Gulgeldy Annaniyazov is an activist from Turkmenistan. He was initially arrested in 1995 for organizing a peaceful protest.[1] After four years, he was released under a presidential pardon[2] and fled to Kazakhstan and eventually Norway.[1] Following the death of Saparmurat Niyazov and the resulting change in government, he moved back to Turkmenistan in 2008.[3] At that point, he was arrested again on charges of "illegal border crossing,"[4] and sentenced to eleven years in prison, even though the Turkmen criminal code stipulates a maximum sentence of ten years for that charge.[5] Another five years were later added to the charge.[6] He was released from prison in 2019,[7][8] but is still in "conditions that amount to detention."[2][7]
Turkmenistan became independent from the Soviet Union in 1991; however Saparmurat Niyazov remained president for life. In response to this, Annaniyazov along with other members of the "Ashgabat Eight"[4] organized the country's first pro-democracy protest.[2] The government of Turkmenistan routinely quashes dissidents.[9]
Following his 1995 arrest, there were reports that he was subjected to torture,[10] and one of his co-defendants, Charymurat Gurov died in prison.[11] He was released in January 1999, allegedly to coincide with a visit from Human Rights Watch to Turkmenistan.[11]
Following his release, he left the country for Kazakhstan, and eventually Norway,[1] where he received political asylum in 2002.[12] Following the death of Niyazov, Annaniyazov returned to Turkmenistan in 2008, hoping to contribute to democratic change.[13][3]
He was arrested again at a family home in 2008.[2] He was sentenced to eleven years in prison in a closed trial on October 7.[12]
His wife and three of his children remained in Norway.[14] Another daughter was allegedly prevented from leaving Turkmenistan after his arrest.[11]
He was moved to Garabogaz[15] in March 2019, a "Caspian coastal area where the salted air makes breathing difficult, and which takes days for visitors, including, family members in Ashgabat, to travel to visit,"[1] and where he is still being forced to work for the government.[2] In May 2019, his family was allowed to visit him for the first time since his arrest.[2]
United States Senators Dick Durbin, Patrick Leahy, Sherrod Brown and Representative Tom Malinowski wrote a letter to Berdymukhamedov asking for the release of Annaniyazov, along with Nurgeldy Halykov and Khursanai Ismatullaeva in November 2021.[8] He was also included in a letter, signed by eleven senators, calling for the release of unjustly detained prisoners in Central Asia.[16]
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