In Turkmenistan Jehovah’s Witness conscientious objector has faced second prosecution for continuing to refuse compulsory military service.
The human rights organization Forum-18 reports that on 11 January, 2021 a 20-year-old Jehovah’s Witness conscientious objector Ruslan Artykmuradov was convicted at a court hearing.
Judge Chemen Berdyeva of Sayat District Court sentenced Artykmuradov to a second jail term for refusing compulsory military service on grounds of conscience.He served a one-year ordinary regime jail term from August 2018 to August 2019 on the same charges.
According to the court verdict, Artykmuradov had repeatedly violated the law and was sentenced to a two-year imprisonment term.
He had told the Military Conscription Office that he was prepared to do an alternative, civilian service, but Turkmenistan does not offer this. Turkmenistan has rejected repeated United Nations calls to introduce such a service.
Jehovah’s Witnesses are conscientious objectors to military service and do not undertake any kind of activity supporting any country’s military. But they are willing to undertake an alternative, totally civilian form of service.
This is the fifth case since January 2018 when a conscientious objector has been jailed “for the same crime” after Turkmenistan resumed criminal prosecution of conscientious objectors for refusing compulsory military service.
Also in Lebap Region, Danev District Prosecutor’s Office informed four other Jehovah’s Witnesses on 30 December 2020 that criminal cases had been opened against them for refusing compulsory military service on grounds of conscience. All four had already been convicted and served sentences on the same charges.
The officials Forum-18 tried to contact by phone did not respond or put the phone down as soon as they found out the reason of the enquiry.The post In Turkmenistan Jehovah's Witness conscientious objector sentenced to a second term first appeared on Chronicles of Turkmenistan.