Turkmenistan: authorities have imposed unofficial curfew
“At a closed meeting of the country’s government, it was decided to strengthen all security forces,” an ACCA source said.
The Ministry of National Security and the Ministry of Internal Affairs have been instructed to jointly suppress any discontent on the part of the population. Specific instructions have been given to the ministries: to introduce a curfew; to detain people after 10 pm for interrogation to find out their identity; more than 3 people cannot be gathered (from January 8, unofficially, a curfew was introduced).
Persons, who are registered with the police and who have returned from places of imprisonment, are taken under special control. They are summoned for a conversation at strong points, and they must have a passport and telephone with them. The summoned persons are forced to write statements that they have been interviewed and that if the order is disturbed, they will face prison. They also check the contents of smartphones and record phone numbers.
The Ministry of National Security has tightened control of Internet traffic, blocks any information regarding the Turkmen opposition, events in Kazakhstan, and more carefully blocks the websites of independent Turkmen media outlets.
Reinforced patrols are being taken to the streets of cities and villages. Before, the patrol group consisted of one officer and two conscripts. Now the number of soldiers has doubled, and everyone in the group has a walkie-talkie. Previously, only officers of the patrol group used radios.
