vol. 45, No. 6, page 53
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