17.01.2019

Bruce Pannier

Turkmen authorities and President Berdymukhammedov probably wish many things were different about the reality they now face...

April will mark 10 years since a mysterious explosion at a gas pipeline leading from Turkmenistan to Russia.

It was arguably the low point in already uneasy relations between Ashgabat and Moscow. In the years that followed the blast, Turkmen-Russian ties were maintained at a bare minimum.

There has been a shift since 2016, possibly driven by the Kremlin's concerns about the security situation in northern Afghanistan and the ability of Tajikistan and Turkmenistan to contain any such threat from spreading to countries from the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS).

The… >> подробнее

11.11.2018

Brian Oliver

Turkmenistan appointed a suspended doper as a national coach to help them prepare their team for the International Weightlifting Federation (IWF) World Championships, which ended yesterday in Ashgabat, the Turkmen capital.

Extensive evidence, supplied to the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) by journalists who campaign against corruption in Turkmenistan, shows that Umurbek Bazarbayev, a four-time Olympian and one of the nation's biggest names in sport, was appointed in the first year of a four-year suspension — in blatant contravention of the rules.

Both Bazarbayev and the Turkmenistan Weightlifting Federation face sanctions.

The evidence includes several references to Bazarbayev, in the state-sponsored media, as assistant national coach.

He is also named, under the alternative… >> подробнее

03.10.2018

Statement by the Prove They Are Alive! Campaign

Enforced disappearances in Turkmenistan is an entrenched problem but it is also urgent, the campaign said.

UN Secretary General Antonio Gutteres has a rare opportunity to raise human rights issues directly with Turkmenistan’s autocratic president, Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov, Prove They Are Alive! international campaign said today. Gutteres should urge Berdymukhamedov to end enforced disappearances in Turkmenistan’s prison system, the campaign said.

Gutteres and Berdymukhamedov are scheduled to meet on September 29, on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly.

“Enforced disappearances is one of Turkmenistan’s gravest and most persistent abuses, and key UN human… >> подробнее