EU-Turkmenistan Dialogue: Key Human Rights Issues, Cases and Recommendations

At a time of evolving EU-Turkmenistan relations, International Partnership for Human Rights (IPHR) and Turkmen Initiative for Human Rights (TIHR) urge the EU to maintain a principled and consistent approach aimed at securing tangible human rights improvements in the country.

A briefing prepared by the two organisations highlights pressing issues the EU is urged to address during its upcoming Human Rights Dialogue with Turkmenistan, scheduled to take place in Ashgabat on 22 June 2026, as well as in other engagements with the Turkmenistani authorities. These issues include:  severe media restrictions and expanding internet censorship; the continued absence of space for independent civic engagement; the forced mobilisation of citizens for state-organised mass events; the persecution of critics at home and abroad through transnational repression; impunity for torture and enforced disappearances; and ongoing concerns about violations of women’s rights.

IPHR and TIHR call on the EU to insist on concrete measures to improve respect for fundamental freedoms, ensure non-discrimination, and strengthen accountability for violations. The EU should stress Turkmenistan’s obligation to effectively implement recommendations issued by UN human rights bodies, and remind the authorities that ratification of the pending EU-Turkmenistan Partnership and Cooperation Agreement (PCA), as well as further strengthening of relations, requires genuine progress on the human rights benchmarks set out by the European Parliament. The organisations also encourage the EU to ensure meaningful follow-up by requesting regular updates from the Turkmenistani authorities on measures taken to address concerns raised, and by sharing this information with independent civil society partners.

The issues covered by the briefing are summarised below:

The media climate in Turkmenistan remains among the most restrictive in the world. In the 2026 World Press Freedom Index published by Reporters Without Borders, Turkmenistan again ranked near the bottom, placing 173rd out of 180 countries. State-controlled media continue to serve as instruments of official propaganda, reinforcing government narratives of prosperity despite widespread economic hardship and ongoing serious human rights violations.

Access to alternative sources of information remains heavily restricted due to wide-ranging internet censorship. Corrupt schemes linked to the sale of privileged access to censorship-circumvention tools – which are officially banned and obstructed – have reportedly fuelled a further escalation of blocking measures. Authorities have also sought to suppress alternative internet access via Starlink satellite equipment, with raids reportedly carried out across different regions to confiscate such devices.

Civic space remains effectively closed for independent actors, as reflected in global assessments such as the CIVICUS Monitor. State-organised and state-supported structures dominate the sector, with public sector employees and students reportedly required to make financial contributions to such organisations. While some officially registered organisations implement activities benefiting vulnerable groups with support from international donors, they operate within a strictly controlled framework that excludes public criticism of government policies and prevents them from fulfilling a watchdog role.

While suppressing spontaneous expressions of discontent, authorities continue the longstanding practice of forcibly mobilising citizens – including public sector employees, students and, in some cases, children – for state-organised mass events and lengthy rehearsals. Such campaigns impose significant burdens on participants and expose them to health risks.

UN human rights monitors continue to be denied access to the country despite the government’s repeated commitments to facilitate visits by such experts.

The persecution of journalists, bloggers, activists and other critical voices remains a major concern.

Human rights activist Mansur Mingelov remains imprisoned despite repeated calls for his release by UN treaty bodies. In October 2025, authorities rejected a petition by his family seeking his release on medical grounds, even though his condition reportedly falls within an official list of illnesses qualifying prisoners for early release.

Civil society activist Murat Dushemov, who was due to be released in June 2025 after serving an unjust sentence, instead faced new charges believed to have been fabricated in retaliation for his civic engagement. Following a closed trial in September 2025, he was sentenced to an additional eight years in prison and has reportedly been denied contact with his family.

Since his release from prison in 2024, journalist Nurgeldy Khalykov has remained under pressure and been banned from travelling abroad. Following legal appeals, he was informed in October 2025 that the ban was justified based on “national security interests,” effectively confirming the involvement of the security services in preventing him from leaving the country.

Journalist and human rights defender Soltan Achilova, who has also been arbitrarily prevented from travelling abroad, reported additional suspected poisoning attempts in autumn 2025. These allegations further heightened concerns about her safety and well-being and underscored the importance of calls by UN special rapporteurs to guarantee her security and rights.

The reported detention, torture and death of blogger Didar Amansakhatov after he criticised rising food prices on TikTok in November 2025 further illustrates the dangers faced by those challenging official narratives. Citizens seeking justice in cases involving corruption and abusive practices have also faced harassment.

Transnational repression targeting Turkmenistani citizens abroad has intensified in recent years, with authorities seeking the forcible return of activists and bloggers under circumstances raising serious concerns about enforced disappearances, torture and politically motivated imprisonment. The cases of Alisher Sakhatov and Abdulla Orusov – who disappeared in Turkey in summer 2025 and whose whereabouts remain unknown – form part of this pattern, as do the earlier cases of Turkey-based blogger Farhat Meymankuliev and Russia-based activists Saddam Gulamov and Malikberdi Allamyradov, all of whom were reportedly forcibly returned to Turkmenistan.

The misuse of INTERPOL cooperation mechanisms to target critics also remains a serious concern, as illustrated by the case of Maral Annayeva. She was reportedly extradited from the UAE to Turkmenistan in April 2026 based on an INTERPOL notice issued at the request of the Turkmenistani authorities after she publicly criticised the government.

Following its 2025 review of Turkmenistan, the UN Committee against Torture expressed deep concern about allegations of widespread torture carried out with impunity, continued incommunicado detention and harsh detention conditions. In its April 2026 follow-up report, the government reiterated formal legal guarantees but failed to demonstrate concrete progress. It confirmed that no torture cases have yet been examined under the relevant Criminal Code provision, while failing to provide information on victims of documented enforced disappearances, as requested by the Committee. Independent, regular monitoring of detention conditions is still absent.

The concerns regarding entrenched patriarchal attitudes, discrimination and abusive practices affecting women, raised by the UN Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women during its 2024 review of Turkmenistan, also remain highly relevant. Although the authorities have developed roadmaps to implement relevant recommendations and committed to adopting legislation on gender-based violence, it remains unclear what tangible progress has been achieved in practice. There are also ongoing concerns about the disproportionate impact of the country’s prolonged socio-economic crisis on women, as well as the vulnerability to exploitation faced by women migrating abroad for work.  

The full briefing paper can be downloaded below.