Corporate report

Turkmenistan - Country of Concern: latest update, 30 September 2014

Updated 21 January 2015

This was published under the 2010 to 2015 Conservative and Liberal Democrat coalition government

0.1 Latest Update: 30 September 2014

We continue to have significant concerns about the human rights situation in Turkmenistan and the pace of reform remains slow overall. Nevertheless, in the period July to September, there have been some positive developments, including a visit to a detention centre by the Office of the Organisation for Security & Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) in Ashgabat, and the latest round of the annual EU-Turkmenistan Human Rights Dialogue.

The sixth round of the EU-Turkmenistan Human Rights Dialogue took place in Brussels in September. The Turkmen delegation was led by Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Vepa Hajiyev. The dialogue covered a wide range of issues, including the situation in detention centres in Turkmenistan (covering reports of mistreatment of detainees, overcrowding, and poor conditions in detention), freedom of expression, women’s rights, and cooperation with international organisations. The EU welcomed some positive legislative reforms, and encouraged Turkmenistan to move forward with the adoption of a National Human Rights Action Plan that includes recommendations made during Turkmenistan’s participation in the Universal Periodic Review process at the UN Human Rights Council in 2013. The EU raised serious concerns about continued reports of grave human rights violations in Turkmenistan, including the torture and mistreatment of detainees, enforced disappearances, censorship of the press and blocking of websites, excessive restrictions on civil society, and violations of the right to freedom of religion or belief. Individual cases were also raised during the meeting. The next round of the dialogue should take place in Ashgabat in 2015.

In light of ongoing concerns about detention centres in Turkmenistan, highlighted most recently by NGO Crude Accountability (which released a report in September about the Ovadan Depe prison outside of Ashgabat), the UK welcomes the decision by the Turkmen authorities to allow the Head of the OSCE in Ashgabat access to a female detention centre in the northern town of Dashoguz. Separately, the International Committee of the Red Cross continues to build its relationship with Turkmenistan in respect of the practical implementation of international human rights instruments. The UK encourages further such engagement with international organisations and experts.

In other developments, a new political party – the Agrarian Party – was formed on 28 September. It is the long-awaited second political group to come into existence as a result of the law on political parties that was signed by President Berdimuhamedov in January 2012. It consists mainly of representatives from the agricultural sector, and will be led by former Governor of Dashoguz region (and 2012 presidential candidate), Rejep Bazarov. This follows the formation of a first new party in August 2012, in advance of the parliamentary elections of December 2013.

Nevertheless, the political environment in Turkmenistan requires further and extensive reform if it is to comply in full with the OSCE and other international standards to which it has committed. The report by the OSCE’s Office for Democratic Institutions & Human Rights on the December elections identified serious flaws in the electoral framework and processes. It noted that “while the existence of a second political party constituted an appearance of political variety, it did not provide voters with a genuine choice between political alternatives”. The OSCE is working with the Turkmen authorities on ways to make progress in this area.

The British Ambassador discussed a range of human rights issues in a meeting with Deputy Foreign Minister Hajiyev in August. The Embassy has also raised specific cases of concern with the Turkmen authorities in separate lobbying, including in response to public representations about the welfare of a number of Jehovah’s Witnesses in the northern city of Dashoguz (and claims in particular that official action taken against them might be linked to their religious belief). The UK will continue to look for suitable opportunities to raise with the government of Turkmenistan the importance of respecting the fundamental and universal values of freedom of thought, conscience and belief.

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