The country’s best-known influencers have been ordered to “spread a happy and prosperous image of the Turkmen nation.” Surprise checks in schools and public companies to register mobile phones in search of material that is considered contrary to the interests of the State. Regardless, Turkmenistan remains the country with the slowest internet network in the world, with an average speed of 0.50 megabits per second.
Ashgabat () – In recent days, officials from Turkmen state agencies that control the world of information have called on the country’s best-known bloggers and influencers to “support a happy and prosperous image of the Turkmen nation.” The police have warned everyone that the dissemination of any critical content regarding the country’s politics and situation is highly undesirable, and could even lead to criminal consequences.
Rigid control of freedom of expression and of the press is nothing new for Turkmenistan, and all media have always been subject to various pressures. However, with the new opportunities offered by more modern technologies, they fear that the situation could escape government control, at least partially. In fact, many Turkmen use free VPN access and other tools to surf the Internet, circumventing the draconian limitations imposed from above.
Some bloggers, while remaining anonymous, have let international organizations like Azattyk and others know that the police are subjecting them to constant surveillance, and that even liking or commenting on inappropriate content could be considered an act of “sedition against the government”. Some well-known influencers are regularly cited by the police, especially those who consider themselves “opinion leaders” and use Instagram, TikTok and YouTube to spread videos offering products and services, talking about themselves or expressing their own ideas about various topics.
Now the government demands refer to the need to reproduce only material that shows Turkmenistan from a positive point of view, especially with images of happy children or new constructions, such as the new city of Arkadag directed by G Berdymuhamedov, current president of the Senate, who has lamented the scant coverage of his endeavors by “independent” websites. Those of the State, for their part, have always dedicated themselves to propagandizing the “greater Turkmenistan”, beginning with the government websites, where the opening of new stores or markets is also regularly shown, families enthusiastic about moving to new apartments, and there is never a lack of well-dressed old men who inaugurate the annual harvest season.
Many link the intensification of cyber controls by the authorities to the recent release of a viral video showing Turkmen police officers ripping the badges off their uniforms and accusing a motorist of forcing them into extreme gestures because they refuse to pay a bribe. . In the video, the police can be seen accusing the driver of assault and of being guilty of tearing his jacket, while he throws his license plate on the roof of the car. Then the police realize that passers-by are filming them and rush at them. The protagonists have not been identified, although the license plate of the car shows the numbers of the velayat (province) of Lebap, but since the beginning of June the video has become increasingly popular.
In addition to the controls in the world of information technology, in recent days the police have carried out continuous surprise controls in schools and public companies to check the cell phones of students and workers in search of material that could be considered contrary to the interests of the State. Authorities often force students to sign pledges not to use VPNs and other tools to access prohibited sites. Recently, more than 122,000 web domains have been blocked in the country.
But on the other hand, Turkmenistan continues to be one of the countries with the slowest Internet network in the world, as the company cable.co.uk has calculated, and at an average speed of 0.50 megabits per second, Turkmen remain at the end of the ranking of the 224 countries surveyed. Downloading a 5 gig video file in Turkmenistan can take 22 hours and 34 minutes.
Photo: Flickr / sarflondunc
