The state information agency TDH reports that on 2 April a session of the Mejlis of the Milli Gengesh of the sixth convocation was held to elect an Ombudsperson.
Turkmenistan’s Commissioner for Human Rights Yazdursun Gurbannazarova first made a progress report, the details of which were not provided by TDH.
Then, in compliance with the law “On Ombudsperson” three candidates were presented to be reviewed by Parliament members. Their names were not disclosed by TDH. However, it was pointed out that by secret ballot the meeting participants cast their votes for Gurbannazarova.
The office of Turkmenistan’s Ombudsperson publishes regular performance reports, which emphasize that “the government fulfills the human rights commitments it has undertaken”. No grave violations of human rights, freedom of religion, movement, assembly and others are mentioned in these reports.
A range of complaints and appeals addressed to the Ombudsperson by the Turkmen Initiative for Human Rights have remained unanswered.
Appeals by Turkmen residents are also not accepted.A staff member of the office of Turkmenistan’s Ombudsperson told a resident who had submitted an appeal that “because they are short-staffed, the office is unable to handle numerous complaints”.The post Yazdursun Gurbannazarova re-elected Turkmenistan’s Ombudsperson first appeared on Chronicles of Turkmenistan.