U.S. Officials in Ashgabat Spin Human Rights Message as Oil Executives Line Up for Turkmen President

By Catherine A. Fitzpatrick

http://www.eurasianet.org/node/61323

The U.S. International Commission on Religious Freedom, a bi-partisan government advisory body, has recommended that President Obama declare Turkmenistan a "country of particular concern," due to ongoing state intrusion into religious bodies, continued support for Ruhnama, a cult book promulgated by past dictator Niyazov and still required as a course for exams, and the failure to allow groups to register.