Full Coverage: Turkmenistan

15.04.2008 Extravagant monuments, statues of the former President, and near-empty streets characterize the capital of Turkmenistan, where national identity is still tightly intertwined with that of the self-proclaimed Turkmenbashi, or 'Leader of All Turkmen.'

22.02.2008 The European Union is eager to strengthen its economic partnerships with Central Asian nations, notably Turkmenistan, despite the extremely poor human rights records of countries in this region, writes David Cronin.

13.03.2007 Less than three weeks after the official opening of Turkmenistan’s new government-sponsored Internet cafes, the centers are stifled by erratic connections, heavy fees, and most discouragingly of all -- soldiers at the doorways.

12.02.2007 While state officials said 95% of Turkmen cast ballots in the country's first multicandidate election in history Sunday, reporters on the scene told a different story.

09.02.2007 As the Turkmen people go to the polls Sunday to vote in their first presidential elections in 15 years, there are hopes for urgently needed reforms in healthcare and education.

24.01.2007 Despite initial fears that instability would follow December's death of President-for-Life Saparmurat Niyazov, the situation in Tukmenistan has remained calm. But the presidential election is approaching under growing signs of public discontent.

21.12.2006 He dubbed himself "The Great Head of the Turkmen People," required all students read his spiritual tome, and held total control of all state institutions. Following Saparmurat Niyazov's death Thursday, the future is uncertain for the former Soviet republic that holds vast gas and oil reserves and is considered a strategic regional country bordering Iran and Afghanistan.

13.09.2006 SAN FRANCISCO, Sep 13 (OneWorld) - The Bush Administration is objecting to a groundbreaking treaty that set up a nuclear weapon-free zone in Central Asia.

11.09.2006 Five Central Asian states committed themselves to never acquiring, manufacturing, possessing, or testing nuclear weapons by signing a treaty Thursday to create a Central Asian nuclear-weapon-free zone.
From: Arms Control Association

03.07.2006 The nightmare in the central Asian state of Turkmenistan is often treated as though it were comedy, with the country's autocratic leader changing the names of the months in honour of members of his own family and erecting a gold statue of himself that revolves so it always faces the sun. But it's no joke, says Rachel Denber.

18.08.2005 As part of The Great Volga River Route project, an International Workshop on Sustainable Development and World Heritage took place on 28-31 July 2005 in Bucharest, Romania.The aim is to link young people through the use of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) and engage them in the preservation and promotion of World Heritage and Biosphere sites.

13.05.2005 Russia's President Putin is making a fuss about US involvement in pro-democracy groups active in former Soviet states. Is he really defending the likes of President Saparmurat Niazov, absolute ruler of Turkmenistan whose rambling published thoughts are compulsory reading in the style of the little red book of Mao Tse-tung?

07.03.2005 The President of Turkmenistan--who essentially rules his country by fiat--suggested closing all hospitals outside of the capital city last week. The plan--put forth as a means to ensure good health care amid a shortage of doctors--could mean a death sentence for those stricken by illness or injury in much of the country, which is considerably larger than Germany and where transportation is difficult.

02.12.2004 Turkmen NGOs are breathing a little easier after the repeal of a law that restricted civil society activity by threatening fines, "corrective labor," and imprisonment for those found guilty of acting as unregistered non-governmental organizations. Some are still wary, however, tagging the change as little more than an international PR exercise.

25.08.2004

19.05.2004 Public-sector workers in Turkmenistan who gained their qualifications at foreign universities are to lose their jobs on 1 June, after the authorities branded their education null and void.

18.05.2004 The impact of ICTs on local culture in countries of Central Asia is the focus of this multi-year research project. It has already come out with some findings on the implications of internet on society.

03.05.2004 More than two dozen journalists have been killed in Iraq since last year's launch of the U.S.-led invasion, making the Middle Eastern nation the world's most dangerous journalist assignment, according to the New York-based watchdog, Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ). Iraq was followed by Cuba, Zimbabwe, Turkmenistan, and Bangladesh in the top five of the Ten 'World's Worst Places to Be a Journalist,' an annual listing by CPJ in honor of World Press Freedom Day, May 3.

27.04.2004

03.02.2004 Turkmen police are scouring the countryside to find out where all the grain from a "record harvest" went; and they are forcibly seizing any they find. There is no comeback and no compensation for the peasants – who can count themselves lucky not to face prosecution.