Correspondents of “Chronicles of Turkmenistan” report that in the run-up to the Presidential election the Turkmen special services have tightened pressure on individuals who fall under the “untrustworthy” category and their associates.
In March 2019 “Chronicles of Turkmenistan” posted an address of an Ashgabat resident Arzuv Jepbarova, who had complained about money extortions and other violations in her daughter’s school. Since that time the woman has been under surveillance of the NSM.
The special services agents do not dare to exert direct pressure on Arzuv but conduct an “awareness-raising campaign” among her acquaintances and neighbours. They are strongly advised to refrain from being in contact with Jepbarova because she is “related to journalist Soltan Achilova”.
On 25 February a young man visited Arzuv Jepbarova’s neighbours.
“If you continue to keep contact with her, you will also fall under suspicion. It is up to you to choose whether you want to have problems or live in security”, the NSM officer told Arzuv’s neighbour.
The neighbor told Arzuv that an officer from the special services had made enquiries about her. Arzuv ran into the officer downstairs and asked him why he had not talked directly to her.
The officer started to explain that he was collecting voters’ personal details prior to the election. However, seeing how determined the woman was, he left shortly without providing any further explanation.
A white Toyota Camry with registration number 64-31-AG has been maintaining vigilance in front Arzuv Jepbarova’s entrance for a few days.
Vehicles or young people covertly or openly keep vigil near the house of other “untrustworthy” individuals.
According to Radio “Azatlyk”, apart from tightening control over untrustworthy individuals, the police and special services conducted raids and arrested at least 200 people who had been engaged in prostitution or sold psychotropic substances.
All of them are being kept in the pre-trial detention centre “Arzuv”.The post In the run-up to Presidential election the Turkmen special services tighten pressure on “untrustworthy” individuals first appeared on Chronicles of Turkmenistan.