We want to see more concrete development examples of the decent work agenda in the entire cotton industry, in addition to an increase in transparency and openness of monitoring working conditions by independent international and local civil society organizations.

An official of the Penal Correction Department at the Interior Ministry in the capital Ashgabat – who would not give his name – initially claimed to Forum 18 on 27 September that Gafurov had died «a normal death». He then insisted that the Department had no information.

“Every state has a degree of responsibility when it sends its representatives to a country where human rights are worth nothing,” implored the Turkmen activist Ruslan Myatiev. The IOC, too, must share the blame. Otherwise – 2032 Olympics in Ashgabat, anyone?

The police keep their hands cuffed in a way that the detainees are left hanging, with their entire weight resting on the tip of their toes. Those who have experienced this torture, wished they could quickly die.

Mergen Begenjov, a businessman from Ashgabat, manages Kamil. He is a close friend of the president’s nephew Hajimurad Rejepov. He is the same businessman who runs the other major supermarkets in Ashgabat and in the surrounding areas, Paytagt, Shazada and 5 Yyldyz.

Nothing changed from the past years: we carried special clothing, aprons and a packed lunch. Our salary is maintained during the harvest. The only difference with previous years was the fee they gave us for the collection.

On weekdays, whoever wants to get a handout from the master, mostly her acquaintances, visits the office. On holidays, directors and managers of enterprises come in bearing gifts and offerings. Her driver is constantly busy taking gifts back to her house.

Countries in Asia and Oceania that protect human dignity, human rights, civil liberties and the rule of law, should withdraw their participation, because these Games are primarily aimed not at promoting sports, but at strengthening the personality cult and personal enrichment of the dictator Gurbanguly Berdymuhamedov.

The authorities have not yet set exact dates for the visit and have not disclosed the list of diplomats that will be allowed into the prison. Other sources, including ones within the diplomatic ranks, could not confirm the news.