Introduction
When one speaks about international politics and its main players, many would answer with China, the US, Russia, or Japan, just to name a few. People tend to forget about countries who have small populations, a somewhat unnoticeable history, and countries who have not had an influence on Western countries. We have an inclination to overlook other countries who are equally important in contemporary international relations simply because they do not garner the same amount of attention in our media. Smaller, less powerful countries, especially when the location of that country is in a strategic zone, deserve the same, if not more attention from us. Many of these more “forgotten” countries are not only being exploited by other countries, but its citizens are also experiencing grave human rights violations. It is therefore crucial that not only do key international organizations allot additional attention to these nations, but also civil society as well. This article will analyze one particular “forgotten” country in Central Asia, providing insight into the grave human rights violations of the freedom of press and freedom of movement occurring there, and why the international community should retaliate against these violations.
One of the many “forgotten” countries in the world is Turkmenistan, a country with a population of around six million people and a surface area of around 488,200 km², located in the landlocked Eurasian landmass of Central Asia. Situated in the east of the Caspian Sea, the large yet mysterious country with its impressive landscape filled with desserts, dotted with oasis, and with the Kopet Dag mountain range along the southern border with Iran, is not the typical country one visits for vacation. Not only is this due to the insufficient travel corridors and lengthy and tedious visa process that requires a letter of invitation, but because Turkmenistan is a country known for its strict laws and being a frequent violator of the human rights of its citizens. It is a repressive authoritarian state where civil liberties and political rights are almost completely denied in practice. All aspects of public life are controlled by President Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov, also known as “Turkmenbashi” or “Father Protector” and his associates, elected through tightly controlled elections, ensuring an almost unanimous victory for them every year. While the regime’s human rights violations have been noticed by organizations such as the UN, EU, and OSCE, little has been achieved in shedding light on the dire situation there. So, what are the human rights that are being violated in Turkmenistan, and why would we be so unwise to ignore them?
A fight for a voice: Lack of media and information freedom
The control over media and information is not a rare occurrence as countries such as China, Russia, North Korea, and even the US, being some of the most powerful countries in our modern discussion of contemporary international relations and diplomacy, continue to violate this freedom. Freedom of the press is a highly important aspect in one’s life, and is taken for granted by many of us living in countries where there is a significant level of media freedom. But why is the freedom of press of such vital importance? For one thing, it disarms the government from exploiting its power as the press acts as a bridge between powerful entities such as governments and people. If there is no freedom with the press, it merely serves as an extension of that power. Turkmenistan ranks as one of the lowest countries in terms of freedom of media and information standing at 178th out of 180 on the World Press Freedom Index. For example, apart from North Korea, Turkmenistan is the only other county not to have acknowledge any Covid-19 cases within its borders. Moreover, the government in Turkmenistan controls all media and its citizens are only able to access a very limited, highly-censored version of the internet, removing most satellite dishes using the justification of making the cities more visually appealing and thus depriving the public of access to uncontrolled news coverage. For example, the 2004 “Rose Revolution” of Georgia was not reported in the official media in Turkmenistan due to the fact that the revolution consisted of protests which successfully changed the country from an autocracy to a democracy.
Furthermore, there have been various cases where journalists and their families have been regularly harassed, threatened, or even arrested on charges which are thought to have been falsified. For example, there were numerous occasions between March and May of 2021 where officers of the Ministry of National Security threatened and harassed the relatives of Rozybai Jumamuradov, a Turkmen activist and journalist, including his 14-year-old nephew. The nearly total censorship that exists in Turkmenistan along with the failure to report valid data to different UN organizations means that there is only a limited amount of information accessible on the situation occurring in the country. So, international press coverage is consequently based on partial information and in many cases, impossible to verify.
