Turkmenistan: amnestied prisoners die of COVID-19
In Turkmenistan, 2064 prisoners were pardoned on the occasion of the celebration of the 30th anniversary of the country’s independence. However, some of them did not manage to live long at large.
According to ACCA sources, in four velayats (Dashoguz, Mary, Akhal, and Balkan), 5 cases of death from coronavirus were recorded in regards to prisoners who arrived home. For the safety of the relatives and friends of the deceased, we cannot publish their names.
Our source close to the Ministry of Health said that only half of the inmates had PCR tests done, and there weren’t enough tests for all of them. Of the 1,000 tests, 127 inmates tested positive for COVID-19. ACCA also learned that 12 soldiers and 4 officers have died from COVID-19 among the soldiers of the protection of the internal troops of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Turkmenistan since the beginning of this year. There are also a large number of infected among the military personnel.
According to our sources, the most difficult situation with COVID-19 is in the colonies of Bayramali which is in Mary velayat, and the colonies of Seydi town in Lebap velayat. Also, the independent media of Turkmenistan reported about the presence of 4 infected among the released prisoners.
The authorities of Turkmenistan categorically do not recognize the presence of coronavirus in the country and in every possible way persecute those who try to talk about it and transfer information outside the country.
