Perhaps it thinks that free-thinking is contagious.
On November 21, 2024 the government of Turkmenistan forcefully hospitalized one of its most prominent critics, Ms. Gurbansoltan Achilova, in Ashgabat so she will not be able to travel to Geneva to accept her award for her courageous reporting and human rights work. She was awarded the Martin Ennals Award in 2021 and was prevented from traveling to the ceremony for the first time in 2023. That time the government destroyed her passport at the airport’s passport control. Many western and Turkmen organizations called on her immediate release both in 2023 and 2024. There are serious concerns that Achilova might be subjected to inhumane and degrading treatment.
It is important to note that the European Union and Turkmenistan held the sixteenth annual Human Rights Dialogue on June 25 in Ashgabat. During the dialogue the EU raised a number of individual human rights cases, discussing the plight of many activists who have been detained and imprisoned without due process in Turkmenistan. The EU highlights “that significant progress in the field of human rights and democratization remains a prerequisite for the ratification of the Partnership and Cooperation Agreement (PCA) by the European Parliament”. Turkmenistan is the only country in Central Asia that has not ratified the PCA.
On June 26, 2024, Olof Skoog, EU Special Representative for human rights shared this tweet expressing hope that Achilova would be able to travel to Geneva in November 2024. This has not happened.
The morning of November 21, 2024, Achilova was reportedly forced into an ambulance and taken to an infectious disease hospital. She remains there today, detained alongside two relatives. This is reminiscent to Soviet style repression of dissidents.
This is also tragically ironic. Turkmenistan has never admitted having COVID-19 infections and deaths in the country and spent the pandemic period censoring science-based COVID-19 information and messaging its population that the threat came from “dust” and air pollution. The incompetent government was scared to name the virus (and the uncounted dead) and show concern for the public’s health and wellbeing. Moreover, the government is also scared to name HIV/AIDS and Tuberculosis and disclose the health statistics for these global diseases. What infection might have Achilova contracted?
Reading and following the news about Achilova being regularly harassed, one asks herself why is the Turkmen regime scared of this 75-year-old wise, fearless, outspoken and sharp-tongued elder? It’s probably because the regime knows that free-thinking is infectious and could spread more readily than COVID-19 in this repressive state.
Soltan Achilova’s address to Gurbanguly and Serdar Berdymukhamedov
Looking at images of Turkmens in the state media, the only media available, one can see that the people of Turkmenistan do not feel free and they are presented as grey mass of uniformity both in their looks and thinking. The government wants us to be free of any thought and of the ability to think critically.
How is it possible then to have an individual with such free spirit in the conformist society of Turkmenistan? It takes critical thinking, courage and persistence. Achilova is liberated from fear of the regime in Turkmenistan. She crossed the line from doublethink and she speaks her mind openly. The messages of Gurbansoltan Achilova resonates with many Turkmens. She provides hope and power to the powerless. She is the voice of many who cannot speak for themselves in Turkmenistan.
We want to believe that Achilova’s “freedom virus”, her courage and her messages are infectiously contagious and spreading wide and fast in Turkmenistan so it is impossible for the government to keep up with the number of minds it infects. Achilova is defending core values such as freedom of thought and human dignity in this authoritarian state. She is the compass showing us a path to a better future and possibilities.
We call on the government of Turkmenistan to immediately release Gurbansoltan Achilova who has been harassed and detained for peaceful expression. We believe the government should be containing actual viruses and not people’s thoughts and aspirations for a better life.
