09
Mon, Dec

torture prevention
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We, representatives of civil society, express concern about yet another prisoner death. Citizen of Turkmenistan Allamurat HUDAYRAMOV died in an institution of the Ministry of National Security of Turkmenistan (hereinafter referred to as MNS).

On November 27, 2023, Allamurat HUDAYRAMOV was summoned by an investigator of the Mary regional department of the Ministry of National Security of Turkmenistan, where he was detained. And three days later, his sister was informed of her brother’s death. Deceased HUDAYRAMOV's body was given to his relatives after an autopsy.
      
According to many signs, HUDAYRAMOV was tortured before his death, as evidenced by numerous injuries on his body and head (video), ruptures of the skin on his legs and other parts of the body. For example, on the head there is a scar characteristic of a traumatic brain injury incompatible with life, on the wrists and shins of the deceased there are clearly visible marks of handcuffs, on the back there are hematomas with characteristic marks from blows with a blunt object, and hematomas are also visible on the soles of his feet.
  
According to “Turkmen.news”, HUDAYRAMOV was suspected of involvement in drug trafficking, and in Turkmenistan the Baluchis, to whom the victim belongs, are discriminated against, and security services often persecute them on arbitrary charges.
  
In Turkmenistan, there is no independent forensic expertise and no legal mechanism for urgent response to reports of torture, and there are no conditions for justice. The Turkmen authorities show no interest in bringing to justice those responsible for the death of Allamurat HUDAYRAMOV; moreover, they are putting pressure on the relatives not to make the incident public.
   
Most at risk of torture in Turkmenistan today are those expelled from the Russian Federation, Turkey, and other countries where they are compelled to seek the right to protection. It is reliably known that upon the forced return to Turkmenistan, Ashyrbay BEKIEV was sentenced to 23 years in prison. The fate of the other imprisoned citizens of Turkmenistan in the list below remains unknown:
   
Farhat MEYMANKULYYEV (1992), extradited from Turkey on May 19, 2023;
Rovshen KLYCHEV (1980), deported from Turkey on July 12, 2023;
Dovran IMAMOV (1991), deported from Turkey at the end of August 2023;
Maksat BAYMURADOV (1993), deported from Turkey on September 11, 2023;
Rustam SEITKULYYEV (1977), extradited from Russia on September 17, 2023;
Serdar DURDULYEV (1989), deported from Turkey on October 17, 2023.
  
The tragic fate of citizen of Turkmenistan Allamurat HUDAYRAMOV and the total lack of information about the other above-mentioned citizens deserve the attention of international experts and human rights activists. This is especially of grave concern after the adoption of the New Migration Rules of the European Union, which limit the possibility to enter the European Union, the United States and Canada. Their attempts to obtain protection in Turkey have proven disastrous for many of them, because countries such as Turkey and the Russian Federation are expelling Turkmen citizens en masse to their country of origin, ignoring the obligations to comply with the terms of Article 3. 1. “No State Party shall expel, return ("refouler") or extradite a person to another State where there are substantial grounds for believing that he would be in danger of being subjected to torture.”
  
Kind regards,
Reyimberdy KURBANOV, researcher on Turkmenistan, Association for Human Rights in Central Asia – AHRCA
      
Gvantsa LOMAIAMaster of Laws Bachelor's Degree in International Human Rights Law/Project Officer of the International Partnership for Human Rights (IPHR)
    
Jodgor OBIDHuman rights activist, member of the International PEN-Club, Austria
  
Matvey KURZUKOVCorrespondent for the site "VOT.TAK"
    
Leonid PIMENOVDocumentator of the Polish Helsinki Foundation for Human Rights
       
Dursoltan TAGANOVATurkmen human rights activist
    
Yekaterina CHUKAYEVACorrespondent for the website "Media Loft"
  
Shaberdy OMAROVFounder of the community "Invisible Rainbow of Turkmenistan"
  
Umit HALLYYEVIndependent journalist, Turkmenistan
  
Abdulla ORUSOVActivist of the Movement “Democratic Choice of Turkmenistan” (DWT)
  
Serdar HODJANEPESOVActivist of the Movement “Democratic Choice of Turkmenistan” (DWT)
  
Nurdjan SUZERActivist of the Movement “Democratic Choice of Turkmenistan” (DWT)
       
Alisher SAHATOVhuman rights blogger, Turkmenistan
  
Tahir URAZOVCivil society activist, Turkmenistan
  
Zarina GAPURDJANOVACivil society activist, Turkmenistan
  
Aishenur AKDASHHuman rights activist, Turkey
    
Oleg RODINcoordinator of the “Kovcheg” (Ark) project in Poland
   
    
Nargiza MATYUSUPOVACivil society activist, Turkmenistan
  
Allamurat RAHIMOVIndependent journalist, Turkmenistan
   
Nadejda ATAYEVAPresident of the Association for Human Rights in Central Asia - AHRCA, France 
 
Alisher ABIDOVRepresentative of the Association for Human Rights in Central Asia - AHRCA, Norway
 
Pedro GOMEZ, France
 
Ruslan TUHBATULLIN, Chief-editor at «Chronicles of Turkmenistan»
 
Daniel SERET, France
 
Jeyhun EKEREM, Civil society activist, Netherlands
 
Tatiana SHADEROVA, Italy
 
Mata WILL, France
 
Michel RAMAYET, France
 
Muhammet DEVEDJINEJAD, Civil society activist, Canada
 
Amangeldi NURMUHAMMEDOV, Civil society activist, Poland