International Campaign to Protect Those Disappeared In Turkmen Prisons

The Turkmenistan Civic Solidarity Group announces the beginning of our international campaign, Prove They Are Alive!

The Goal of the Campaign Prove They Are Alive! is to uncover the truth about the fate of hundreds of people who have disappeared in Turkmen prisons as the result of massive repression that took place in the 2000s. Uncovering the truth about gross human rights violations by Turkmenistan’s authorities in the past and today will stop additional violations in the future.  By raising the question of the fate of those people who have disappeared in Turkmenistan’s prisons on the international level, we begin to pave the way to addressing the systemic human rights violations committed by one of the most opaque and repressive regimes in the world.

Objectives of the Prove They Are Alive! campaign:

1. Understand the fates of all those who have disappeared in Turkmen prisons, and obtain information from the Turkmen authorities about their location, their health, and their legal status;
2. Obtain access to the imprisoned for their families, lawyers, doctors, and representatives of international organizations;
3. Prevent further disappearances of people in Turkmenistan’s prisons;
4. Help to improve the overall human rights situation in Turkmenistan, including conditions in Turkmenistan’s prisons.

We hope to reach these objectives through cooperation with international organizations and through direct dialogue with the government of Turkmenistan. The resolution of this humanitarian crisis and the disclosure of information about the imprisoned will push the Turkmen authorities to take the first step away from Turkmenistan’s totalitarian past and the legacy of mass repression.