A woman has been kept in a pre-trial detention facility for four days and fined for the incident which occurred in front of the state-run grocery store.
On 16 January, 2021 the rationed sale of essential groceries for January at subsidized prices was launched in rural areas of Lebap velayat.
Customers congregated at 4 a.m. at the state-run store in the agricultural association of Azatlyk, Sayat etrap and put together the waiting list. This shop serves three villages – Gyzan, Alpan and Araptelman.
A shop assistant who turned up at 7 a.m.informed customers that pursuant to the instructions from the Consumer’s association of Sayat etrap the ration of cotton seed oil at subsidized priced had been reduced from 500 grams to 300 grams per person a month.
The price remains unchanged at 2,70 manats per liter.
Those in the queue were indignant and the shop assistant said that the ration was likely to be reduced to 250 grams effective March, 2021.
He then tore the waiting list apart and said that oil and flour will be sold based not according to the waiting list but based on the village. On 16 January customers from Alpan will be served, on 17 January from Araptelman and on 18 January from Gyzan.
One of the women, a 56 year old resident from Alpan, could no longer tolerate it and shouted at the shop assistant:
Why don’t you inform customers in advance what groceries will be sold on a particular day and who they will be sold to?We have been standing outside in the cold weather for 3 to 4 hours and it turns out it is in vain!
Not only have you reduced the ration, but you treat customers in such a disrespectful manner!
The shop assistant closed the store and summoned a district police officer. The woman was taken to the police station in Sayat and placed in a pre-trial detention ward. The shop assistant filed a complaint that the woman had insulted him and disrupted the work of the state-run shop.
The court trial was held on 18 January.The judge Chemen Berdyeva sentenced the woman to a fine of 330 manats and said: “She should spend a few more days in the pre-trial facility”.
As a result, after spending four days in custody, the woman was released and now she has to pay a fine, which is considered to be quite big for rural residents.
Judge Berdyeva previously sentenced a Jehovah’s Witness conscientious objector to a second jail term for refusing compulsory military service.
Other provinces are also reporting a reduction in grocery rations sold at fixed prices. For instance, since last week the daily limit of four eggs per person has been introduced for inhabitants of Mary and eggs are available every second day in the best case scenario.
Vegetable oil, sugar, flour and chicken drumsticks are also in short supply. They are supplied to stores irregularly and sell out quickly.
Bread is the only grocery which is available daily. Yet, people have to queue for it and the limit of two loaves per person applies. Customers complain about poor quality of bread.
Meanwhile, eggs have not been available on the counters of Ashgabat stores for almost a week. In privately-owned stores they are sold at 1,5 manats apiece.
Since Friday the price for cigarettes have increased to 20 manats apiece ($5,7 using the official rate or $0,7 at the black market rate).
Let us recall that on 11 January, 2021 the ration of cotton seed oil was reduced in one of state-run stores in Dashoguz.
However, following numerous complaints, requests and threats by customers to vandalize the store the oil ration was reinstated.The post A female rural resident dissatisfied with reduced oil ration has been fined and kept in a pre-trial detention facility for four days first appeared on Chronicles of Turkmenistan.