Zhenya Primary source

Title:
U.S. SENATOR SAM BROWNBACK (R-KS) HOLDS A HEARING ON RELIGIOUS FREEDOM IN UZBEKISTAN AND TURKMENISTAN

Source: FDCH Political Transcripts; 12/14/2005

Authors:
U.S. SENATOR SAM BROWNBACK (R-KS)CHAIRMAN

Committee Name:
U.S. COMMISSION ON SECURITY AND COOPERATION IN EUROPE, HELSINKI

Place of Event:
WASHINGTON, D.C.

Accession Number:
32V3233530050

Persistent link to this record (Permalink):
http://http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=mih&AN=32V3233530050&site=src-live

Database: Middle Search Plus

Form 18's new service name comes from article 18 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. I think it is worthwhile to read that out, because that is one of the basic benchmarks against which one should consider the performance of the governments of Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan. It reads: everyone has the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion. This right includes freedom to change his religion or belief, and freedom, either alone or in community with others, and in public or private, to manifest his religion or belief in teaching, practice, worship and observance."
The governments of Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan in virtue of their membership in the OSCE, are also committed to observe the Helsinki Final Act of 1975. This states the binding importance of, and I quote, respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms, including the freedom of thought, conscience, religion or belief." The governments, I repeat, have freely agreed to actually observe and commit themselves to fulfill those commitments. These commitments recognize that freedom of religion or belief is a litmus test of the state of human rights in any society, embracing as it does freedom of speech and association, freedom to promote one's beliefs, freedom to change one's beliefs, freedom to think differently, freedom of the media, and so on.
We had a rather dramatic demonstration of this in August in Uzbekistan when our correspondent, Igor Rotar, was detained by the Uzbek government. When Igor asked on what charges he was being detained, then he was asked to guess what he should be detained under. And so he started to make some guesses. Then the officials said to him, just say yes or no."
This illustrates that when one considers Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan, one is not considering states where the rule of law can be said to apply. We are looking at states where it is instead the whim of the government. Both these states have agreed to observe the international human rights standards, I have observed, and others, and they have agreed to do so repeatedly, and all of these states break them. So implementation and how we can actually pressure such governments to implement the commitments that they have freely made is a key issue, not least because it is the citizens of these countries, as we have so graphically heard just now, who bear the consequences of their own government's lack of good faith.
My colleague Felix Corley will now pick out some major issues that affect both Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan. They are just some of the major issues. We hope that more will appear in questions and answers. We would also encourage you to actually seek more detail in the question and answer session that will follow.

This source is a disscussion about religious freedoms in Uzbekistan and turkmenistan. (Turkmenistan~s Constitution declares religious freedom) Anonimus tells the story about his or her expirience in 1994, when Turkmenistan just got Independence. This person who had Christian believes started to atend the Church abnd got in trouble.