News

Turkmenistan – CESCR – Gender Equality – February 2025

Unfortunately, gender inequality is widespread in Turkmenistan. Sexual and reproductive healthcare, specifically resources, data and information, are inadequate or lacking altogether. This is exacerbated by state-controlled media and its failure to disseminate scientific knowledge and evidence-based information. Sexual and reproductive health information is desperately needed for women to have an opportunity to reach their full potential, particularly to ensure health, economic security and legal protections.

Reporter Nurgeldi Halykov Banned From Leaving Turkmenistan

Turkmen.news correspondent Nurgeldi Halykov has been placed under a travel ban. On January 12, he was not allowed to board a flight to Dubai where he was travelling on a work visa. He was held for several hours at Ashgabat airport and interrogated in a separate office. In the end he was not permitted to cross the border.

Evolution workers deserve a fair deal

While the ICE gaming conference attracts thousands of visitors in Barcelona on 20 to 22 January, dealers and shufflers employed in Georgia by exhibitor Evolution Gaming are in a desperate battle for fair pay and decent working conditions.

International migrants are vital force in the global labour market

International migrants are playing a crucial role in the global economy and made up 4.7 per cent of the total global labour force in 2022, with most employed in high-income countries and in key sectors such as services, notably care provision.

Crackdown on civic freedoms in Central Asia: NGOs highlight alarming trend

Civic space is becoming increasingly restricted in Central Asia, and civil society representatives are facing unprecedented challenges across the region. International Partnership for Human Rights (IPHR) and its regional partners call on the international community to use all available platforms to address these alarming trends and advocate for meaningful reforms that reverse repressive policies and safeguard civic freedoms. As international engagement in Central Asia grows, stakeholders should prioritise supporting the region’s embattled civil society, recognising its vital role in advancing democratic governance, human rights, the rule of law, justice, and public well-being.

UZBEKISTAN: FREE WRONGFULLY IMPRISONED ACTIVISTS, PROVIDE URGENT MEDICAL CARE, QUASH CONVICTIONS

A court in Kashkadarya on July 18 sentenced Khakimova and Keldiyorova to six years and one month and six-and-a-half years in prison, respectively, on dubious extortion charges. Khakimova, who has breast cancer, gave birth in mid-September. So long as she remains imprisoned, the authorities need to ensure that she and her newborn child receive prompt and appropriate medical care.

Khakimova, 40, who works as a teacher at a local school, has regularly commented on social media about corruption in the education system in Kashkadarya region and has served as a public interest representative in local cases. Khakimova has also collaborated with one of the other defendants, Shukrullo Parpiev, 44, who is the head of a small firm called “Blogger-Defenders” and a member of the Independent Human Rights Organization, a local rights group. Another three defendants – Shakhnoza Safarova, Farogat Mamatova, and Oydin Rustamova – also worked at local schools. The verdict indicates that the seventh defendant, Musallam Umirova, was employed at an entity called Republican Social Security Society.

Georgia: Support striking workers at Evolution Gaming

Evolution Gaming Georgia employs more than 7,500 people. About 50 percent of the many branches are employed in Georgia. Most of the studios operate in Georgia. The main income of the company comes from Georgia.

Turkmenistan: Mother of Nine Fired from Children’s Home on False Accusations of Beating Her Charges

Gulistan Mammetgeldiyeva of Balkanabat in western Turkmenistan has been trying for two years to get her job back at the children’s home, where she worked for two decades. She was dismissed in reprisal for making a complaint about the director of the children’s home to the president, the education department and prosecutor’s office. In order to get rid of the unwelcome employee the director arranged an inspection of her work at 4.30 in the morning, filming her on his telephone as she had a rest. He must have considered this insufficient grounds for dismissal, so when she went on sick leave, he persuaded the children to say that Gulistan beat them. The woman has nine children of her own and has been awarded the honorary title Ene Mahri for raising a large family. The prosecutor’s office, courts, and local authorities are on the director’s side, and have offered Gulistan other work. She cannot return to her old job, as it has been sold to someone else.

May Day 2024: Trade unions For Democracy

There is no democracy without trade unions – that’s the message of the global trade union movement this May Day.

Civil Society Inside and Outside Turkmenistan: Searching for Meaningful Engagement in the Interest of the Turkmen Public

Dominated by government-supported NGOs (GONGOs), Turkmenistan’s legal and political environment is antagonistic to the independent civic actors, who experience constant state-directed harassment, intimidation, and even persecution. In the meantime, the infrastructure supporting civil society is significantly underdeveloped. Such an environment forced a range of independent civic actors to leave the country, with some naturally emerging outside Turkmenistan, and playing a crucial role in informing the Turkmen public and the international community on the situation in Turkmenistan. However, these actors, too, face complex challenges, shaped by the state-directed intimidation and absence of international support and funding.