Turkmen independent journalist Gurbansoltan Achilova received an official written response from the Migration Service, which states that she is not allowed to leave the country, the Chronicles of Turkmenistan reports.
It will be recalled that on March 11 of this year, Achilova was not allowed to fly from Ashgabat to Tbilisi in transit through Istanbul to attend an international seminar. A member of the Migration service declared that the journalist was forbidden to leave the country.
After that, she wrote to the Office with a request to explain the reasons for which restrictions were imposed on her movement. In the answer dated July 16 and signed by the Deputy Head of the Migration Service I. Imamberdyev, there were no specific reasons.
“We inform you that your application, received on 03.05.2019, has been studied. We also received responses concerning it from other relevant organizations. As a result, restrictions on leaving the country remain in force for you,” the letter says.
“What ‘relevant organizations’ and for what reason imposed bans on leaving were not explained,” the newspaper notes. Earlier, the Committee for the Protection of Journalists (CPJ) stood up for Soltan Achilova and demanded that the country’s authorities remove all bans on her movement.
Gurbansoltan Achilova is one of the few independent journalists who openly works in Turkmenistan. Because of her professional activities, she was subjected to repeated attacks, intimidation and threats from unknown people.
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