Turkmenistan has been recognized in 2023 as one of the five countries most actively pursuing dissidents abroad, according to a study by Freedom House. The list also includes Russia, China, Cambodia, and Myanmar, with a total of 125 documented cases of transnational repression in 2023, including murders, abductions, assaults, detentions, and unlawful deportations, with governments of 25 countries being implicated.
The detailed report with specific numbers has not been published yet, but data from 2022 shows that Turkmenistan was not in the top five at that time, having persecuted 36 dissidents abroad. From 2014 to 2023, Freedom House registered 1034 similar incidents involving governments of 40 countries and occurring in 100 states, with 25% of documented cases attributed to China.
Recently, Turkmenistan has intensified its persecution of its citizens abroad. Activists living outside the country used to feel relatively safe, fearing only for the safety of their relatives back home. However, the situation has changed. In 2023, a suspect in religious extremism, Ashyrbay Bekiyev, was extradited from Russia to Turkmenistan, despite a direct ban from the ECHR. Similarly, activist Myalikberdy Allamuradov was essentially abducted in Russia and taken back to his homeland under the guise of voluntary departure, reminiscent of the case of activist Azat Isakov in 2021.
Persecution of Turkmen dissidents in Turkey has also intensified. The authorities there are actively conducting raids on illegal migrants, with Turkmen citizens often involuntarily becoming illegal due to passport renewal issues at the consulate. In 2023, blogger Farhad Durdyev was extradited from Turkey. He used his YouTube channel to cover events in Turkmenistan not reported by official media and was promptly sentenced upon return.
These actions are linked to the appointment of a new curator for external relations and the work of Turkmen diplomatic missions abroad, Deputy Head of the agency Guvanch Ovezov.
