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Nestled in between Iran, Uzbekistan, and Afghanistan and boarding the Caspian Sea, is the authoritarian and repressive country of Turkmenistan. According to a November 26th press release by the Human Rights Watch, dozens of people have disappeared in Turkmenistan, as they were forcibly pushed into the secretive, cruel, and violent justice system as political prisoners.
Family and friends are left in the dark as no one has heard anything about these prisoners since their disappearance. Some have been missing for more than a decade.
Photo Credit: screen shot from Human Rights Watch Video.
“The government of Turkmenistan should immediately inform the relatives of the disappeared, of their fate and whereabouts, and allow them access to their loved ones,” read a statement from the HRW press release.
Turkmenistan has a long and seedy history with corrupt politics. The regime is a total dictatorship, as citizens are denied access to unbiased media, religious and political freedom, and a democratic governing body.
Human Rights Watch found that the disappeared were sentenced to lengthy prison terms in connection with the alleged assassination attempt against the former president, Saparmurat Niyazov, back in 2002.
“It's been 12 years of silence and repression,” said Rachel Denber, Deputy Europe and Central Asia Director at Human Rights Watch. “The Turkmen government needs to come clean about where these people are and indeed whether they are dead or alive.”
Many of the disappeared are former political figures who fell out of favour with the president, said HRW. For example, victim Gulgeldy Annaniyazov, a former political prisoner who had lived in exile in Norway was arrested immediately upon return to Turkmenistan. In June 2008, he was sentenced 11 years in prison for charges that were not made public, according to HRW.
According to International Law, Turkmenistan is in violation on several counts, including refusal to disclose the status and well-being of political prisoners. However, as is always the case, Turkmenistan receives little pressure from other nations to relent. Interestingly enough, Turkmenistan is home to one of the world's most prominent oil reserves and it's no surprise that influential nations around the globe have invested interest in Turkmenistan.
Photo Credit: Google Maps
Families need answers to heal and a country needs freedom, but the West needs oil, so it looks like Turkmenistan will continue to violate International Law and basic human rights.
Check out this video by Human Rights Watch for more information.
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