NEW YORK, 6 May, 2009 (HRW) – A Turkmen political prisoner, Mukhametkuli Aymuradov, was freed on May 2, 2009 after serving 14 years in prison on trumped-up charges, Human Rights Watch said today. Human Rights Watch has sent a letter urging José Manuel Barroso, the European Commission president, to press for more releases of political prisoners and other human rights reforms at a meeting on May 8 with a Turkmenistan delegation.
“We are delighted that Mukhametkuli Aymuradov, who became a symbol of the injustice and oppression in Turkmenistan, is finally back with his family,” said Maria Lisitsyna, Central Asia researcher at Human Rights Watch. “Now the government needs to free its other political prisoners and compensate him for his suffering.”
Turkmenistan remains one of the most repressive and authoritarian countries in the world two-and-a-half years after the death of Saparmurad Niazov, who had himself declared president for life. Unknown numbers of people languish in Turkmen prisons following unfair trials on what appeared to be politically motivated charges. Draconian restrictions on freedom of expression, association, movement, and religion remain in place.
Læs videre på: www.hrw.org/en/news/2009/05/06/turkmenistan-political-prisoner-free-after-14-years
