An event that was anticipated in the wake of the recent dismissal of former General Prosecutor Gurbanbiby Atajanova appears to have been confirmed by a report on the Gundogar website. A brief article on the site suggests that Atajanova was arrested one day after her resignation on the grounds of poor health. Although the item is dated to last Friday, there have been no independent confirmations from other media sources. A full translation of the Gundogar article follows below:

“According to sources within Turkmen human rights organisations, former General Prosecutor Gurbanbiby Atajanova was arrested one day after she was forced to retire on grounds of poor health during a Cabinet meeting that took place on April 10.
‘In the television footage, it was made to look as though Atajanova herself was asking to retire,’ revealed the source. ‘They have already put her in jail. She knows too much to just be allowed to walk free. Neither can there be any talk of a pension; she’s going to have to spend the rest of her days behind bars.’
According to the source, a similar fate awaits most of Atajanova’s relatives, who were involved in many of the criminal activities of the former General Prosecutor.”

In view of the unsourced nature of the report, it is probably unwise to lend too much credence to this story for the time being. That notwithstanding, the logic underlying the story is not, as far as one can ascertain, inaccurate. Until such time as President Saparmurat Niyazov chooses to publicly denounce his erstwhile General Prosecutor, the matter is likely to remain shrouded in mystery.