Liberalization in Turkmenistan is an Illusion Say Rights Activists

The Turkmen Initiative for Human Rights has published a report on Monday saying freedom of press, freedom of expression and access to information is “absolutely” restricted.

The current leadership contrasts itself with the previous totalitarian regime of the first President Saparmurat Niyazov by creating a well-coined image of a democratizing state. However, liberalization in Turkmenistan is an illusion, the report states. Freedom of the press is non-existent in the country, human rights activists claim.

The Turkmen Initiative for Human Rights was established in 2004 in Austria to monitor and report on national minorities, freedom of association, child labor, and education in Turkmenistan. The Initiative also works as a news agency and tries to position itself as an alternative source of information on one of the most isolated countries in the world.

The report in PDF format is accessible from Turkmenistan Chronicle web site.

Originally posted and written for: Ferghana.ru

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