Not only is the deprivation of media and information so damaging for the citizens of Turkmenistan, but is also breaching various international standards. For example, Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) states: “Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers”. Similarly, Article 19 subsection 2 of the International Covenant on Civil and political Rights (ICCPR) states: Everyone shall have the right to freedom of expression; this right shall include freedom to seek, receive and impart information and ideas of all kinds, regardless of frontiers, either orally, in writing or in print, in the form of art, or through any other media of his choice. Given the violations and increasingly dire situation, perhaps, the amount of attention is inadequate as little to nothing is being done to provide the citizens of Turkmenistan a voice.
Constrained in the regime: Absence of the freedom of movement
Being able to move from one country to another, whether it be for business or pleasure without any restrictions, is one aspect of life deemed normal for the majority of people. It was only until Covid-19 materialized where many of us realized that crossing borders without any restrictions is indeed a privilege. The freedom of movement is codified in Article 13 of the UDHR which guarantees the freedom of movement where everyone should be able to travel around their own country as well as move in and out of their own country. This right however, is not absolute. Governments can limit the freedom of the people on their territory as was the case with Covid-19, where most forms of travel were restricted all around the world. But there has to be an overriding public interest in order to make the act lawful. Moreover, Article 12 (1)(2) of the ICCPR guarantees “Everyone lawfully within the territory of a State shall, within that territory, have the right to liberty of movement and freedom to choose his residence” and “Everyone shall be free to leave any country, including his own”.
After listing a few of the articles pertaining to the unequivocal right to the freedom of movement from international treaties which Turkmenistan has agreed to, its only within reason to believe the nation will follow them. However, Turkmenistan remains one of the leading violators of that right, controlling who can and cannot freely move. For example, the government arbitrarily bans people whom the they deem disloyal as well as the citizens from the most economically distressed regions of Turkmenistan from leaving the country. Not only is this a clear violation of both the UDHR and the ICCPR, but also the Turkmenistan Constitution as well. Article 24 states: “Every citizen shall have the right to move freely and choose their place of residence within Turkmenistan. Restrictions on entry into special territories, and movement within those territories shall only be set by law”. However, it is usually the case that are no sound legal grounds to which the government has used for the prevention of a citizen’s movement, and has normally been illegally done.
There have also been frequent reports of individuals being prohibited from travelling abroad, as well as officials being instructed to prevent Turkmenistanis under the age of 40 from leaving the country. The justification for the prevention of international travel out of Turkmenistan is under its Law on Migration in Article 32 subsection 11 which states that citizens may be denied exit from the country on the grounds that their “departure is contrary to the interests of national security of Turkmenistan”. So, the government uses the excuse that one’s departure from Turkmenistan is a threat to national security, and hence prohibits them from leaving. Moreover, under the highly authoritarian rule combined with the increasingly paranoid Communist Party leader Saparmurat Niyazov, the country has become more isolated than ever, with Turkmenistan citizens feeling like foreigners in their own country as permits are required to move between different parts of the country.
Conclusion
The two examples of human rights are by no means the only ones being violated, as there are plenty of other human rights such as freedom of religion, freedom from torture, housing and property rights, etc. which are all being violated by Turkmenistan. The violations have been condemned by the OSCE and the UN, but as most will agree that insufficient attention is given to the situation occurring in Turkmenistan both by international actors and by media in order to inform the general public. Being one of the lesser-known ex-Soviet states with inadequate progress in almost all of its sectors, Turkmenistan is left to the exploits of its authoritarian leaders. There is a tendency in international relations to support the status quo as no one wants to have another failed state in the system. Despite the violations occurring, Niyazov receives respectful treatment from many foreign governments mainly due to Turkmenistan’s energy wealth as well as strategic location bordering Iran and Afghanistan. In spite of that, these hurdles provide the opportunities for international pressure. Nevertheless, it is a delicate situation which needs powerful incentives from powerful organizations and countries to really make an impact. Under the current dictatorship and pace the international community is acting, prospects for the citizens of Turkmenistan to improve their lives are bleak. Ultimately, the mere thought of sustained improvements hinge on the democratization of the country as well as the increase in attention and therefore pursued action in ending the human rights violations occurring in Turkmenistan. It will however, take many years to overcome the detrimental legacy created by the current regime.
Image – UNICEF