A/HRC/10/8/Add.4 page 8 Administrative Offences, leaders who refuse to register their communities, leaders or participants who engage in unregistered religious activity, leaders and members or registered religious organizations who conduct youth work or activity not directly related to religious worship, and those who violate the regulations on conducting religious ceremonies and processions, will face fines of between five and ten months’ minimum wages. Article 205 also provides that members or registered or unregistered religious communities who receive support from any source without recording it officially may be fined between ten to twenty months’ minimum wages and have the donation confiscated. 16. In addition, Rules for Registration of Religious Organizations were adopted in 2004. Based on the Religious Organizations Law, these rules establish the applicable registration fees; determine what documents need to be submitted by religious organizations for their registration; define with more precision the registration procedure; and address the issue of liquidation of religious organizations as well as the drafting and keeping of registration materials. 17. With regard to the issue of conscientious objection to military service, several domestic provisions are relevant. Article 45 of the Constitution provides that the defence of Turkmenistan is a sacred duty of everyone and that general military service is established for male citizens of Turkmenistan. In the Criminal Code, article 219 (1) stipulates that evasion of call-up to military service in the absence of legal grounds to an exemption from this service is punished by corrective work or imprisonment of up to 2 years. Article 219 (2)-(3) punishes those who fake illness to evade military service or who refuse to fight during a war. In addition, article 16 (3) of the Conscription and Military Service Act stipulates that those who have served two sentences for evasion are thereafter exempt from military service. 18. During her country visit the Special Rapporteur was informed by several Government officials that the Religious Organizations Law would be amended, so as to be further improved. At the time of her visit, no new draft was yet ready. She was told that amendments to the actual legislation would only be considered after the completion of reforms in the Constitution at the end of September 2008. V. RESPECT FOR FREEDOM OF RELIGION OR BELIEF A. Overview 19. While religious practice was generally discouraged during the Soviet era, there has been a tightly controlled revival of Islam since the independence of Turkmenistan. The Special Rapporteur was for instance informed that while only four mosques were operating in Turkmenistan at the time of the Soviet Union, more than four hundred mosques had been built since 1991. The redefinition of Turkmenistan’s national identity has been done through the promotion of a moderate understanding of Islam based on Turkmenistan’s national and religious traditions. 20. Although no official statistics regarding religious affiliation are available and the degree of religious observance varies widely, it is estimated that more than 90 per cent of the population are Sunni Muslims and that the Hanafi school of thought is the most influential in Turkmenistan. The Russian Orthodox Church constitutes the largest religious minority. Other religious communities include Baha’i, Baptists, Hare Krishna, Jehovah’s Witnesses, Protestants, Roman