A group of 10 human rights organizations called on the Turkmen authorities to immediately and unconditionally release Pygamberdy Allaberdyev, a lawyer imprisoned on bogus charges in late September 2020.
The address was published on the website of Human Rights Watch (HRW).
In a court hearing held on 29 September, 2020 in the city of Balkanabad, Pygambergeldy Allaberdyev, 48, a lawyer with a government oil and gas production office “Nebitdagneft”, was sentenced to six years in prison on charges of hooliganism and intentional infliction of moderate bodily harm.
“The trial and charges against Allaberdyev, and the surrounding circumstances, clearly suggest that the case is political. The authorities should release him immediately and annul his conviction”, said Rachel Denber, deputy Europe and Central Asia director at Human Rights Watch.
The address was signed by the following organizations:
Bulgarian Helsinki Committee;
Crude Accountability;
the Centre for the Development of Democracy and Human Rights;
Democratic Civil Union of Turkmenistan;
Freedom Files;
Human Rights Watch;
the Memorial Human Rights Center;
the Norwegian Helsinki Committee;
the Turkmenistan Helsinki Foundation for Human Rights;
the Turkmen Initiative for Human Rights.
Let us recall that according to the official version, the lawyer was detained in Balkanabad (formerly, Nebit-dag) for hooliganism after an unidentified young attacked him and tried to provoke a conflict on the street. The real reason of the detention was alleged Allaberdyev’s connections with activists involved in the Turkmen protest movement abroad.
A few days prior to the trial Allaberdyev’s defense attorney withdrew from the case because of politically motivated charges. Following this, about ten other lawyers the family had approached refused to take on the case.