Radio “Azatlyk” reports that for the past two weeks the cities of Turkmenabat and Farap have held staff meetings in state-run companies and NGOs, with executives of NGOs, women’s councils and officers of the NSM, the Interior Ministry and the public prosecutor’s office in attendance, where government officials have been trying to discredit Dursoltan Taganova.
The meeting organizers accused the activist of attempting to organize protests and compared the situation with protests in Belarus.
“Taganova, like the Belarus opposition leader Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, wishes to launch protest rallies against residents”, – the meeting attendees said.
Dursoltan Taganova is an activist, who is currently residing in Turkey and openly criticizing the political regime in Turkmenistan.The Turkmen authorities called on the Turkish authorities to deport her.
However, after spending three months in the deportation centre she was released. The Turkish authorities are now reviewing her application to grant her political asylum.
Throughout all this time Taganova’s Turkmenistan-based family members have been persecuted by the special services.