Sign the Lie, Smile for the Camera, Stay Silent About the Pain: How Charity Is Simulated and People Are Destroyed in Turkmenistan

Sign the Lie, Smile for the Camera, Stay Silent About the Pain: How Charity Is Simulated and People Are Destroyed in Turkmenistan Dayanç Human Rights Platform / Turkmenistan Turkmenistan has once again marked the anniversary of the Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov Charitable Foundation. Official and pro-government outlets reported on celebrations, achievements, humanitarian goals, and the launch of a new website. Everything followed a familiar script: polished language, carefully staged images, and a narrative of compassion and state care. But the essence has not changed. Changing the decorations does not change the reality. Launching a website does not create justice. Anniversaries do not produce real assistance. New visuals do not turn a performance into truth. The people of Turkmenistan know this pattern all too well. It is a theater where the same ruling family and its representatives play the role of benefactors, while ordinary citizens serve as background figures, and human suffering is used as a prop. Against this backdrop, reports from independent sources are especially important — because they reveal what happens behind the scenes. According to Radio Azatlyk, during the same period of the foundation’s anniversary, troubling practices were reported in the Balkan region. Representatives of the foundation and local officials visited families with children with disabilities, handed out gifts on camera, and recorded scenes of gratitude. But after filming ended, some of those gifts were taken back. Even more disturbing, people were reportedly forced to sign documents confirming that they had received assistance in full. First — the camera. Then — the gift. Then — the signature. And afterward — the removal of what was just presented as “help.” If confirmed, this is not a misunderstanding or a minor irregularity. It is the deliberate simulation of assistance — formally documented as if it were real. On paper — aid delivered. On video — grateful recipients. In reality — empty hands. This is what social policy looks like when it becomes a staged performance. Those Outside the Camera Do Not Exist The story of Rozgül Mamekova illustrates the deeper reality of the system. A mother of two children with disabilities. No cameras. No staged visits. No “gifts.” She simply tried to obtain assistance. Instead, she faced: — endless waiting; — formal refusals; — systematic neglect. She was made to wait in corridors, told that officials were unavailable, and repeatedly denied meaningful consideration. Eventually, she was effectively told: there is no solution through the system. Instead, she was advised to seek help not through law or institutions, but through personal connections — specifically, to appeal to the president’s sister. She traveled to Ashgabat, then to Arkadag, hoping to be heard. She received nothing. This is a critical point. When a mother of children with disabilities must seek help not through social services, courts, or legal mechanisms, but through relatives of those in power, it means: the system does not function. the law is not effective. institutions are symbolic. Justice depends not on rights, but on access. The Cost of Speaking Out: Death The case of Nurmyrat Khalmyradov reveals the most extreme consequence of this system. A seriously ill man. A father of five. Seeking housing for his family. His “crime” was speaking about his situation publicly. After contacting an opposition blogger, he and his wife were reportedly detained by security officers of the Ministry of National Security. According to available reports: — he was subjected to torture; — he was threatened; — his wife was abused in a neighboring room; — officers concealed their identities; — his children were used as leverage. He was told: “You think you will get housing? You will find it in your grave.” He later said: “I think they were taking me somewhere to kill me…” After the abuse, he lost the ability to walk. Even after release, pressure continued: — surveillance near his home; — communication disruptions; — intimidation of his landlord; — forced eviction; — threats against his children. He pleaded: “If I disappear, speak out… my children will be left without a home… no one will help them in this country…” Soon after, he died. According to the information presented in independent reporting, his death followed the torture he endured. If this is accurate, it reflects not isolated abuse, but a system in which asking for help can cost a person their life. One System — Three Realities These are not separate incidents. They are manifestations of one system: — where assistance is staged; — where signatures replace truth; — where law is replaced by connections; — where speaking out leads to punishment. In this system: children become props; mothers become petitioners; citizens become expendable; power remains unaccountable. A State That Fears Truth The most alarming aspect is not only the violations themselves — but the fear of exposure. That is why: — people are forced to sign false confirmations; — officials conceal their identities; — families are threatened; — victims are monitored even after release. Truth is treated as a threat. Our Position The Dayanç Human Rights Platform states: These are not isolated mistakes. They are systemic practices. This is not charity. It is exploitation. This is not protection. It is coercion. Our Demands We call for: — an end to the coercion of citizens into signing false documents; — investigation into reports of confiscated “charitable” aid; — an independent investigation into the torture and death of Nurmyrat Khalmyradov; — real and transparent support for families with children with disabilities; — an end to intimidation, harassment, and abuse of citizens. Appeal to the International Community We call on: The United Nations, UNICEF, and international human rights organizations to urgently examine the situation in Turkmenistan, including: — the simulation of social assistance; — coercion to falsify documentation; — persecution of individuals who speak out; — cases of torture and suspicious deaths. Conclusion Today in Turkmenistan: you may be given a gift — and have it taken away; you may be forced to sign a lie — and call it gratitude; you may ask for housing — and risk your life. This is not an exaggeration. This is a reality that can no longer be ignored. Sources: 1. Radio Azatlyk On reported distribution and confiscation of aid and forced signatures: https://youtu.be/U57JXp4VlrY?si=I4r8agQ4aO4O_dmX⁠� 2. Dayanç / based on Chronika Turkmenistana On the case of Rozgül Mamekova: https://dayanchcivil.com/⁠� https://www.hronikatm.com/2026/01/ne-nashedshie-spravedlivosti-grazhdane-obrashhayutsya-k-sestre-prezidenta/⁠� 3. Turkmen.News On the case of Nurmyrat Khalmyradov: https://share.google/Pzoh8i6lnA5gMDxse⁠