...the twenty first century equivalent of bubonic plague, only instead of killing off a third of the population of Europe it kills 3.4 percent of those who notice they have it. It seems to be fond of the elderly, especially Iranian politicians and holy men..." in public and empowered police to arrest anyone wearing medical masks in public, Reporters Without Borders revealed on Tuesday.
The repressive Central Asian nation claims it has yet to document a single case of the Chinese coronavirus, despite the ongoing pandemic hitting Iran, which borders Turkmenistan, particularly intensely. Turkmenistan joins a dwindling list of repressive and remote states ‐ like North Korea
...hereditary Communist monarchy distinguished by its truculence and periodic acts of violence. Distinguishing features include Songun (Army First) policy, which involves feeding the army before anyone but the Dear Leadership, and Juche, which is Kim Jong Il's personal interpretation of Marxism-Leninism, which he told everybody was brilliant. In 1950 the industrialized North invaded agrarian South Korea. Twenty-one countries of the United Nations eventually contributed to the UN force opposing the invasion, with the United States providing around 90% of the military personnel. Seventy years later the economic results are in and it doesn't look good for Juche...
or Papua New Guinea, respectively ‐ who have no official proof of any coronavirus cases in the country.
Reporters Without Borders cited reporting from within the country’s capital, Ashgabat, reproduced in the local language through the Turkmen branch of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL). That reporting painted a grave picture of government officials persecuting individuals who spoke aloud of the pandemic or appeared to be protecting themselves from it. Police are reportedly hiding undercover at bus stops and other populated areas to eavesdrop of the capital’s locals and seize anyone who violates the order.
Turkmenistan’s dictator Gurbanguly Berdymukhammedov also banned state-run media, the only legal form of media in the country, and health officials from distributing safety information about the virus or using the word "coronavirus" in any publicly available material. It is not clear from the reports if the limits extend only to mentions of the Chinese coronavirus or of other types of coronavirus such as the common cold and Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS).
[RFE/RL] Secretary of State Kerry is seeking to reassure Tajikistan, an Afghan neighbor concerned about the spread of Islamism, that the U.S. remains committed to Central Asian security. After talks with Tajik President Emomali Rahmon in Dushanbe, Kerry said he "emphasized the United States' commitment to work with Tajikistan and other countries...to strengthen border security."
ASHGABAT - The people of Turkmenistan voted Sunday to elect a successor to their late dictator Saparmurat Niyazov, with the gas-rich Central Asian republics interim leader seen as guaranteed of victory. It was Turkmenistans first multi-candidate presidential poll, but acting president