Forced Illegality: Why Citizens of Turkmenistan Are Driven into Undocumented Work Abroad

Forced Illegality: Why Citizens of Turkmenistan Are Driven into Undocumented Work Abroad Article by the Human Rights Platform of the Civic Movement “DAYANÇ / Turkmenistan” Recent reports from Kazan, where citizens of Turkmenistan were discovered working without legal documents in a restaurant, once again reveal a deeper human rights problem affecting thousands of Turkmen migrants abroad. While these cases are officially treated as violations of migration law, they are in reality the result of systematic policies implemented by the Turkmen authorities. Undocumented labor migration from Turkmenistan is not a voluntary choice. It is a survival strategy imposed by conditions in which the state restricts freedom of movement and deprives citizens of the possibility to migrate legally. One of the main causes is the widespread refusal to issue or renew passports, the use of informal exit bans, and bureaucratic obstacles that prevent people from regularizing their legal status abroad. Many citizens remain without valid documents for years. The economic situation inside Turkmenistan further intensifies this crisis. Low salaries, unemployment, rising food prices, and the lack of social protection force families to seek income outside the country by any means possible. Another critical issue is the absence of genuine consular assistance. Turkmen embassies frequently deny help with documentation and legal guidance, leaving migrants trapped in legal uncertainty. As a result, Turkmen citizens are pushed into irregular employment, exploitation, underpayment, unsafe working conditions, and constant fear of detention or deportation. Employers often abuse their vulnerability. Responsibility for this situation cannot be placed solely on the migrants themselves. The primary responsibility lies with the policies of the Turkmen government, which violate fundamental human rights, including freedom of movement, the right to work, and the right to an adequate standard of living. When host countries respond only with administrative punishment, migrants become double victims — first of repression at home, and then of legal vulnerability abroad — while the root causes remain unaddressed. The Human Rights Platform of the Civic Movement “DAYANÇ / Turkmenistan” emphasizes that Turkmen migrants without documents are not criminals but victims of state-created conditions. We call on international human rights bodies, migration authorities, and host governments to recognize Turkmen migrants as a vulnerable group, apply protection mechanisms, and exert pressure on the Turkmen authorities to restore freedom of movement and access to legal documentation. Cases like the one in Kazan are not isolated incidents. They are symptoms of a broader, systemic human rights crisis that continues to force Turkmen citizens into irregular migration in search of survival.