Watchdog

The United Nations' Human Rights Council has rejected a proposal to appoint an independent expert for Turkmenistan, reports Human Rights Tribune.

The idea for a special rapporteur on Turkmenistan's rights record was put forward by the European Union, along with Canada, Switzerland, and Uruguay.

But the 47-member body, at its session in Geneva, decided against the proposal on September 23.

Instead, the council agreed to ask the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights to grant Turkmenistan technical assistance.

Human Rights Tribune says it also urged Turkmenistan to supply information on complaints relating to arbitrary detention, torture, assassination, disappearances, and limits on freedom of the press and opposition parties.

The trial of Aimurat Khayburahmanov, a Protestant from northwestern Uzbekistan, has begun in Nukus, the capital of the Karakalpakstan region.

Khayburahmanov is charged with teaching religion without official approval, and with establishing or participating in an extremist religious organization, RFE/RL's Uzbek Service reports.

Khayburahmanov was detained on June 14. The start of his trial was delayed numerous times.

If convicted, he faces a possible sentence of between five and 15 years in prison.

According to the Forum 18 News Service, which monitors religious freedom, the Karakalpakstan autonomous region maintains a particularly harsh religious policy, with all non-state-controlled Muslim and non-Russian Orthodox activity being a criminal offense.