OSCE course in Turkmenistan addresses freedom of religion and belief

ASHGABAT, 29 May 2014 – International standards on freedom of religion and belief were in focus of an OSCE-organized training course that concluded in Ashgabat today.

The three-day event brought together 23 participants, including members of the Mejlis, representatives of the Council of Religious Affairs under the President of Turkmenistan and the National Institute for Democracy and Human Rights under the President of Turkmenistan, as well as officials of law-enforcement bodies.

The training course introduced participants to the major treaties and standards on freedom of religion and belief and the social, political and human context of the implementation of these instruments.

“The 2013 OSCE Ministerial Council called on participating States to fully implement OSCE commitments on the freedom of thought, conscience, religion or belief,” said Vardon Deniz Hoca, the Human Dimension Officer of the OSCE Centre in Ashgabat.

“This course is part of a project  initiated by the OSCE Centre to promote best practices related to the exercise of individuals’ rights and freedoms in the area of religion and belief.”

In their presentations, international experts from the United Kingdom addressed the theories of plural and diverse societies and the nature of religious violence and extremism. They also introduced two divergent models for managing religious rights and freedoms.

The interactive nature of the training course enabled participants to exchange their views on the relationship of human rights and religious freedoms, social cohesion in multi-faith societies and ways to prevent religious radicalization.