Last week, the death of former Radio Azatlyk correspondent Khudaiberdi Allashov once again drew attention to the serious problems facing independent journalists in Turkmenistan, one of the most closed and authoritarian countries in the world. There, journalists are subjected to persecution, torture, and even mortal danger for their professional activities, Radio Azatlyk correspondents reported.
Soltan Achilova, a former economist from Ashgabat, reportedly changed her profession and became an independent journalist about 20 years ago, knowing that her new job would require great sacrifice. She did not expect that her new profession would change her life so dramatically, exposing her to harassment, attacks, and death threats. Achilova said that state security agents have been monitoring her since the very beginning of her journalistic career. Her family has also been harassed, with their phones tapped and relatives threatened with losing their jobs if they do not stop communicating with her.
Turkmenistan consistently ranks near the bottom of press freedom rankings compiled by international organizations such as Reporters Without Borders (RSF). There is no independent media in the country, and journalism is limited to praise for the regime. The government brutally suppresses dissent, harassing, beating, torturing and even killing critics. Many journalists have been forced to flee the country to escape persecution.
Soltan Achilova remains one of the few independent journalists in Turkmenistan who openly criticizes the government. Several others work secretly for foreign publications. The recent death of Khudaiberdi Allashov, whom the Turkmen government promised to “drive into the grave,” has once again highlighted the brutal measures taken against journalists and their families for their professional work. The story of Allashov and Achilova is just one part of a grim picture of the plight of independent journalists in Turkmenistan, where the government continues to mercilessly suppress free speech and persecute anyone who tries to tell the truth. And as long as the Berdymukhamedov clan is in power, the dreaded regime will continue to terrorize innocent people who speak the truth.
