Mary Lawlor, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders, has called for the immediate release of Turkmen civil activist Murat Dushemov, who was recently re-imprisoned under disputed circumstances.
Lawlor stated that the new charges against Dushemov are fabricated and appear to be retaliation for his peaceful activism and exercise of free expression.
“I will closely monitor the trial of civil activist Murat Dushemov, who has been in prison since 2021 and is now facing new criminal charges in apparent retaliation for his peaceful activism and for exercising his freedom of expression in Turkmenistan. I call for his immediate release,” Lawlor posted on X.
Her call was echoed by the Regional Office for Central Asia of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, which reaffirmed support for Dushemov’s release.
Renewed Persecution
As previously reported by The Times of Central Asia, Dushemov was originally scheduled for release on June 14, after serving a four-year sentence. However, just days before his expected release, he was transferred to a pre-trial detention facility in Turkmenabat. Authorities have accused him of participating in a prison altercation, an allegation he claims is entirely fabricated.
“The person who wrote the statement against me started banging his head against the wall, injuring himself and staining the wall with his blood. They want to slander me again to prolong my stay here,” Dushemov reportedly said.
Despite assurances from Prosecutor Agajan Nuryev that a hearing would take place in mid-July, no trial date has been announced. Details remain withheld even from Dushemov’s family, in clear violation of Turkmenistan’s judicial transparency laws.
Background and First Conviction
Dushemov was first detained in 2021. He was convicted of extortion and causing bodily harm and sentenced to four years in prison. Human rights groups say the trial was politically motivated, noting that Dushemov had openly criticized the government’s pandemic response, including mandatory mask policies and vaccination campaigns, which he considered unlawful.
The initial charges centered on two incidents: an alleged extortion attempt involving a chief doctor, and accusations of assault made by fellow inmates, claims that mirrored the current allegations against him.
Widening International Support
Several human rights organizations have joined the campaign to secure Dushemov’s release. These include the Norwegian Helsinki Committee, Turkmen.News, the Turkmen Human Rights Initiative, the International Partnership for Human Rights, and the Association for Human Rights in Central Asia.
“The authorities must drop the new criminal charges brought against civil activist Murat Dushemov as clear retaliation for his activities and release him immediately,” the organizations said in a joint statement. They also urged Turkmenistan’s international partners to pressure Ashgabat to cease persecution of activists, journalists, and dissenters.
Human Rights Watch has also issued a statement supporting Dushemov, calling for his “immediate and unconditional” release and demanding an end to abuses prolonging his detention.
Lawlor has previously highlighted rights violations in Turkmenistan. In April, she called for an investigation into the alleged poisoning of independent journalist Soltan Achilova. She is also monitoring the case of Baloch rights activist Mansur Mingelov, who has spent 13 years in prison on what are widely believed to be politically motivated charges. Due to prolonged torture and poor prison conditions, Mingelov reportedly developed tuberculosis in his knee joints.
