International standards of freedom of religion or belief legislation discussed at OSCE meeting in Turkmenistan

At an event organized by the OSCE in Ashgabat on 24 May 2013, experts on questions of religious freedom legislation discussed with Turkmen officials the country’s Law on Religious Freedom and Religious Organizations.

“We organized this roundtable to increase the participants’ awareness of the best international practices and legislation in the area of religious freedom,“ said Ambassador Ivo Petrov, the Head of the OSCE Centre in Ashgabat, in his opening speech. “I believe the event will improve the constructive co-operation between Turkmenistan and the OSCE in the sphere of legal reforms.”

The OSCE Centre organized the one-day roundtable meeting with the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) to present and discuss ODIHR’s comments on the Law prepared in 2010.

The event was attended by 15 representatives of Turkmenistan’s Mejlis (parliament), the Ministry of Justice, the Council for Religious Affairs, and the General Prosecutor’s Office. The participants discussed issues such as religious education; the registration and operation of religious organizations; and state control and oversight over religious organizations. 

“The main goal of the roundtable was to review the Law and identify ways to enhance its compliance with international standards and Turkmenistan’s commitments regarding freedom of religion or belief,” said Laurentiu Hadirca, the Legislative Support Officer at ODIHR.