France and Turkmenistan: A New Diplomatic Appointment Should Be an Opportunity to Discuss Not Only Cooperation, but Also Human Rights

France and Turkmenistan: A New Diplomatic Appointment Should Be an Opportunity to Discuss Not Only Cooperation, but Also Human Rights Turkmenistan’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Rashid Meredov, held a meeting with the newly appointed Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of France to Turkmenistan, Alena Grand. According to official reports, the parties discussed prospects for developing Turkmen-French relations, including political and diplomatic, trade and economic, and cultural and humanitarian cooperation, as well as interaction within international organisations. The Dayanç Civil Human Rights Platform / Turkmenistan welcomes the new Ambassador of France and wishes Ms Alena Grand every success in carrying out her diplomatic mission. At the same time, we believe it is essential that this new chapter in French-Turkmen relations not be limited to economic interests and official diplomatic statements. Human rights must become a permanent and meaningful part of the bilateral dialogue. Behind Official Statements Are Real People and Their Lives Citizens of Turkmenistan continue to face serious restrictions on their fundamental rights and freedoms. Among the issues that Dayanç regularly brings to the attention of the international community are restrictions on freedom of movement and arbitrary travel bans; difficulties in obtaining and renewing passports abroad; pressure on activists and their relatives; transnational repression; restrictions on freedom of expression and access to information; violence against women and children and the absence of effective protection mechanisms; forced labour; discrimination; the lack of an independent judiciary; and the absence of effective remedies for human rights violations. It is particularly important that diplomatic missions of democratic states have the opportunity not only to receive official information from the authorities, but also to hear directly from citizens, victims of human rights violations, and representatives of independent civil society. France is a country for which human rights and human dignity are fundamental values. The development of relations with Turkmenistan should therefore be accompanied by consistent dialogue regarding the country’s implementation of its international human rights obligations. An Appeal to Ms Alena Grand Dear Madam Ambassador, The Dayanç Civil Human Rights Platform / Turkmenistan respectfully calls upon you to pay particular attention to the human rights situation in Turkmenistan and to the circumstances of citizens who are effectively deprived of meaningful domestic mechanisms for protecting their rights. We respectfully ask you, within the framework of your diplomatic mandate, to raise issues concerning freedom of movement, politically motivated persecution, transnational repression, the situation of women and children, forced labour, freedom of expression and access to information, judicial independence, and the ability of citizens to seek protection for their rights safely and without fear of retaliation. We also encourage the Embassy of France to maintain contact with independent human rights defenders, civil society initiatives, victims and their representatives whenever this is possible and can be done without putting citizens at additional risk. Dayanç has already sent letters to the French authorities, drawing attention to specific cases of human rights violations affecting citizens of Turkmenistan, as well as to broader systemic problems. We hope that the beginning of your diplomatic mission will provide an opportunity to continue and strengthen this dialogue. We stand ready to provide the Embassy with documented materials, individual appeals from citizens, information concerning specific cases, and analytical materials on the human rights situation in Turkmenistan, while respecting the necessary safeguards for security and confidentiality. Economic, political and cultural cooperation can indeed bring countries closer together. But sustainable partnership should never be built at the cost of silence about the fate of people. We hope that Ms Alena Grand will be not only a representative of France in Turkmenistan, but also a diplomat willing to listen to those whose voices within the country too often remain unheard. Dayanç Civil Human Rights Platform / Turkmenistan Chair — Diana Dadasheva Representative — Lala Abdyrakhmanova