Turkmenistan: repression against civil society activists became worse

Turkmen media reported that the authorities have stepped up its crackdown on citizens for browsing opposition sites and using VPN servers to bypass blocking of relevant sites.

The pressure was increased against the relatives of activists and oppositionists. People are constantly summoned for interrogations, threatened with arrests and long prison terms, and some people are beaten and inhumanly treated by the security forces. Some of the oppositionists’ relatives are under surveillance and wiretapping of telephone conversations twenty-four-hour; the most active ones are prosecuted and imprisoned on trumped-up charges.

People are being interrogated by the police and local branches of the Ministry of Homeland Security. According to the victims, interrogations can last for 8-9 hours without a break. People are not even allowed to go to the toilet.

The special services of Turkmenistan control almost all Internet traffic and every year they are improving technologies for controlling Internet users. There is an active recruitment of schoolchildren, students, public sector employees and IT specialists to install software. The special services are especially strict with those who directly transmit information abroad and are in active correspondence with opposition websites.

A striking example is the situation of a resident of Ashgabat, Nurgeldy Khalykov, who was sentenced to 4 years in prison for sending a photo of WHO representatives. Nurgeldy Khalykov was convicted in a fabricated fraud case. A statement against Khalykov was written by his friend, accusing him of non-repayment of his debt in the amount of $ 5,000.

Another activist, Pigambergeldy Allaberdyev, was sent to jail for 6 years in September this year. As part of a fabricated case, he was accused of hooliganism and deliberate harm to health of moderate severity. In fact, Allaberdiyev was imprisoned for communication with the opposition and dissent.

Over the past year, the civil and opposition movement in Turkmenistan has significantly intensified. Citizens of Turkmenistan, who are living abroad, organize mass protests and openly express their civic and political positions on social networks.