Skip to main content

Eurasianet

Main Menu

  • Regions
  • Topics
  • Media
  • About
  • Search
  • Newsletter
  • русский
  • Support us
X

Caucasus

Armenia
Azerbaijan
Georgia

Central Asia

Kazakhstan
Kyrgyzstan
Tajikistan
Turkmenistan
Uzbekistan

Conflict Zones

Abkhazia
Nagorno Karabakh
South Ossetia
Transnistria

Eastern Europe

Belarus
Moldova
Russia
The Baltics
Ukraine

Eurasian Fringe

Afghanistan
China
EU
Iran
Mongolia
Turkey
United Kingdom
United States
X

Arts and Culture

Economy

Politics

Kazakhstan 2022 unrest
Kyrgyzstan 2020 unrest

Security

Society

American diplomats in Central Asia
Coronavirus
X

Visual Stories

Audio
Video

Blogs

Tamada Tales
The Bug Pit

Podcasts

Expert Opinions
The Central Asianist
X
You can search using keywords to narrow down the list.

Radio Liberty Stringer Attacked in Turkmenistan

Catherine A. Fitzpatrick Jan 4, 2011

Unidentified young men attacked the home in Ashgabat of Gurbansoltan Achilova, a civil society activist and stringer for Radio Azatlyk, the Turkmen Service for Radio Liberty/Radio Free Europe (RFE/RL), the Turkmen Initiative for Human Rights (TIHR) reported.

Achilova said she was awoken at 4:00 am by the sound of broken glass, and found all her windows had been knocked out by stones, and that a group of about a dozen youths were leaving the scene. She immediately called the police, but was told that no cars were available as all the patrol vehicles were needed to ensure the security of the country's leaders during the holidays.

When she tried to contact the police again later in order to get a report filed, she was told that a patrol had already come and gone and not made any detentions. Upon further questioning, she was told by a police officer to "submit a complaint at her place of employment," apparently an allusion to her work for Radio Azatlyk.

TIHR says Achilova has lived under pressure from the authorities for many years.

Other stringers for RFE/RL have also suffered attacks by unknown persons, such as Gurbandurdy Durdykuliev, whose windows were also recently broken. Police confiscated his passport last year and without it, he is unable to claim a disability pension. Durdykuliev was forcibly placed in a psychiatric clinic in February 2004, and released in 2006, after a petition by U.S. members of Congress.

Allamourad Rakhimov, a Canadian citizen and Prague-based RFE/RL broadcaster and native of Turkmenistan, was deported when he attempted to travel to his homeland last year.

Yet another correspondent, Osman Hallyeva, as suffered death threats and his relatives have all lost their jobs. Two years ago he reported that his phone line has been cut and he has been placed under what amounts to house arrest.

In September 2006, Ogulsapar Muradova, a correspondent for RFE/RL's Turkmen Service, died in custody. She had been detained in June with other civic activists who had worked on a film about Turkmenistan. Human rights group believe Muradova, who was in good health at the time of her arrest, was tortured and killed in prison for her work.

Sign up for Eurasianet's free weekly newsletter. Support Eurasianet: Help keep our journalism open to all, and influenced by none.

Popular

Turkmenistan: Stand by your man
Akhal-Teke: A Turkmenistan Bulletin
Tajikistan: At least one killed in Pamirs unrest
Questions surround South Ossetian referendum on joining Russia
Joshua Kucera

Eurasianet

  • About
  • Team
  • Contribute
  • Republishing
  • Privacy Policy
  • Corrections
  • Contact
Eurasianet © 2022