TURKMENISTAN: ANOTHER RELIGIOUS GROUP TO BE

UNCLAS ASHGABAT 001094 SIPDIS SENSITIVE SIPDIS STATE FOR SCA/CEN, DRL E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PGOV PREL PHUM KIRF TX SUBJECT: TURKMENISTAN: ANOTHER RELIGIOUS GROUP TO BE REGISTERED REF: A. ASHGABAT 1040 ¶B. ASHGABAT 1089 ¶1. Sensitive but unclassified. Not for public Internet. ¶2. (SBU) Timur Muradov, the pastor of the "Word of Life" Church, a small unregistered evangelical Christian group based in Turkmenbashy, called the Embassy October 10 to report that the Council on Religious Affairs Deputy Chairman, Nurmuhammet Gurbanov, had just told him that his church, which is an offshoot of the Turkmenabat-based "Source of Life" group that was registered just a few weeks ago (ref A), would be allowed to register as a local branch of the registered group. Just a week earlier, Muradov had told emboff that he thought his group would not be allowed to register (ref B). He was pleased with the news, which will allow his group to meet legally. ¶3. (SBU) COMMENT: While branch churches occasionally run into problems with local authorities who do not understand the somewhat complicated legal basis under which branch groups operate, this is nonetheless good news for "Word of Life." Registration as a branch affiliation will allow his group a legal basis for importing Bibles, as well as for holding worship services -- and for appealing problems with local authorities to the Council on Religious Affairs. Post will continue to work on the registration status of other groups whose cases still have not been resolved. END COMMENT. HOAGLAND