27.05.2017

Henry James

Such fairs do provide insight into the psychology of dictatorship

On May 2, during an international trade fair held in Ashgabat, President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov stood up and declared that expanding the private sector was a major priority for his government. It’s an understandable aim, given that Turkmenistan’s economy has been badly affected by the global slump in natural gas prices.

But we shouldn’t be taken in. This act from Berdimuhamedov is nothing new — giving the impression that serious reform is forthcoming, failing to deliver it, and then once again stressing how vital it is. The economy remains restricted and state-dominant; a hermit in terms of world trade, despite Berdimuhamedov offering the occasional hint of liberalization. A Soviet legacy of control-freakery ensures that, regardless of any professed appetite for reform, there is a reluctance on the part of the government to step back just a little and allow some extra room for the small private sector to… >> подробнее

25.05.2017

International Coalition Against Enforced Disappearances

Enforced disappearance is a crime against humanity when committed in a massive and systematic manner.

To many people enforced disappearance is not a clear concept. Often, persons subjected to enforced disappearance are being mistaken for missing persons even though those are very different things. Enforced disappearance is composed of three constitutive elements being: the deprivation of liberty of a victim, perpetrated by agents of the State or by persons or groups that act with the tolerance, acquiescence or support of the State and refused acknowledgment or the concealment of the fate or whereabouts of the disappeared. An enforced disappearance implies the violation of a whole host of rights… >> подробнее

20.05.2017

EurasiaNet

A very public campaign against corruption in Turkmenistan is picking up steam with the issue receiving a most unusual airing in the country’s rubberstamp parliament.

The state news agency reported on May 14 that lawmakers mulled the matter earlier in May, acting on the instructions of President Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov, who has worried out aloud, and angrily, about the problem. This latest cycle of professed concern appears to have been sparked by revelations of corruption among leading officials in the energy industry. Deputy Prime Minister for Energy Affairs Maksat Babayev announced in a government meeting on May 15 that law enforcement officials are investigating. “It was noted that people engaging themselves in this type of criminal offense have… >> подробнее