Prisoner of faith: Pastor Ilmurad Nurliev

Pastor Nurliev has been imprisoned
since August 2010.

Pastor Ilmurad Nurliev was arrested at his home in Mary in south-eastern Turkmenistan on August 27, 2010. He was charged with extracting money from three people – an accusation his wife, Maya, and fellow church members strongly deny. During his trial, several of the witnesses against the 45-year-old pastor were coerced into testifying.

“All this is being done because of his faith,” Maya explained.

Pastor Nurliev was sentenced to four years in prison and his wife was forced to pay “compensation” immediately or risk being kicked out of their home. Pastor Nurliev was also ordered to undergo “forcible medical treatment” to “wean him off his narcotic dependency,” another claim that his wife and church members reject.

In December 2010 Pastor Nurliev was transferred to Seyi Labour Camp, known for its use of psychotropic drugs on prisoners. A former prisoner in the camp described conditions “like something from the Middle Ages.”

Instead of working in the labour camp's brick kiln, the pastor is being permitted to work at his trade as a barber, serving both prisoners and camp staff.

The pastor is a diabetic, and his family is concerned about his health while he is in prison. He has no access to medical treatment. Prison authorities have also denied him a Bible.

You can encourage Pastor Nurliev today by writing him a letter. Letters remind prisoners of faith that they are not forgotten by the Body of Christ as they suffer!

Please send your letters to:
Ilmurad Nurliev
Turkmenistan
746222 Lebap vilayet,
Seydi
uchr. LB-K/12

Please note: When writing your letter, never mention the name of the source of your information or the name of any organization such as The Voice of the Martyrs. It is not dangerous for a prisoner to receive letters from individuals, but if an organization is mentioned they may be accused of links with “foreign organizations” and receive harsher sentences. Also, please do not state anything negative about their government.

For more information on writing letters to prisoners, please visit www.persecution.net/write.htm. You can also compose a letter to Pastor Nurliev in his own language online at www.PrisonerAlert.com.