10.09.2020

Akhal-Teke

For all the bombastic propaganda, there is no papering over the fact that Turkmenistan is still clearly struggling with a COVID-19 problem.

The reliable flow of news about the leader of Turkmenistan’s zany antics often blinds distracted observers to the arbitrary severity of the repression over which he presides.

Consider the ways that the government is enforcing its coronavirus prevention measures.

RFE/RL’s Turkmen service, Radio Azatlyk, reported on September 1 that people in the Mary province unable to pay 60 manat ( $ 17) fines for failing to wear masks are being sent by police to pick cotton. Each violator is required to gather 20 kilograms of cotton daily.

Amendments have been made to the… >> подробнее

03.09.2020

Akhal-Teke

A secret delivery of antibody tests, more warnings about «dust,» and why cronyism will comfortably outlive COVID-19. This and more in our weekly briefing.

A plane-spotter in Munich, Germany, provoked a flurry of intrigue this week when he uploaded a picture of a Turkmenistan Airlines-owned Challenger 870.

Such sightings are useful as the plane in question, which carries the tail number EZ-B024, is not recorded on flight tracking apps as it is likely a craft used for official purposes. The plane was seen again in the same German city two days later, on August 29.

What were these mysterious flights?

Thinking out loud, Vienna-based Chronicles of Turkmenistan, which collated this information, mused that President Gurbanguly… >> подробнее

28.08.2020

The Prove They Are Alive! Campaign

The Turkmen authorities must immediately release forcibly disappeared prisoners who have served their full terms.

Today marks the International Day of the Disappeared, and the government of Turkmenistan continues to disappear people into its medieval prison system in gross violation of the country’s own legislation and in violation of international conventions and human rights standards.

The Prove They Are Alive! campaign has documented over 120 cases of enforced disappearances in the Turkmen prison system, and we believe many more cases remain undocumented.

In an even more despicable violation of human rights, a number of those who are disappeared in Turkmenistan’s prison system have not… >> подробнее