While Turkmenistan’s insular, authoritarian government is taking baby steps to open the country’s economy to international trade, it continues to tighten its hold over the flow of information.
Watchdog groups rank Turkmenistan as one of the most repressive states on earth.A new report, titled Turkmenistan: Tightening Digital Controls and Domestic and Transnational Repression, documents recent efforts by Ashgabat to maintain a strict censorship regime amid rapid technological innovation in the communications sector. “Despite official promises to improve connectivity and digital development, authorities reportedly intensified efforts to suppress access to uncensored information by targeting Starlink satellite internet equipment as part of an ongoing crackdown on tools used to circumvent online censorship,” the report states.
The report was published by a coalition comprising the International Partnership for Human Rights, the Turkmen Initiative for Human Rights and the CIVICUS Monitor.Officials have charged parents with responsibility for policing the online behavior of their children, the report adds.
Children are reportedly prohibited from posting photos of public places on social media platforms.Meanwhile, anyone who complains about public policies or authorities’ behavior faces harassment, or worse.
In addition to the use of intimidation and other forms of punishment, officials have tightened their control over the country’s information architecture, for example keeping internet speeds slow.
Authorities are also pursuing a crackdown on those who seek to circumvent government restrictions, including VPN use. “Authorities reportedly extended its clampdown to Starlink terminals obtained from abroad, which some citizens have started using to access more stable, uncensored satellite internet,” according to the report. “In April 2026, authorities conducted raids in various regions of the country to identify and confiscate Starlink equipment from both residential and office buildings, with some individuals being detained on suspicion of installing such equipment.”