Turkmen civil activist and political prisoner Murat Dushemov did not return home after the end of his unjust four-year prison sentence on June 14, 2025. According to information from Turkmen.News, authorities initiated new criminal charges against him shortly before his anticipated release, allegedly over a fight with a fellow prisoner – an incident believed to have been staged to incriminate him. He currently remains in detention, with the trial on the new charges expected soon.
Murat Dushemov was originally imprisoned in 2021 on charges of extortion and infliction of bodily harm, widely viewed as retaliation for his peaceful civic activism. He had publicly challenged the Turkmen government’s denial of the COVID-19 pandemic, questioned the legal basis of mask mandates and vaccination requirements, and refused to comply without justification—actions that led to repeated harassment and politically motivated charges. At that time, Dushemov was also accused of allegedly attacking and injuring co-detainees.
Both human rights defenders and international experts have expressed serious concerns about the politically-motivated nature of the charges leading to Dushemov’s 2021 prison sentence. During its review of Turkmenistan in 2023, the UN Human Rights Committee called for his release – an issue the government promised to consider. However, it has failed to follow through on this commitment.
The new alleged prison incident involving Dushemov—used to justify the fresh charges— appears to be a fabricated pretext to extend his detention and penalize him for continuing to stand up for his rights while in prison.
Dushemov is accused of injuring a fellow prisoner during a fight. However, in a message conveyed through his lawyer, the activist firmly denied the charges and stated that the new case against him is the result of a deliberate provocation. Dushemov said: “The person who filed the complaint against me deliberately injured himself by hitting a wall, he then smeared it with his own blood, and falsely accused me. They’re trying to slander me again to prolong my detention.”
For several days after the expiration of Dushemov’s sentence, his family had no information about his whereabouts. It was only thanks to the persistent efforts of his mother, Tyazegul Mammedova, that they learned that he had been transferred from prison LB-E/12 in Lebap region – where head been serving his sentence – to detention center LB-D/9 (also known as “Abdy-Shukur” prison) in Turkmenabat. Although his mother visited the detention center twice, she was not allowed to see him, with prison guards indicating that a visit might only be possible after his trial. She also did not receive any information about the new charges against him. However, during Mammedova’s second visit on June 23, she was permitted to leave a parcel for her son, and she met with his state-appointed lawyer, who conveyed the message from him quoted above.
There are credible signs that the Turkmen security services are seeking to suppress information about the case. The Dushemov family’s communication with contacts abroad appears to have been intentionally hindered. On June 24, an unidentified man visited their home in Bezmein, falsely claiming to respond to a Wi-Fi service request, after which their internet connection was cut off.
Moreover, in a further worrying development, the family reportedly faced additional pressure following a heartfelt video appeal addressed to President Serdar Berdymukhamedov by Tyazegul Mammedova. In the appeal, Mammedova insisted on her son’s innocence and urged the president to intervene, saying she ‘’couldn’t bear’’ to see him imprisoned again. After the appeal was published on June 25, Murat Dushemov’s younger brother, Alty, received a phone call from a local court official inquiring about his alimony payments — a call that appeared intended to intimidate him.
We call on the Turkmen government to immediately and unconditionally release Murat Dushemov and to stop harassing him and his family for his peaceful exercise of civic freedoms. Turkmenistan’s international partners should also press for Dushemov’s release and for an end to the broader pattern of persecution targeting civic activists, journalists and others critical of the Turkmen authorities.
Contact us
Employee