E/CN.4/2006/5/Add.1 Page 78 Human Rights Committee, which stressed, in paragraph 11 of its General Comment 22 that although the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights does not explicitly refer to a right to conscientious objection, the Committee believes that such a right can be derived from article 18, inasmuch as the obligation to use lethal force may seriously conflict with the freedom of conscience and the right to manifest one’s religion or belief. Turkmenistan Communication sent on 17 March 2005 365. The Special Rapporteur addressed several situations in this communication. 366. The following situations involving Jehovah’s Witnesses had been brought to her attention: on 8 September 2004, Gulzhemal Allagulyyeva a Jehovah's Witness from the Khojamb district of Turkmenabad region was fined 1,250,000 manats allegedly because of her religious activities. She was reportedly forced to sign a statement that she would stop sharing her faith with others. Reports indicated that an officer of the NSM secret police and two officers of the police's 6th department, which deals with terrorism, were present at the administrative commission. 367. In the evening of 29 September 2004, Altyn Jorayeva, a Jehovah's Witness from Seydi, and her three children aged 6, 7 and 8 were visiting fellow believer Babakuly Yakubov in the village of Khojakenepsi in Farab district. Three other Jehovah's Witnesses, namely Shukurjan Khatamova, Rozyzhan Charyyev, and Oguldurdy Altybayeva were also reportedly present. Four policemen suddenly entered the apartment without producing any personal identification documents. Deputy police chief Akhmetjan Alymov and Serdar Khuseynov searched the apartment for religious literature and confiscated what they could find. Ms. Jorayeva and her children were taken to the police station where the Chief of police, Mr. Khemrayev interrogated her in an alleged verbally abusive manner. As a consequence of threats and intimidation, her children were forced to utter the oath of loyalty to President Saparmurat Niyazov as well as to recite verses to him. The family was released shortly before midnight. 368. On 13 October 2004, Mr. Yakubov and Mr. Khatamova, who were also present during the above-mentioned raid, were summoned to the hyakimlik's administrative commission and each fined 2,500,000 manats. The chairman of the commission, Berdyyev, reportedly ordered hyakimlik official Abdull Charyyev to have Mr. Yakubov dismissed from his work. 369. On 19 October 2004, officers of the hyakimlik of Ashgabad's Azatlyk district forcibly took Vladimir Rodionov, an underage boy, from school to the hyakimlik. Without notifying his mother, Tatyana Rodionova, Vladimir was intensively interrogated and threatened in an alleged attempt to obtain the addresses of his mother's fellow believers. He was forced to sign a statement that he would not attend any more Jehovah's Witness meetings with his mother. 370. On 2 November 2004, the police arrested Amangozel Atageldiyeva, Gulshirin Atageldiyeva, Ayjemal Khummedova and Maysa Annagylyjova in the