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Turkmenistan: The Democratic Opening

Commentary
BY ROBERT ARSENAULT

NEW YORK—Three of the world's most notorious dictators—Chile's Augusto Pinochet, Iraq's Saddam Hussein and Turkmenistan's Saparmurat Niyazov—died last month.

The first two were well-known, out of office and no longer able to terrorize their former subjects. The lesser-known tyrant, Niyazov, died suddenly while still serving as president-for-life of Turkmenistan, the natural gas-rich former Soviet republic that borders Afghanistan and Iran.

Today, the future of Turkmenistan and its more than 5 million people is up for grabs and the United States has a splendid opportunity to use its diplomatic influence to affect a democratic outcome. A nation slightly larger than California, Turkmenistan became one of the world's most repressive states after receiving its independence from a crumbling Soviet Union on Oct. 27, 1991.

Dissent was quashed with opponents arrested, tortured, denied fair trials, and summarily sentenced to long prison terms. Purges were periodic. Some managed to flee; others found themselves on a blacklist-forbidden to travel abroad. Niyazov's 20-year rule in Turkmenistan was exemplified by megalomania. A golden statue of him still stands in the capital city of Ashkhabad—rotating with the sun to reflect his supposed glory. He even renamed the days of the week and months of the year after himself and his family members.

His "cult of the personality" also incredibly distorted daily life: the media was heavily controlled, medical care de-funded and education subject to intrigue-laden politics invisible and inconceivable to the outside world.

The disastrous social and economic policies he put in place will require months and, perhaps, years of intensive intervention to reverse. If Turkmenistan is to become a functioning democracy it urgently needs to capture international attention and inspire international action.

Its puppet legislature already has selected an interim president by ignoring the constitutionally mandated procedure-unanimously endorsing only the candidate from the one political party currently permitted.

To signal real change in the human rights situation and a commitment to fair and open elections, the government also should be pressured to free all political prisoners improperly imprisoned in the show trials of the past few years.

Other forms of harassment that could chill any attempt at free elections-including intimidation and arrests of dissenters, raids on houses of worship and restrictions on freedom of movement-should be ended.

Turkmenistan should fully cooperate with election monitors from the Organization for Security and Co-Operation in Europe (OSCE) and immediately permit the visit of UN special human rights experts.

The United States can play a key role in bringing long-overdue change to this sparsely populated nation on the Caspian Sea by promptly filling the post of U.S. ambassador to Turkmenistan. And it needs to be more aggressive by speaking out consistently on the importance of full democracy with respect for human rights.

So far the United States. has used rhetoric to emphasize stability, cooperation, a new pipeline and education. These are important issues but U.S. officials concerned about a new beginning in bilateral relations must engage the international community to prioritize respect for basic freedoms by insisting on specific actions. And the United States and the other advanced democracies should warn Russia against meddling in the Turkmenistan political process.

The Turkmenistan elections scheduled for next month must be fully free and fair-allowing candidates and voters complete freedom of information, media, assembly and movement. Real opposition political parties must be formed and allowed to run presidential candidates.

Political exiles must be allowed to return and participate in the electoral process. International observers, including ones from both the OSCE and the U.S. government, also are needed.

Chile's transition to a prosperous democracy came through a popular referendum. In Iraq, the U.S. invasion caused Saddam's fall, but resulted in a subsequent morass. As Turkmenistan charts its course, bold but reasoned action by the international community to protect human rights is desperately needed.

Robert Arsenault is president of the International League for Human Rights, an advocacy organization that publicizes and seeks to end human rights abuses in Turkmenistan.
Readers may write him at ILHR, 352 7th Avenue, Suite 1234 New York, NY 10001