Following its review of Turkmenistan’s third periodic report, the United Nations Committee Against Torture (CAT) issued recommendations to the government, many of which reflected concerns raised in a joint parallel report by Progres Foundation. The Committee condemned widespread torture, impunity, and human rights abuses, including gender-based violence and restrictions on reproductive rights.
Gender-Based and Domestic Violence: Ongoing Violations
The Committee expressed grave concern over the persistence of domestic and sexual violence, including reports of forced virginity tests on young girls. It urged Turkmenistan to adopt legislation clearly defining gender-based violence, ensure access to justice for survivors, and expand mandatory training for police, legal workers, and health professionals. Virginity testing, it stressed, must be banned entirely.
Abortion: Dangerous Legal Barriers
CAT criticized Turkmenistan’s highly restrictive abortion law – limited to five weeks of pregnancy – and the reported threats against healthcare providers. It warned that such restrictions force women into unsafe procedures, putting their lives at risk. The Committee called on the government to allow abortion in cases of rape, incest, risk to the woman’s health, or non-viable pregnancies. It also urged removal of third-party authorization requirements, clear legal guidance for providers, protection from criminal penalties, and improved access to reproductive health services.
Torture, Ill-Treatment, and Legal Reform
The Committee urged Turkmenistan to fully align its laws with the Convention Against Torture and to explicitly ban torture in all circumstances. It called for independent investigations, prosecution of perpetrators, and the elimination of legal loopholes that allow abuse to go unpunished. CAT raised alarm over deaths in custody, enforced disappearances, and incommunicado detention, urging access to legal safeguards, medical care, and redress for victims and families.
Crackdown on Civil Society and LGBTQ+ Individuals
The Committee condemned the harassment and imprisonment of human rights defenders, journalists, and LGBTQ+ individuals. It called for their protection and release, decriminalization of same-sex relations, and an end to abusive practices like forced anal exams. The Committee also emphasized the need for freedom of expression, internet access, and safe civic space for media and civil society.
Overall, the UN Committee Against Torture strongly urged Turkmenistan to end torture, gender-based violence, and reproductive rights violations. It emphasized that such abuses may amount to cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment under international law and demanded urgent reforms to ensure justice, accountability, and protection of fundamental rights.
