Turkmenization

Last updated June 04, 2023

Turkmenization is the set of domestic policies the Niyazov administration used in Turkmenistan from 1991 to December 2006 to force ethnic minorities to adopt Turkmen culture. Those who resisted the state-sponsored cultural transformation were often deported.^[1]

Homogenization policy

Shukrat Babajanov and Khurmat Babadjanov of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty's Uzbek Service say that since Turkmenistan gained independence, the Niyazov administration has fired most non-ethnic Turkmen civil servants. Officials must prove they have three generations of Turkmen heritage before they are hired.^[1] All Russian language schools were closed except for one which catered to elites, and the government began to squeeze Russian from public discourse, including roadside advertisements, while mandating spoken the National language -Turkmen.^[3] Informal social control is used to ensure citizens speak Turkmen and wear traditional Turkmen clothing. Uzbek women who try to marry Turkmen men are exiled to Uzbekistan with their children. Babajanov and Babadjanov say these policies have led to the emigration of Russians, Kazakhs, and Uzbeks.^[1]

In a few instances Uzbek children in Turkmen schools have been instructed to wear Turkmen clothing or be expelled from school.^[1]

Marriage discrimination

Ziyoda Ruzimova, an ethnic Uzbek woman who lived in Turkmenistan, married an ethnic Turkmen in 1994 and had four children. In order to attend public school in Turkmenistan parents must register their child's birth with the government. Ruzimova did not register her marriage or her children's births at the time. When she tried to get a marriage license in February 2006, she says the government of Turkmenistan brought her and her children to the Shovat border post and turned her family over to Uzbek border guards. Ruzimova says her family had no money but the border guards gave her 1,000 soum (USD $0.85). "Then they called a taxi to take us [to my grandmother's home]." At the border the Uzbek guards kept her family on a grate where they slept. "For the children, they provided a piece of fabric; the children got a mattress, but I slept on the cement."^[1]

Mahmud Tangriberganov, head of the Gozovot village council, expressed opposition to Turkmenistan's policies, saying, "These are our relatives; these are Uzbeks. And they say that because you are Uzbek, you must leave. Why didn't [the authorities] register their marriages, the births of their children? They could have asked them to pay fines and that way they could have kept the families together, but they didn't do that."^[1]

Ethnic discrimination

The region around the Turkmenistan-Uzbekistan border is known as Khorezm to Uzbeks and Dashoguz to Turkmen. Copies of Niyazov's Ruhnama and the Turkmen flag are located at the entrance of every mosque and Russian Orthodox church. Believers must touch the Ruhnama prior to entering the building. In 2006 the government replaced ethnic Uzbek imam-hatybs with ethnic Turkmens in Dashoguz. Uzbeks comprise over 50% of the population of Dashoguz. Norwegian human rights activist Igor Rotar said, "Historically, in the Soviet times for example, most imam-hatybs in this region were [Uzbeks]. But now most of [them] are Turkmen. This is a problem because local Uzbeks complained that Turkmen imams have no good education and prefer that imam-hatybs [are] Uzbeks." In the Kunya-Urgench district in Dashoguz Uzbek imam-hatybs were not allowed to work at Islamic cemeteries and holy sites. All sermons are required to begin with a praise of Niyazov.^[2] Ethnic Russians were dismissed from workplaces, while those holding dual Russian-Turkmen citizenship were given three months to renounce their Russian citizenship in 2003 or face the confiscation of their property and forced departure from the country. Foreign-educated Turkmen citizens—including those with Soviet-era degrees from institutions elsewhere in the Soviet Union—were dismissed from their jobs in 2004.^[4]

Related Research Articles

The history of Turkmenistan traditionally began with the arrival of Indo-European Iranian tribes around 2000 BC. Early tribes were nomadic or semi-nomadic due to the arid conditions of the region, preventing widespread adoption of agriculture. The steppe culture in Central Asia was an extension of a larger Eurasian series of horse cultures which spanned the entire spectrum of language families, including the Indo-Europeans and Turko-Mongol groups. Some of the known early Iranian tribes included the Massagatae, the Scythians/Sakas, and early Soghdians, who were most likely precursors of the Khwarezmians. Turkmenistan was a passing point for numerous migrations and invasions by tribes, which gravitated towards the settled regions of the south, including ancient Mesopotamia, Elam, and the Indus Valley civilization.

