Threat of New Transnational Repression Against Civil Activists on the Territory of Turkey

Statement by the Human Rights Platform of the Civic Movement DAYANÇ / Turkmenistan We have received alarming reports indicating the preparation of new transnational crimes against civil activists and human rights defenders on the territory of the Republic of Türkiye. According to the available information, at least ten individuals are at risk, including Diana Dadasheva, Zarina Akhtyamova, Ahmed Rahmanov, and other civil activists. We address the international community, human rights institutions, and world leaders with a clear and urgent message: as long as those responsible for transnational repression are not held accountable, these crimes will continue. How many more victims are required for the international community to respond? How many more people exercising their fundamental right to freedom of expression must live in fear and in hiding, treated like criminals, while the real perpetrators continue to act with complete impunity? We officially state that formal appeals and letters have been submitted to all relevant international and state institutions. If, in February—as previously planned by the authorities and security services of Turkmenistan—new abductions, forced deportations, or other acts of transnational repression are carried out, responsibility will lie not only with the perpetrators, but also with those who failed to respond adequately to previous crimes. We remind the international community that: more than a dozen civil activists were abducted from the territory of Türkiye, three individuals were abducted from the territory of the Russian Federation, the fate of all these activists after their abduction and forced deportation remains unknown. The absence of a decisive and effective response fosters a climate of impunity and directly encourages further crimes. We urgently demand immediate international action in response to the current situation. How can democracy, freedom of expression, and human rights be meaningfully discussed when no effective mechanisms exist to protect people from transnational repression? Silence is complicity. Human Rights Platform of the Civic Movement DAYANÇ / Turkmenistan