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property of all those present. Many members of this community were allegedly fined
five times the minimum monthly wage;
(c)
On 9 March 2004, Olga Fedorina, another Jehovah's Witnesses, was
reportedly assaulted by police in Ashgabad. After the police allegedly burst into her
apartment and confiscated all her religious literature - a Bible, six books and a few
magazines - she was taken to the police station and forced to write an explanatory
statement dictated by the police. It was also reported that the district police officer
harassed her sexually;
(d)
On 18 March 2004, at 5.30 p.m., two people reportedly came to Suren
Gasparyan's apartment representing themselves as coming from the Niyazov District
Court of Ashgabad and required the payment of a fine of 250,000 manats. From 2000
to 2004, Suren Gasparyan was reportedly arrested some 8 to 10 times and paid a total
of approximately US$ 200 in fines imposed simply because he engaged in his
religious activity;
(e)
On 25 April 2004, officers of the National Security Ministry (NSM),
representatives of the city khyakimlik (administration) for religious affairs and
ordinary police officers reportedly raided a meeting held by members of the Hare
Krishna in a private home in a district of Mary in southern Turkmenistan. After
questioning the group for three hours, an NSM policeman allegedly threatened them
with fines, dismissal from their work and criminal charges. The Hare Krishna
devotees were then allowed to go home;
(f)
Sergey Ageyev, 23 and a new convert to Hinduism, allegedly reported
that police officers insulted him and required him to sign a statement that he never
had, does not have and will not have anything to do with this religious group in future.
He was reportedly further threatened with physical violence and criminal prosecution.
268. On 27 October 2004, the Special Rapporteur transmitted a communication to
the Government regarding members of the following religious minorities.
269. Adventists. On 11 July 2004, a ceremonial meeting to celebrate the regaining
of registration of the Adventist Church in Ashgabad, after a 7 ½-year break, had to be
abruptly cancelled after officials refused to give permission for the meeting. Four
months after receiving official registration as a religious community, it was reported
that the Adventists still could not meet together for worship. They reportedly wrote to
both the Adalat Justice Ministry and to the city administration to ask how the Church
should proceed in order to rent venues for their inaugural meeting and for services,
but they received no reply.
270. Baptists. Despite receiving its registration certificate on 25 June 2004, the
Baptist Church had not reportedly completed the registration process and had not yet
been given its official seal, needed to issue any legal documents. Although Baptist
congregations could now meet for worship in two of Turkmenistan's cities, where
they had regained prayer houses earlier sealed by the authorities to prevent worship,
the congregation in Ashgabad suffered the same restriction as the Adventists.