Turkmenistan: President pardons over 2,000 prisoners
In honor of Independence Day President Gurbanguly Berdimukhamedov pardoned 2 064 prisoners. Six of them are citizens of foreign states. The corresponding decree was signed on September 20.
Our sources from the Balkan and Dashoguz velayats of the country reported that political prisoners activist Murad Dushemov and activist of the Democratic Choice of Turkmenistan movement Pikhaberdy Allaberdyev were not at their homes. It all says that this time the political prisoners were not pardoned either. We also do not know if there are other political prisoners among those pardoned. The Turkmen side does not publish the lists of prisoners included in the list of amnestied ones.
The fate of Nurgelda Khalykov, who is serving a 4-year sentence, Mansur Mingelov, who is serving a 22-year sentence, and a doctor, Khursanai Ismatullaeva, who was supposedly sentenced to 9 years in prison, is unknown. All of them are in prison on trumped-up cases.
It is known that Berdymukhamedov instructed security officials and local khyakims to deliver the pardoned to their place of residence and provide them with employment.
