Amnesty International Report 1997 - Turkmenistan

One prisoner of conscience convicted of privately criticizing the President was detained for three months. At least two possible prisoners of conscience who had been convicted of anti-state crimes were held throughout the year, and three other possible prisoners of conscience were held during the year in psychiatric hospitals on political rather than medical grounds. Two other possible prisoners of conscience were released. Anti-government demonstrators reportedly detained for short periods were at risk of ill-treatment; they included possible prisoners of conscience. Appalling prison conditions amounting to ill-treatment were reported. The death penalty remained in force. At least 123 executions were reported. Kakabay Aymamedov, a senior police officer, was arrested and put on trial in February after complaining about President Saparmurad Niyazov during a private conversation with two associates, one of whom apparently reported the conversation to the authorities. He was found guilty of "hooliganism" and was sentenced to four and a half years' imprisonment. He was a prisoner of conscience. He was released in May, reportedly as a result of a presidential pardon. Possible prisoners of conscience Mukhamed Muradly and Yovshan Annakurban, who had been convicted of hooliganism in December 1995 in connection with an earlier anti-government demonstration (see Amnesty International Report 1996), were released under an amnesty in January with 18 of their co-defendants. The fate of seven other co-defendants who did not apparently benefit from the amnesty was unclear, and in the absence of a complete list of the defendants and any official information about them the fate of two other possible prisoners of conscience convicted in connection with the demonstration and previously identified as brothers Azhdar and Alamurad Amanmuradov (see Amnesty International Report 1996) could not be confirmed. Mukhametkuli Aymuradov and Khoshali Garayev, possible prisoners of conscience serving long prison sentences for crimes including activities aimed at overthrowing the constitutional order and preparing terrorist acts (see Amnesty International Report 1996), remained in detention throughout the year. Mukhametkuli Aymuradov was reported to be in very poor health as a consequence of ill-treatment by law enforcement officials following an attempt in 1995 to escape from pre-trial detention. Information emerged that possible prisoners of conscience Bayram Vellekov and Yevgenia Starikova (given as Yevgeny Starikov in Amnesty International Report 1996), who had been tried with Khoshali Garayev and Mukhametkuli Aymuradov and each sentenced to two years' imprisonment for "concealing a crime" in connection with Mukhametkuli Aymuradov's escape attempt, had been released under an amnesty in December 1995. Rufina Arabova, who had a history of peaceful protest over violation of her employment rights, was reportedly confined to a psychiatric hospital in Ashgabat, the capital, from January to July. It was alleged that she was confined not on the basis of medical need, but because her protests were regarded by the authorities as an expression of political opposition. Similarly, in February, Durdymurad Khodzha-Mukhammed, co-chairman of the unregistered opposition Party of Democratic Development, was reported to have been confined to a psychiatric hospital for political reasons. He was believed to be still confined at the end of the year. Valentin Kopysov, a possible prisoner of conscience, who had reportedly been confined to a psychiatric hospital for political reasons since early 1994 (see Amnesty International Report 1995), was reported in late 1996 to no longer be confined, but the date and circumstances of his release were unclear. In February and March, participants in anti-government demonstrations in various parts of the country against food shortages, wage arrears and house demolitions, were reportedly detained for short periods. There were fears that such detainees might be at risk of ill-treatment, in the light of previously reported cases of ill-treatment of anti-government protesters. Two of the three demonstrations which were reported to have taken place were described as having been entirely peaceful, and some of those detained may have been prisoners of conscience. Appalling conditions in Turkmenistan's prisons amounting to ill-treatment were reported. In August, at least two prisoners were killed and seven wounded when law enforcement personnel put down a riot at a prison in the city of Mary. Atrocious living conditions at the prison were believed to have been among the factors which provoked the riot. The death penalty remained in force. No official statistics for use of this punishment were published, but there were reports that 123 executions took place during the year solely for the offence of drug-trafficking. Given Turkmenistan's record of executing people for other offences, such as murder, it was feared that the total number of executions was even higher. Amnesty International called for the immediate and unconditional release of Kakabay Aymamedov. It continued to call for a judicial review of the case of Mukhametkuli Aymuradov and Khoshali Garayev, and sought further information about the detention of Valentin Kopysov, Rufina Arabova and Durdymurad Khodzha-Mukhammed. The organization raised concerns about the conduct of law enforcement officials towards participants in anti-government demonstrations. Amnesty International called on Turkmenistan to comply with international standards for the treatment of prisoners. It continued to call for complete abolition of the death penalty. In March, Amnesty International published Turkmenistan: "Measures of persuasion" – recent concerns about possible prisoners of conscience and ill-treatment of political opponents.