Prisoners of Conscience
by Arnold Winkleried
Amnesty International
Amnesty International was founded in 1961 and was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1977 for its efforts to promote global observance of the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights. It is a worldwide movement of people acting on the conviction that governments must not deny individuals their basic Human Rights.
The group's mandate
Amnesty International works to promote awareness of, and adherence to, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and other human rights accords.
It also pressures governments and non-governmental organizations to
* release all prisoners of conscience: people confined because of their beliefs or because of their ethnic origin, sex, color or language, who have not used or called for violence.
* give all prisoners whose cases have a political aspect a fair trial within a reasonable time.
* abolish the death penalty, torture, and other cruel treatment of all prisoners.
* end all extrajudicial executions and "disappearances."
Human Rights violations in Turkmenistan
Turkmenistan
Head of state and government: Saparmurad Niyazov
Capital: Ashgabat
Population: 4.4 million
Official language: Turkmen
Background
The Central Asian state of Turkmenistan became independent following the breakup of the Soviet Union in 1991. Since then it has been dominated by President Saparmurad Niyazov, who has exercised a monopoly on power as both head of state and government. This monopoly was consolidated in December 1999 following flawed parliamentary elections and the subsequent passage later that month of a law making Saparmurad Niyazov President for life. Virtually no political activity was allowed in the run-up to these elections, and candidates for the 50-seat Majlis (parliament) reportedly were selected by President Niyazov - who has headed the governing Democratic Party (formerly the Communist Party of Turkmenistan) since 1985.
The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) decided not to deploy any election monitors, on the grounds that even the minimum level of pluralism for competitive elections was absent.
The government is extremely intolerant of dissent, restricting political and civil liberties and retaining tight control of the media. Known and perceived political opponents have been imprisoned, often amid allegations of torture. Others, including human-rights defenders, have been forced into exile. Foreign human-rights activists and journalists have been barred from Turkmenistan or deported, making independent monitoring extremely difficult. Members of unregistered religious denominations and their families continue to report frequent harassment by the authorities, including deportation and internal exile. There is concern for the health of political prisoners.
Prisoner of conscience case
In February 1999 Nurberdi Nurmamedov, co-chair of the opposition movement Agzybirlik and one of the few opposition figures to openly criticize President Niyazov's policies, was sentenced to five years' imprisonment. At the same trial Nurberdi Nurmamedov's 25-year-old son, Murad Nurmamedov, was sentenced to a suspended two-year prison sentence and confined to live in Ashgabat for five years. Despite an official invitation to send trial observers, representatives of foreign embassies and of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) were refused access to the court.
AI believes that the charges of "hooliganism" brought against Nurberdi Nurmamedov were fabricated, that he was imprisoned for his peaceful opposition activities, and that his son was put on trial in order to put pressure on him.
Appeals against their sentences were turned down in March. The two lawyers representing Nurberdi Nurmamedov at the appeal reportedly left the courtroom before the end of the hearing in protest at violations of international fair trial standards. At the end of March, Nurberdi Nurmamedov reportedly was forced to confess his guilt publicly on television. In September, unofficial sources reported that Nurberdi Nurmamedov had been transferred from Turkmenbashi maximum-security prison to a prison near Kyzylkaya in the south of Turkmenistan. As a result of poor prison conditions, his health apparently had deteriorated sharply and he was reported to be suffering from an acute stomach ulcer. Nurberdi Nurmamedov was released on 23 December 1999 under a presidential amnesty. Earlier in December he reportedly had to repent on state television and swear an oath of loyalty to President Niyazov.
Political prisoners
Following an official visit in May 1999, the OSCE Chairman-in-Office said she was deeply disappointed at President Niyazov's unwillingness to release political prisoners as requested by the OSCE.
There was concern that the lives of political prisoners Mukhametkuli Aymuradov and Pirimkuli Tangrykuliev were in danger following reports that their health had deteriorated sharply as a result of poor prison conditions and the absence of medical care. According to reports, Pirimkuli Tangrykuliev was beaten repeatedly by prison guards. He was released under the December presidential amnesty. He was reportedly forced to repent on state television and swear an oath of loyalty to President Niyazov.
Repression of religious minorities
Human rights violations by law enforcement officials against religious believers continued to be reported. Peaceful religious meetings in private homes were broken up and the participants fined or detained for short periods; religious materials were confiscated and places of worship destroyed; religious believers were physically and verbally abused and some were imprisoned because of their religion. A number of foreign missionaries were deported.
Internal exile
Some religious activists had their freedom of movement within Turkmenistan restricted through the use of residence permits.
Artygul Atakova, the wife of Shagildy Atakov, and their five children were deported to the village of Kaakhka in February 1999 and put under "village arrest." Shagildy Atakov, an ethnic Turkmen member of a Baptist congregation in Turkmenbashi, continued to serve a four-year prison sentence in a corrective labour camp. His supporters believed that the true reason for his imprisonment was his religious affiliation. Shagildy Atakov's brother, Chariyar, was administratively detained for 15 days; the reason for his detention was not clear. In February a younger brother of Shagildy Atakov was found hanged. The circumstances surrounding his death remained unclear. In February 2000, 72-year-old Khodzha Akhmed Orazgylych, a Muslim cleric, was arrested and charged with "swindling." In a radio interview, he reportedly had criticized an invitation by President Niyazov at the end of 1999 for children to celebrate the new year by dancing around a Christmas tree chanting a prayer to the President. Around a month later Khodzha Akhmed Orazgylych was said to have been among a group of prisoners taken to meet President Niyazov. The cleric reportedly asked for forgiveness, and President Niyazov replaced a possible prison term with internal exile in a village in Khodzha Akhmed Orazgylych's home region.
