Turkmenistan: allegations of high treason for demanding lower flour prices
Representatives of the authorities, police and special services visit the homes of women participating in the protest, and threaten to put them in prison, accusing them of high treason.
On April 3, about 40 women in the suburban areas of the city of Mary spontaneously blocked the Mary-Ashgabat highway, after which they went to the regional administration of Mary region with a demand to provide with flour and basic foodstuffs. Women were outraged that during about 3 months they could not buy flour and food at state prices in stores. Flour costs 500 manats for 1 bag in the bazaar, and the average salary is 1000 manats in Turkmenistan. The demands of women came down to the fact that there was nothing to feed the children and the state should resume selling products at the state price for low-income families.
They brought flour to the administration and distributed 2 kg for each. Happy women went home. Since Wednesday, April 8, families of protesting women began to be visited by the police in the person of local district police officers. The most active of them were visited by a delegation and threatened to inflict reprisal on the whole family. One of the participants in the picket told ACCA about the specific threats from officials.
In the afternoon, the city administration’s representatives came to her home with the officers of the National Security Committee and the police. At first she was threatened with a fine and dismissal from work, and when the threats failed, she was threatened with deprivation of parental rights and sending children to an orphanage.
“I replied that they can take the children to the orphanage right now, because in the morning they ate the last bread prepared from those 2 kg of flour and again there is nothing to eat at home. And at the orphanage, the children will be full and dressed,” the woman said. “After that, the policeman began to threaten to send the whole family to jail, and they would find the article for each family member individually.”
After these words, the woman could not stand the nerves, and she fell into hysteria, began to cry, shouted at the officials and began to drive them out of the house. One of the National Security officers hit the woman in the face several times, threw her on the floor with force and said that if she went on a picket again or came to ask for flour for the children, she would disappear from the earth with her poor family, adding that criminal proceedings will be brought against her and members of her family, accusing her of high treason and attempted coup d’etat.
