26.06.2019

turkmen.news

As Family Mark His 50th Birthday

Begench Beknazarov’s case is one of over 120 disappearances in Turkmen prisons, including of individuals linked to the “assassination case.” They have all been documented by the international campaign Prove They Are Alive!

June 11 was Begench Beknazarov’s 50th birthday. Beknazarov, a Turkmenistan Ministry of Defense officer, was sentenced in 2005 for an alleged attempt on the life of the then Turkmen president, Saparmurat Niyazov. For over 14 years his parents, siblings and children have had no news of him. Right after the events of November 2002, he went into hiding, knowing only too well what arrest would mean. At that time his youngest daughter was just one year old. Now she is 17.

Every attempt by the family to find out if he is still alive—there’s no question of a visit or sending a… >> подробнее

09.06.2019

Azat Hatamov

The state keeps a firm grip on one of the main foundations of the market – the free circulation and exchange of money, and does it unprofessionally, harming itself, private business, and ordinary people in the process, but gives an advantages to ones who has the opportunity to make unlimited exchange rates.

It claims to be the Motherland of Prosperity but Turkmenistan’s economy is in chaos and its financial system isn’t working. Many Turkmen begin their day not with a cup of coffee or journey to work, but with a trip to the shops at 6 a.m. to buy a kilo of sugar, as it may disappear from the shelves later, or to stand in line outside the bank.

“Lists”, “standing in line”, “papers”: these words have become firmly established in Turkmen vocabulary. They are essential for ordinary citizens without connections or anyone “having their back” – another expression popular today – if… >> подробнее

29.05.2019

Amy Mackinnon

Turkmenistan is so repressive it is even worse than in Soviet times, says editor Ruslan Myatiev.

Last month the Central Asian nation of Turkmenistan overtook North Korea to become most repressive media environment in the world, according to the Reporters Without Borders annual Press Freedom Index. The media watchdog described the Central Asian nation as a news “black hole” where all media is controlled by the government and where the few independent journalists working for foreign-based news sites have been harassed, arrested, and tortured. Just 15 percent of the country can get online, and even then the version of the internet they have access to is highly censored.

After the collapse… >> подробнее