Neither his family nor his lawyer have been allowed to visit or have any contact with him. To date they have been unable to obtain a copy of the judgment against him in order to file an appeal. This failure to release information pertaining to his case has been attributed to a travel ban in the region surrounding Turkmenbashi, near the prison where Nepeskuliev’s family believes he has been transferred.

The administrators of hospitals and other health-care facilities are also forcing employees to pick cotton. In Lebap region, hospitals have the bare minimum number of staff to be open, and many of the employees left at the hospital are not authorized to receive patients. As a result, patients are waiting in long lines for attention.

Today, Mr. Hajiyev, ATN is publishing Nepeskuliev’s other audio and video report, where he gives a detailed account of the situation in secondary education: unhygienic conditions in schools of Balkanabad, endless exaction of money for renovation from parents, while no renovation ever follows. In addition, Nepeskuliev talks of safety violations in schools, insufficient number of Russian language lessons, of where the parents’ money goes, the chain of corruption in the education system, and the quality of education in general.

The silence is a nightmare for his family and increases our concern about his safety. We yet again call on the authorities, as a matter of urgency, to provide full details about his current status and his possible conviction, and to free him without delay.

Rather, the case bears strong similarity to numerous other cases in Turkmenistan where representatives of a marginalized civil society have been arrested and sentenced to prison without access to legal aid or with the chance to communicate with the outside world, on clearly trumped-up charges.

On August 14, ANT was finally able to get in touch with Nepeskuliev’s mother. The first question ATN asked was why she had been unreachable for 18 days, but she refused to discuss her reasons, which is further evidence of the pressure the family is under. The family is still in the dark on whether Nepeskuliev has an attorney, what his exact charges are, and when the trial is scheduled.

In a letter to the authorities in Turkmenistan on 29 July Mijatović expressed concern that Nepeskuliev’s family is not allowed to meet him and that the journalist has not been provided with legal counsel.

Freelance journalist Saparmamed Nepeskuliev, whose current whereabouts are unknown, is believed to have been held incommunicado by Turkmenistani authorities for a month. His likely arrest and detention may be linked to his work as a freelance journalist. He is at risk of torture or other ill-treatment and an unfair trial.

Geldy Kyarizov’s family suffered a violent attack on their lives today as they attempted to leave the country. A leading expert on the famous Akhal-Teke horse breed, Geldy Kyarizov, and his family have once again been denied their fundamental right to leave Turkmenistan, despite Geldy’s failing health, and no charges against them.