Correspondents of “Chronicles of Turkmenistan” report that on 25 July active measures to suppress rumours about the President’s death or his poor health are being undertaken in Turkmenistan. Law enforcement agencies in Ashgabat and in the provinces have been switched to a “combat alert mode”.
According to correspondents of “Chronicles of Turkmenistan”, three individuals have been detained in Lebap velayat who are accused of spreading rumours to destabilize the situation in the country.
The detainees include an employee of the Lebap velayat office of Turkmentelecom”, a staff member of the water economy department and a female employee of the local public utilities office.
Moreover, the Ministry of Culture was charged with the task of conducting a counter propaganda campaign.
It appears that this explains numerous videos posted by Turkmen celebrities in Instagram, urging their fans not to believe rumours and cursing “slanderers of the motherland” as well as reports of pro-governmental websites, criticizing those who spread “fake provocations” and publishing offensive comments and cracking down on independent journalists.
Update. Turkmenistan’s elders have been encouraged to have preventive conversations with the residents, especially with the families whose relatives are working overseas.