Since the publication of the first report Turkmenistan has adopted several legislative initiatives, including the revised Constitution.With a view to the more efficient implementation of international law, the National Human Rights Action Plan for 2016-2020 was endorsed in Turkmenistan.
The Institute of Ombudsman has been operational in Turkmenistan since 2017.All these measures might give the impression of some regime democratization.Regrettably, “de-jure” reforms did not bring about “de-facto” changes as Turkmenistan remains one of the most closed countries in the world.
It is difficult to imagine how non-transparent are the detention facilities, which are in fact closed institutions with limited access.
The fact that the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) pulled out of negotiations with the authorities of Turkmenistan due to their futility suggests that the situation is critical.
In fact, ICRC stated that “Turkmenistan denies principles and foundations of Red Cross humanitarian activities, and was forced to leave the negotiations including those on the fate of victims of enforced disappearances”.
It is for this reason that the TIHR and TILA started working on the second report by carrying out preliminary target monitoring and reviewing available material on the situation in prisons.
The demand for such publications is obvious as, inter alia, when reviewing individual complaints from Turkmenistan and making decisions the UN Human Rights Committee refers to the first report published by the TIHR and TILA.
Full report is available at the following link.