The politics of Turkmenistan nominally takes place in the framework of a presidential republic, whereby the President of Turkmenistan is nominally both head of state and head of government. However, as of 21 January 2023 a "national leader" was appointed who chairs an independent People's Council (viz.) with authority to amend the constitution, and who exercises supreme political authority. No true opposition parties are allowed; every registered political party supports the third and current President Serdar Berdimuhamedow. The country is frequently described as a totalitarian state.

The Armed Forces of Turkmenistan, known informally as the Turkmen National Army is the national military of Turkmenistan. It consists of the Ground Forces, the Air Force and Air Defense Forces, Navy, and other independent formations.

Turkmenistan is a country located in Central Asia, bordered by Kazakhstan to the northwest, Uzbekistan to the north, east and northeast, Afghanistan to the southeast, Iran to the south and southwest and the Caspian Sea to the west. Ashgabat is the capital and largest city. It's one of the 7 independent Turkic states. The population is about 6 million, the lowest of the Central Asian republics, and Turkmenistan is one of the most sparsely populated nations in Asia.

The Turkmen Soviet Socialist Republic, also known as Soviet Turkmenistan, the Turkmen SSR, Turkmenistan, or Turkmenia, was one of the constituent republics of the Soviet Union located in Central Asia existed as a republic from 1925 to 1991. Initially, on 7 August 1921, it was established as the Turkmen Oblast of the Turkestan ASSR before being made, on 13 May 1925, a separate republic of the USSR as the Turkmen SSR.

<i>Ruhnama</i> Book by Saparmurat Niyazov

The Ruhnama, or Rukhnama, translated in English as Book of the Soul, is a two volume work written by Saparmurat Niyazov, the president of Turkmenistan from 1990 to 2006. It was intended to serve as a tool of state propaganda, emphasising the basis of the Turkmen nation.

Turkmenistan's human rights record has been heavily criticized by various countries and scholars worldwide. Standards in education and health declined markedly during the rule of President Saparmurat Niyazov.

Daşoguz, formerly known as Tashauz and Dashkhovuz, is a city in northern Turkmenistan and the capital of Daşoguz Province. The Uzbekistan border is about 10 km away.

The Ministry for National Security or MNS is the secret police agency for the government of Turkmenistan. It is composed largely of the remnants of KGB organs left over after the collapse of the Soviet Union; its functions remain largely the same as well. The MNB and the national police force are under the direction of the Ministry of Internal Affairs. Until 2002 was known as the KNB.

The Turkmen of Turkmenistan, are predominantly Muslims. According the U.S. Department of State's International Religious Freedom Report for 2019,

According to U.S. government estimates, the country is 89 percent Muslim, 9 percent Eastern Orthodox, and 2 percent other. There are small communities of Jehovah's Witnesses, Shia Muslims, Baha’is, Roman Catholics, the International Society for Krishna Consciousness, and evangelical Christians, including Baptists and Pentecostals. Most ethnic Russians and Armenians identify as Orthodox Christian and generally are members of the Russian Orthodox Church or Armenian Apostolic Church. Some ethnic Russians and Armenians are also members of smaller Protestant groups. There are small pockets of Shia Muslims, consisting largely of ethnic Iranians, Azeris, and Kurds, some located in Ashgabat, with others along the border with Iran and in the western city of Turkmenbashy.

