Annakurban Amanklychev and Sapardurdy KhadzhievTurkmenistan
Annakurban Amanklychev, 41, and Sapardurdy Khadzhiev, 52, are journalists currently serving seven-year sentences in Turkmenistan. They have been held incommunicado since 2006, after being convicted on fabricated charges for possession of illegal munitions.
Mr. Amanklychev and Mr. Khadzhiev are independent journalists and work with foreign media outlets, such as the BBC and Galaxie Presse. They are also members of the Turkmenistan Helsinki Foundation, a human rights organization based in Bulgaria that publicizes human rights violations in Turkmenistan.
Immediately prior to their arrest, Mr. Amanklychev and Mr. Khadzhiev worked on a documentary exploring then-President Niyazov’s cult of personality. The documentary also addressed the failing Turkmen health and education systems.
National security officials arrested Mr. Amanklychev and Mr. Khadzhiev on June 16, 2006, and June 18, 2006, respectively. At the time of their arrest, they were accused publicly by the Minister of National Security of “trying to collect defamatory information about Turkmenistan and cause discontent among people.” Yet, after several weeks of severe mistreatment in prison, they were charged with possession of illegal munitions. They then received a “trial” that lasted less than ten minutes. Soldiers prevented relatives and members of the public from entering the courtroom. Despite a lack of evidence, the two journalists were convicted for possession of illegal munitions and sentenced to seven years imprisonment.
Mr. Amanklychev and Mr. Khadzhiev are currently incarcerated at the Turkmenbashi high-security prison in the Caspian Sea desert area, known for extreme hot and cold temperatures. The conditions are very poor. There are credible reports that Mr. Amanklychev and Mr. Khadzhiev suffer from torture, forced drug injections, and extreme heat, thirst, and hunger. A third journalist, Ogulsapar Murdova, who was tried with Mr. Amanklychev and Mr. Khadzhiev, died in custody three weeks after the trial, likely from torture.
Freedom Now represents Mr. Amanklychev and Mr. Khadzhiev as their international pro bono legal counsel along with the international law firm Hogan Lovells US LLP.
- Selected documents from Annakurban Amanklychev and Sapardurdy Khadzhiev's case
- Communication to the Committee Against Torture Turkmenistan SessionApril 21, 2011
Freedom Now submitted this report to assist the Committee Against Torture in its review of Turkmenistan’s human rights policies and practices.
- Communication to the Human Rights Committee Turkmenistan SessionJanuary 26, 2012
Freedom Now submitted this report to assist the Human Rights Committee in its review of Turkmenistan’s adherence to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights to take place on March 15th and 16th, 2012.
- Freedom Now Press Release November 2, 2010
Announcing the opinion of the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention.
- Kazakhstan: Central Asian States Should Fulfill OSCE-Mandated Rights CommitmentsDecember 1, 2010
EurasiaNet Op-Ed by Maran Turner calling on OSCE member states to address human rights in Central Asia.
- Letter from 21 Members of the US Senate to Secretary of State ClintonMay 5, 2010
Requesting that the cases of Annakurban Amanklychev and Sapardurdy Khadzhiev be raised at the highest levels during bilateral consultations between the United States and Turkmenistan.
- Opinion of the UN Group on Arbitrary DetentionNovember 2, 2010
Finding that the detention of Amanklychev and Khadziev violates international law.
- OSCE Meeting Highlights Plight of Imprisoned JournalistsJune 7, 2011
EurasiaNet op-ed by Program Attorneys Patrick Griffith and Sachi Jensen highlighting the plight of imprisoned journalists like Annakurban Amanklychev and Sapardurdy Khadzhiev in Turkmenistan.
- Petition to the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention on behalf of Sapardurdy KhadzhievFebruary 24, 2010
Submitted by Hogan and Hartson LLP.
- Petition to the United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention on behalf of Annakurban AmanklychevFebruary 24, 2010
Submitted by Hogan and Hartson LLP.