On 15 May 2013, the fifth Human Rights Dialogue between the Republic of Turkmenistan and the European Union (EU) took place in Ashgabat to discuss possibilities of cooperation to develop democracy, human rights, and the rule of law in Turkmenistan. In anticipation of the meetings, human rights organizations observing Turkmenistan put out strong statements pressing for change.
Leaked videos of Turkmen President Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov’s tumble at a horse race last week surfaced in the international media, despite painstaking efforts by Berdymukhamedov’s government to conceal the incident.
Last week, the 16th session of the Working Group on the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) of the UN Human Rights Council completed its review of Turkmenistan's human rights record and issued a final report with recommendations focusing on human rights and the rule of law.