Conscientious objectors
Information came to light that conscientious objectors Roman Sidelnikov, Oleg Voronin and Roman Karimov had been released under a presidential amnesty in 1999. However, conscientious objectors to military service continued to be sentenced to prison terms.
Two Jehovah's Witnesses were imprisoned for their conscientious objection to military service. Nuryagdy Gairov was serving a one-year prison sentence, imposed in January, in the Tedzhen corrective labour colony. He reportedly did not benefit from the 1999 amnesty because he refused to swear the oath of allegiance to President Niyazov. Igor Nazarov, who was also detained in the Tedzhen corrective labour colony, was serving a second prison term imposed in March; he had previously been sentenced to a suspended two-year term.
Individual Case
Amnesty International asks you to write a letter for Mukhametkuli Aymuradov: call for release of a prisoner.
In 1995 Mukhametkuli Aymuradov and Khoshali Garayev were charged with anti-state crimes including "attempted terrorism." There was no evidence that the two men had used or advocated violence, and there was compelling circumstantial evidence to support allegations that the two had been punished solely because of their association with exiled opponents of the government of Turkmenistan.
On 10 December 1998 the two men were sentenced to an additional 18 years' imprisonment, five years to be spent in a maximum-security prison. The new sentences related to an alleged prison escape attempt in October 1998. There have been credible and persistent allegations that the escape attempt was orchestrated by the authorities so that the two would not be transferred, under their previous sentence, from a maximum-security regime to a less restrictive one.
In September 1999 Khoshali Garayev died in the maximum-security prison in Turkmenbashi (formerly Krasnovodsk). According to prison authorities, he hanged himself after he was put in solitary confinement following a fight in his cell. However, there are allegations that Khoshali Garayev died as a result of torture. In a letter shortly before his death, he had appeared hopeful that he would benefit from an upcoming presidential amnesty and would be back with his family in the year 2000.
Following Khoshali Garayev's death, AI expressed serious concern for the safety of Mukhametkuli Aymuradov, who was reportedly not receiving appropriate medical attention for ailments including a gastric ulcer, cholecystitis, a heart attack and recurring inflammations of the kidneys and the bladder.
Amnesty International is calling for Mukhametkuli Aymuradov's release on the following grounds: his poor health; allegations that he was sentenced on fabricated charges; repeated calls by AI for a retrial have gone unheeded and there appears to be no prospect of him receiving a fair trial.
Please write in English, Russian, Turkmen or your own language, calling for the immediate release of Mukhametkuli Aymuradov, and for him to receive appropriate medical treatment.
Send appeals to
Quotes from a letter passed on to Amnesty International from Mukhametkuli Aymuradov: From October 1994 I have been imprisoned in Turkmenistan, torn from my wife, children, grandchildren, family and all those close to me. I am confined with criminals, murderers and drug addicts, violent criminals, in cells containing 12 to 14 people, suffering insults, humiliations, hunger, illness, including infectious diseases, absence of essential medication, cold in the winter, exhausting heat in summer. The prison officials refuse to accept and pass on food which my wife and children send from home.
You can either write your own letter to the following address
President of Turkmenistan
Saparmurad Niyazov
744000 g. Ashgabat
Turkmenistan
or: Fax: +993 12 35 51 12
Or you can print and send out the letter below. (copy and paste it to your word processing program)
If you choose to write your own letter, please read the guidelines below. The first and most important rule is "Always be polite". letter writing guide
Please DO NOT WRITE after 24 February 2001. If you receive an answer to your letter, please e-mail the author of this article.
Sample letter
President Saparmurad Niyazov
744000 g. Ashgabat
Apparat Prezidenta
Prezidentu Niyazovu S.A.
Turkmenistan
(fax: 011-993-1235-5112)
Dear President Niyazov:
I am concerned about the cases of two men who were charged in 1995 with anti-state crimes. One of the men died in prison in 1999, while the other man's health continues to deteriorate.
Mukhametkuli Aymuradov and Khoshali Garayev were sentenced to prison for anti-state crimes, including "attempted terrorism," despite the fact that there was no evidence indicating that the two men had used or advocated violence. According to the independent human rights organization Amnesty International, there was compelling circumstantial evidence to support allegations that the two had been punished solely because of their association with exiled opponents of the government.
In September 1999, Khoshali Garayev died in the maximum-security prison in Turkmenbashi. Prison authorities alleged that he hanged himself after being put in solitary confinement. However, Amnesty International has uncovered allegations that he died as a result of torture. Mukhametkuli Aymuradov reportedly has not been receiving medical treatment he requires while in prison for several ailments including a heart attack, a gastric ulcer, cholesystitis, and recurring inflammation of the kidneys and bladder.
Amnesty International's repeated calls for a retrial for Mukhametkuli Aymuradov have gone unheeded. Amnesty International is now calling for Mukhametkuli Aymuradov's release on the grounds of his poor health and due to the apparent lack of prospects of him receiving a fair trial. I join with Amnesty in urging you to bring about the release of Mukhametkuli Aymuradov. I further ask you to ensure that he receives appropriate medical treatment while in prison.
Sincerely,
copy to:
Ambassador Meret Bairamovich Orazov
Embassy of Turkmenistan
2207 Massachusetts Avenue N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20008
(fax: 202-588-0697)