Amnesty International Report 2006 - Turkmenistan

Measures taken by Turkmenistan to counter international criticism of its human rights record failed to halt human rights violations. Religious minorities, civil society activists and relatives of dissenters were among those who faced harassment or imprisonment or were forced into exile for exercising their right to freedom of expression. At least 60 prisoners, serving prison terms in connection with an alleged assassination attempt on the head of state in 2002, remained incommunicado. In a further trial in the series of secret and unfair trials since the 2002 events, an unknown number of men were sentenced to life and other long terms of imprisonment.

International scrutiny

The UN Commission on Human Rights, at its 61st session in March and April, failed to follow up resolutions in 2003 and 2004 raising grave concerns about the human rights situation in Turkmenistan.

In December the UN General Assembly expressed "grave concern at continuing human rights violations", and, among other things, called on Turkmenistan to respond positively to requests by UN Special Rapporteurs to visit the country.

In August the UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination considered Turkmenistan's first report to a UN committee. Among issues raised by the Committee were reports of hate speech, including by senior officials and public figures, against national and ethnic minorities and in favour of Turkmen "ethnic purity". The Committee expressed concern at reports that members of minorities were denied state employment or access to higher education, and that minority cultural institutions and numerous schools teaching in minority languages had been closed.

The authorities continued to deny that human rights were violated. On 23 March, President Saparmurad Niyazov was reported as saying that nobody was arrested on political grounds but that "wanted criminals" living abroad spread false reports.

However, to avoid being classified as a "country of particular concern" under the USA's International Religious Freedom Act – which could incur measures such as targeted trade sanctions – some concessions were made. The authorities released four conscientious objectors on 16 April, one of whom – Begench Shakhmuradov – had been sentenced to one year's imprisonment on 10 February for evading regular call-ups to active military service. Legal restrictions on registering religious communities were relaxed, and several religious minority congregations registered. However, conscientious objection remained a criminal offence, punishable by imprisonment, and harassment and intimidation of registered and unregistered religious minorities continued.

The risk remained that asylum-seekers forcibly returned to Turkmenistan might be arbitrarily detained, tortured or ill-treated, or imprisoned after unfair trials, including under a 2003 People's Council decree that increased the number of activities deemed treasonable in law.

Repression of dissent

Civil society activists, political dissidents and members of religious minority groups were subjected to harassment, arbitrary detention, torture and ill-treatment.

• Jehovah's Witnesses Durdygul Ereshova and Annajemal Tuylieva were detained by police on 7 October and taken to Niyazov district police station in Ashgabat. A senior officer allegedly insulted them, beat and kicked Annajemal Tuylieva, and threatened to rape them. Police were said to have accused them of "illegal religious activity" and "vagrancy", and to have confiscated the passport of Durdygul Ereshova's husband and threatened her with forcible resettlement to Lebap region in the east.

Relatives of exiled dissidents were targeted in an attempt to silence critics abroad speaking out about abuses in Turkmenistan.

• Ruslan Tukhbatullin, a senior postholder in the military administration of Dashoguz region, was reportedly forced to resign from his post in March and refused further military employment because of his family relationship to his brother Farid Tukhbatullin, an exiled human rights activist and director of the non-governmental group Turkmen Initiative for Human Rights.

Political prisoners

Dozens of prisoners sentenced following unfair trials in connection with a November 2002 alleged assassination attempt on President Niyazov continued to be held incommunicado. Many had allegedly been tortured and ill-treated following their arrests. They were denied access to families, lawyers and independent bodies including the International Committee of the Red Cross.

In a further secret trial in connection with the November 2002 events, several men were convicted and sentenced to imprisonment, bringing the number of those convicted in the case to at least 60.

• Major Begench Beknazarov, an armed forces officer who had gone into hiding following the alleged assassination attempt, was arrested in Ashgabat in May. He and several other men were subsequently tried and sentenced to prison terms in a closed trial in the first half of June. Their relatives were unable to visit them or obtain official trial documents. Begench Beknazarov was reportedly sentenced to life imprisonment. His parents, Raisa and Amandurdy Beknazarov, and one of his sisters, Dzheren Beknazarova, were said to have been detained for 20 days at the Ministry of National Security building after the November 2002 events in an attempt to obtain information about his whereabouts and to put pressure on him to turn himself in. The three were reported to have been physically and psychologically ill-treated in detention. Their passports were subsequently confiscated. Raisa Beknazarova was dismissed from her job, and Dzheren Beknazarova expelled from university. Ayna Shikhmuradova, an aunt of Begench Beknazarov and sister-in-law of prominent opposition leader Boris Shikhmuradov, who was sentenced to life imprisonment following the alleged assassination attempt, was reportedly threatened with a beating by police at Ashgabat city police station in February 2003 unless she disclosed her nephew's whereabouts.