736 Convicts Pardoned in Celebration of Turkmenistan’s Independence Day

Serdar Berdimuhamedow is the president of Turkmenistan (Wikimedia Commons)

Turkmen president Serdar Berdimuhamedow pardoned 736 individuals on September 20, 2024 in celebration of the 33rd anniversary of the country’s independence. The Turkmenistan State News Agency (TDH) announced that the president had consulted “the principles of mercy and humanism bequeathed by our great ancestors.” He signed the decrees during an expanded meeting with Turkmenistan’s Cabinet of Ministers.

At this meeting, Berdimuhamedow instructed Defense Minister Begenç Gündogdyýew to work with law enforcement to facilitate the release of these individuals from custody and ensure their safe return home, according to TDH. The state media goes on to report that Berdimuhamedow  urged the pardoned citizens to work diligently, serve their “dear Motherland” sincerely, and live by honest labor.

Turkmenistan became a constituent republic of the Soviet Union in 1925. Although it formally gained independence from the USSR on October 27, 1991, the country’s Halk Maslahaty (representative body) voted in 2018 to move the celebration date back by one month. Since then, independence day celebrations have taken place on September 27.

Issuing pardons for convicts on significant national holidays is a customary practice in Turkmenistan. Earlier this year AKI press published that Berdimuhamedow pardoned 356 prisoners for the Night of Power, an Islamic holiday commemorating the day the Quran was revealed to the Prophet Muhammad. The president also pardoned 302 citizens for International Neutrality Day last December, which marks the country’s commitment to neutrality in international affairs, according to Grata International.

To understand these pardons in their entirety, it is important to consider the political context in which Turkmenistan exists. The country, characterized by fear and repression, is notorious for its human rights abuses and nationwide media suppression. Opposition to the government is often labeled as treason and punishable by life in prison; furthermore, the government keeps a tight rein on all news outlets in the country. This policy has led to the sanitation and filtration of much of the available information regarding the nature of these pardons, all of which serve to bolster the current regime.

The Chronicles of Turkmenistan is an independent news agency that has been blocked in the country since 2007. According to the Chronicles, following a round of pardons, the President orders the khyakims, or the heads of each of the five regions in the country, to ensure employment for the pardoned individuals in their respective fields. Yet local administrations often face challenges in fulfilling this responsibility, as job openings can be scarce.

The Chronicles also found in 2020 that convicts could all but assure inclusion on a pardon list if they paid a bribe. Under former president Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov, whose tenure lasted from 2006 to 2022, inmates had the option to pay $700 for inclusion on the list. Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty states that these pardons do not typically extend to individuals arrested on political grounds.
A report by the U.S. Department of State indicates that overcrowding, food shortages, and poor hygiene conditions remain a significant issue in the country’s jails. As Turkmenistan continues to grapple with its poor human rights record, these annual pardons serve as a stark reminder of the complexities faced by many of its citizens today.