Overview of Human Rights in Turkmenistan

Since its independence in 1991, Turkmenistan’s human rights record has been poor with serious abuses committed by the government and its agents.

There is no government accountability in conjunction with restrictions on freedoms of speech, press, expression, assembly, association, and religion.  Turkmenistan law states that any criticism of presidential policy is considered high treason and punishable with life in prison. For those who still choose to dissent against the government, punishment such as harassment, house arrest, arbitrary arrest, incommunicado and/or indefinite detention, torture, deportation, and death can and do occur. The judiciary is under the control of the president. Due process and fair trials are denied to political prisoners.

Ethnic discrimination is rampant in Turkmenistan.  Ethnic minorities are forced to assimilate while being denied other rights enjoyed by Turkmen citizens. Restrictions on access to certain employment opportunities, forced internal displacement, restrictions on freedom of movement, and the forced loss of culture and language are challenges facing minorities on a daily basis.

Freedom of religion is restricted in numerous ways. New mosques are not allowed to be built. Authorities have intentionally delayed the registration of twelve new Catholic parishes and a convent. They also continue to deny visas to priests who are assigned to the region. While Turkmenistan buckled to Western pressure to register five Protestant congregations in 2005, many other religious minorities cannot register in the nation. Registration does not guarantee freedom from harassment and further restrictions arbitrarily decided on by the government.

With the death of President Niyazov, which brought an end to his personalist authoritarian regime, it was yet unknown in 2007 if President Berdymukhamedov would move the country in a new direction.

Human Development Index (HDI) Rank:

105th out of 177

Note: Human Development Index (HDI) is a composite index that measures the level of well-being of nations in the world. It uses factors such as poverty, literacy, life-expectancy, education, gross domestic product, and purchasing power parity to assess the average achievements in each nation. It has been used in the United Nation’s Human Development Report since 1993.