The investigation carried out by employees of Turkmenistan’s National Security Ministry, who tried to identify correspondents of “Chronicles of Turkmenistan” in Lebap velayat, has not brought about any results. They are now being searched for in Turkey.
Let us recall that in September dozens of residents were summoned to the Lebap velayat office of the NSM, whose employees tried to locate those who leaked information about criminal charges initiated against dismissed prosecutors Baijan Baijanov and Toilymyrat Yegenov to overseas media outlets.
According to Turkey-based correspondents of “Chronicles of Turkmenistan”, since mid October informants hired by the Turkmen special services have been actively working with migrant workers from Kugitang and Magdannly etraps in Lebap velayat.
The campaign is headed by natives of Lebap velayat, the spouses Bakhtiyar T. (born in 1989) and Rozugul E. (born in 1991).They frequently visit the Istanbul district of Awjylar, which is the place of compact settlement of natives of the Kugitang etrap.
The spouses are trying to attend the festivities and other meetings where people are more relaxed and talkative.
In an attempt to identify migrant workers who, as viewed by the couple, often keep in touch with their family members in Turkmenistan, the informants inform local NSM employees, who, in their turn, summon these people to find out what topics they discuss with their Istanbul-based relatives.
The NSM officers confiscate mobile telephones to check whether there is any information which will allow accusing the residents of being disloyal to the authorities.
In the past few years the informants have been paying increased attention to natives of Farab etrap in Lebap velayat.During a regular conversation about everyday life they try to find out whether people have heard that the President’s sister transport cargo to Uzbekistan via Farab.
The informants of the Turkmen special services are closely monitoring those migrants who are active in social networks even if the latter cover neutral topics.