The lustre to Turkmenistan’s rising star is starting to fade as its lamentable human rights record continues to draw criticism and news emerges of the arrest of yet another political dissident.
The Turkmenistan Helsinki Foundation for Human Rights (THFHR) said in a statement on its web site Wednesday that exiled dissident Gulgeldy Annaniyazov was arrested at his parents’ home earlier this week as his family and friends celebrated his unauthorised return to Turkmenistan.
As a guest at the party told THFHR:

“We talked peacefully over dinner. Gulgeldy told us all about life abroad [NOTE: He has been living in exile in Norway]. At 9pm, emergency paramedics knocked at the door and asked if anyone had called. We said nobody had called, but still they insisted on carrying out a medical examination on Gulgeldy. He refused and was backed up by people present. As the paramedics left the room, three special service officers came in without producing any identification and proceeded to arrest Gulgeldy. He was not even allowed to change clothes and take anything with him, but was just taken away wearing his slippers.”

Gulgeldy is now being kept at an undisclosed location and his own family is unable to contact him, THFHR said in its statement. (More details here).

In a separate incident, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty says one of its reporters has been tortured by Turkmen security forces.

“[On Tuesday] a contributor to RFE/RL’s Turkmen Service (Radio Azatlyk) was found beaten and tortured for refusing to sign a letter in which he agreed to stop reporting for RFE/RL.”

RFE/RL says in its statement that Sazak Durdymuradov, who comments for the station on educational and constitutional reforms, told his wife that he wanted to die upon being found in the detention cell.

These two worrying reports make a mockery of news that the European Union is currently holding in-depth talks with Turkmen authorities in Ashbagat on human rights issues. Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch have independently issued two very timely warnings for the West not to relent in urging Turkmenistan to commit to civilised standards on human rights.
Amnesty’s thorough and well-documented report lists the following issues as key in its executive summary:

• The enforced disappearance of dozens of prisoners labelled as “traitors of the motherland” by the authorities, who were sentenced in unfair trials to prison terms of between five years and life in connection with an alleged coup attempt in November 2002;

• The harassment, interrogation and arbitrary detention of human rights defenders, other independent civil society activists and journalists;

• The severe restriction of religious freedom;

• The courts are heavily dependent on the executive branch and a fundamental reform of the judiciary is urgently needed to strengthen the rule of law in the country;

• Law enforcement officers and prison guards have allegedly subjected detainees and prisoners to torture or other ill-treatment in many cases, sometimes even leading to death in custody. Impunity for such human rights violations is the norm in Turkmenistan.

This is a test of fire for all involved. Turkmenistan’s authorities must prove it can meet the challenge of its words and act fast to countermand the disturbing zeal of its security forces. They need to realise the government must go beyond public relations acts designed to generate positive publicity, like the demolition on Wednesday of a prison in Turkmenbashi, and act on creating some semblance of tolerance for plurality and indepedent thought.
Perhaps more importantly, this is a key juncture for the EU, which will prove once and for all whether its prepared to sacrifice its values for the prospect of a beneficial energy trading role.