most famous religious prisoner, Baptist Shageldy Atakov, BosNewsLife has learned.
The Keston Institute, which monitors religious persecution, said Thursday January 10 that Atakov (39) was freed after 3 years in prisons and labour camps, following pressure from Christians, foreign Governments and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe. In addition "the labour camps and prisons where he was held received vast numbers of letters from supporters around the world, very few of which were handed to him," Keston News Service said.
DIPLOMATS
Last May, in a deal brokered by United States diplomats, Atakov was brought to the Capital, Ashgabad, where he met the head of the political police, the KNB, the successor of the former KGB secret service. According to Keston Institute monitors, he was pressured to emigrate with his family in return for freedom. Atakov, who was forcibly treated with drugs, reportedly declined the offer and was returned to prison. The Baptist has been accused of swindling and forging documents, but congregation members say the charges were instigated to obstruct his activities with the church.
IMPRISONMENT
Atakov was arrested on December 18, 1998 in Caspian port city of Turkmenbashi, where he was sentenced to two years’ imprisonment and fined on 19 March 1999. He was retried on 4 and 5 August 1999 in the Turkmen capital Ashgabad and given the increased sentence of four years, which was cut short by his release earlier this week. But human rights activists have warned that there may be still problems ahead for the married Baptist, who was reunited on January 8 with his wife Artygul and five children in the town of Kaakhka, close to Turkmenistan’s southern border with Iran.
ABNORMAL
"There is unease because of the abnormal nature of the release," a spokesman for Russian Evangelistic Ministries told Keston News Service, pointing out that Atakov was given no release certificate and has not yet recovered his identity papers. Prison officials were quoted as telling Atakov that these would be delivered to him at his home within ten days.
Turkmenistan, a mainly Islam country of just over 4 million people, has increased its crack-down against especially non Orthodox and Muslim groups, including Baptists and other free churches. Many Christians are are reportedly faced with death threats, beatings, and evictions from their homes.
In addition several Baptist and other free churches have been raided in recent weeks by the feared religious and political police forces. Christians fear that at least one Baptist, who received death threats from the KNB, was killed late last year.
