ASHGABAT (TCA) — Authorities in Turkmenistan are imposing more fines on car owners and even on local fortune tellers in an effort to replenish the state budget as the country’s economy experiences a severe downturn, the foreign-based independent news website Chronicles of Turkmenistan reports.
The website reports that from the beginning of January the police have been detaining fortune tellers, or “palchi” as they are popularly called, in Turkmenistan’s capital Ashgabat and in the provinces.
Detainees are brought to police stations where they are fined for some administrative offence for an amount of 100 manats ($28.5 or about $10 at the “black market” rate).
Palchis are witches engaged in fortune telling, casting an evil spell, love binding or some other magic-related rituals. Such occult services are quite popular with the residents of Turkmenistan. In some cases even the clergy are involved in these activities despite the fact that it is forbidden by religion.
The reason behind the unexpected clamp-down campaign initiated by the police, according to a government official and a source of the Chronicles of Turkmenistan, is that law-enforcement officers have been charged with the task of “replenishing the state budget by any means”.
According to the source, this explains the increasing number of fines imposed on car owners, the requirement to re-sit the driving test for females, and the persecution of fortune tellers.
Now the road police stop even administrative vehicles with government number plates and demand that a trip ticket is provided listing the surnames of passengers employed by this organization. If a driver fails to present one, a fine is levied.
