On May 30, Turkmen citizen and outspoken critic of the Ashgabat regime, Umida Bekchanova was detained in Istanbul and now faces deportation to Turkmenistan.
Detained Without Warning
According to Turkmen.news, Bekchanova was seized by unidentified individuals in plain clothes and transferred to a deportation center in Turkey. The incident was later reported by opposition blogger Kalmurad Soyunov, who lives in Sweden, via his YouTube channel. Citing Bekchanova’s legal team, Soyunov claimed that the arrest was conducted with the involvement of Turkmen special services in cooperation with local Turkish authorities.
Bekchanova resides in Turkey legally and has long been a vocal opponent of the Turkmen government. Her activism has led to reprisals against her family in Turkmenistan, including a criminal case against her younger son, whom she alleges was tortured with electric shocks during interrogation. He remains in custody.
The activist has also received threats and significantly curtailed her public activity following the forced return of fellow dissidents Farhad Meymankuliev and Merdan Mukhamedov, as well as the detention of Alisher Sakhattov and Abdulla Orusov.
Allegations of Entrapment
Soyunov claims the operation to detain Bekchanova was premeditated and involved strategic deception. After Turkmen intelligence failed to locate her for months in Istanbul, a city of over 15 million people, they allegedly turned to subterfuge. In January, Bekchanova was informed by her bank that her card had been deactivated due to an expired visa, despite her visa being valid. Her sister-in-law, who had recently arrived in Turkey for work, was unknowingly used to reveal Bekchanova’s location.
According to the report, men posing as police officers approached the residence and lured Bekchanova out. She was then detained, transported in a minibus, and held for four hours before being taken to a deportation facility.
Attempted Emergency Deportation
The timing of her detention on a Thursday was reportedly deliberate. “The calculation was that on Friday, lawyers and government offices would be closed, and with the weekend ahead, it would be the ideal moment to deport Umida before any intervention could occur,” Soyunov said. Similar tactics have been used in past deportations of Turkmen dissidents.
By June 1, Bekchanova had reportedly been taken to the airport for extradition, without her identification documents. Her legal team is actively working to halt the deportation.
Voice of Dissent
Bekchanova began publicly criticizing the Turkmen authorities in 2020. Her activism was galvanized by a series of national crises, including the deaths of dozens of Turkmen migrants in Turkey purportedly from alcohol poisoning, the government’s concealment of the COVID-19 outbreak, and a devastating hurricane that went unreported in state media.
Her current legal status and future in Turkey remain uncertain. Should the deportation proceed, Bekchanova may face severe risks in Turkmenistan, where her family has already suffered intimidation and abuse.