The Constitution provides for freedom of religion and does not establish a state religion; however, in practice the Government imposes legal restrictions on all forms of religious expression. All groups must register in order to gain legal status; unregistered religious activity is illegal and may be punished by administrative fines. While the 1996 law on religion and subsequent 1999 amendments had effectively restricted registration to only the two largest groups, Sunni Muslim and Russian Orthodox, and criminalized unregistered religious activity, presidential decrees issued in 2000 dramatically reduced the numerical thresholds for registration and abolished criminal penalties for unregistered religious activity; civil penalties remain. As a result, nine minority religious groups were able to register, and the Turkmenistan government has permitted some other groups to meet quietly with reduced scrutiny.

The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to Turkmenistan:

In the post-Soviet era, reduced funding has put the health system in poor condition. In 2002 Turkmenistan had 50 hospital beds per 10,000 population, less than half the number in 1996. Overall policy has targeted specialized inpatient facilities to the detriment of basic, outpatient care. Since the late 1990s, many rural facilities have closed, making care available principally in urban areas. President Niyazov’s 2005 proposal to close all hospitals outside Ashgabat intensified this trend. Physicians are poorly trained, modern medical techniques are rarely used, and medications are in short supply. Doctors and pharmacists were required to study the works of Avicenna and tested on their knowledge of Saparmyrat Niyazov's spiritual writings, the Ruhnama. In 2004 Niyazov dismissed 15,000 medical professionals, exacerbating the shortage of personnel. In some cases, professionals have been replaced by military conscripts. Private health care is rare, as the state maintains a near monopoly. Free public health care was abolished in 2004.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Turkmenistan–Uzbekistan relations</span> Bilateral relations

The Republic of Uzbekistan has an embassy in Ashgabat. Turkmenistan has an embassy in Tashkent. Both countries were previously subordinated republics of the Soviet Union as Turkmen Soviet Socialist Republic and Uzbek Soviet Socialist Republic before its collapse in 1991.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Saparmurat Niyazov</span> 1st president of Turkmenistan (1940–2006)

Saparmurat Atayevich Niyazov, also known as Türkmenbaşy, was a Turkmen politician who ruled Turkmenistan as a dictator from 1985 until his death in 2006. He was first secretary of the Turkmen Communist Party from 1985 until 1991 and supported the 1991 Soviet coup attempt. He continued to rule Turkmenistan for 15 years after independence from the Soviet Union in 1991.

The list of Turkmenistan-related articles is below

Corruption in Turkmenistan is considered by many independent sources as a serious problem. The country is near the bottom of several annual indices that measure corruption, including The Wall Street Journal's Index of Economic Freedom.

The Ministry of Defense of Turkmenistan is a government agency under the Armed Forces of Turkmenistan which is the executive body in implementing defence policies in Turkmenistan. The current Minister of Defense is Major General Begenç Gündogdyýew. It was founded in January 1992 with the assistance of the Russian Armed Forces.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Turkmenistan–Uzbekistan border</span> International border

The Turkmenistan–Uzbekistan border is the border between the countries of the Republic of Turkmenistan and the Republic of Uzbekistan. At 1,793 km, it is Turkmenistan's longest border and Uzbekistan's second longest. The border runs from the tripoint with Kazakhstan to the tripoint with Afghanistan.

References

1 2 3 4 5 6 Central Asia: 'Fathers are crying in Turkmenistan, and children are crying here' EurasiaNet
1 2 Turkmenistan: State Interfering In Religious Life Of Ethnic Uzbeks Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty
↑ "Memoir In the Court of Turkmenbashi". Eurasianet. Retrieved 20 Aug 2021.
↑ "Bad Days for Russians in Turkmenistan". Los Angeles Times. 28 June 2003. Retrieved 28 June 2003.

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[CRYING-1] 1 2 3 4 5 6 Central Asia: 'Fathers are crying in Turkmenistan, and children are crying here' EurasiaNet

[RELIG-2] 1 2 Turkmenistan: State Interfering In Religious Life Of Ethnic Uzbeks Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty

[3] "Memoir In the Court of Turkmenbashi". Eurasianet. Retrieved 20 Aug 2021.

[4] "Bad Days for Russians in Turkmenistan". Los Angeles Times. 28 June 2003. Retrieved 28 June 2003.

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