The UN Special Rapporteur on freedom of religion or belief, Asma Jahangir, concluded last week her trip to Turkmenistan. Although some progress has been made, there is still concern about the contents of a law from 2003 that prohibits “any activities by unregistered religious organizations.” The UN expert says that international human rights law allows for freedom of religion or belief regardless of registration status. In Turkmenistan, there is a Presidential Council for Religious Affairs, “which oversees the activities of religious organizations,” but it apparently does not inspire the confidence of all religious communities in the country. However, virtually all the people she interviewed, including unregistered religious groups, said the situation had improved since 2007.
The news report of the UN expert's findings can be found here.