Turkmen authorities have held civil activist Murat Dushemov in a pretrial detention center for 81 days, despite the fact that he completed a four-year prison sentence on June 12.
No trial has taken place in the newly fabricated criminal case against him.Meanwhile, Dushemov’s family is facing increasing pressure: his brother and sister have been illegally barred from leaving the country.A trial promised by investigator Agajan Nuryyev for late July never happened.
According to Article 230 of Turkmenistan’s Code of Criminal Procedures, a pretrial investigation must be completed within two months of a case being opened.Dushemov, however, remains in detention at Abdy Shukur prison for 81 days and counting, even though he was scheduled to return home on June 12.
That date was meant to be a surprise — his relatives had expected him two days later.But he never arrived.Neither the investigator nor the state-appointed attorney has provided any updates — not about the progress of the investigation, nor about when a trial might take place.
The lawyer, Patma Achilova, appears to be just as in the dark.She last saw her client on August 7 and only told the family that Murat was in “good condition.” It’s unclear how long the visit lasted, whether they discussed the case, or worked on a defense strategy.
Prior to that, she had at least once been denied a visit with Dushemov — a totally unlawful action as lawyers do not have to seek anybody’s permission to see their clients.Meanwhile, pressure on Dushemov’s family continues.
Police from the Kopetdag district have been calling the family, asking whether Murat ever called them from prison — apparently hoping to get a “yes” in order to press new charges against him.On Monday, August 25, Murat’s mother, Tazegul Mammedova, was scheduled to meet with Western diplomats to ask for their help in securing her son’s release.
But the night before, on August 24, two plainclothes officers — one of them their local precinct officer — burst into the family’s apartment.It remains unclear what they wanted, but they were deterred by cellphone video recording.One of the officers swore profusely.
On the day of the planned meeting with diplomats, the Dushemov family members were requested to come the local police station, but they chose not to go.The Turkmen security services have also imposed an illegal travel ban on Alty Dushemov, Murat’s younger brother, and Gulyalek Dushemova, Murat’s sister.
Alty found this out in March 2024, when he attempted to leave for Russia on a work visa.He earns a living in Turkmenistan doing odd jobs.Their mother’s pension — 600 manats ($30) — is barely enough for a single trip to the market for groceries.
There is no money for clothing or medicine.Although Alty Dushemov had never traveled abroad before, he was turned back at Ashgabat airport.A response from the State Migration Service in March stated his application had been sent to “relevant agencies.” A follow-up response on June 11 said those agencies had decided that the travel ban would remain in place.
No explanation was given as to why, on what grounds, or for how long.He lost his airplane ticket worth more than 74,000 rubles (around $825 at the time).Travel ban imposed on Alty DushemovS7 airlines ticket lost due to illegal travel ban on Alty DushemovIllegal travel ban imposed on Gulyalek DushemovaIn the summer of 2025, Tazegul Mammedova tried to send her daughter, Gulyalek, to study in Kazakhstan.
But, having learned from her son’s experience, she first paid 50 manats to check her daughter’s travel status with the Migration Service — and it turned out to be a wise move.
Gulyalek, who had also never been abroad, was also found to be banned from leaving the country.All of this amounts to blatant legal abuse and a clear act of revenge by the Turkmen security services against the Dushemov family.
An innocent man — slandered and now facing a second baseless prosecution — remains in detention for nearly three months.His family is being harassed, and his brother and sister are banned from travel with no legal basis.
President Serdar Berdimuhamedov, to whom the family has already appealed, as guarantor of the Constitution must put an end to this injustice.