Ogulsapar Muradova
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Ogulsapar Muradova (1948-2006) was a Turkmen human rights activist and Radio Free Europe journalist.
She was the sister of Annadurdy Khadjiev (also Hadjiev), a leader of the exiled Republican Party of Turkmenistan. She was arrested on June 18, 2006 with two other activists - her brother Sapardurdy Khadjiev, an associate of the Turkmen Helsinki Foundation for Human Rights, and Annakurban Amanklychev. The state-controlled press accused them of smearing Turkmenistan's international reputation.
On June 19, President Saparmurat Niyazov personally issued a statement on national television condemning Muradova and other arrested activists. "I don't know why [the detainees] are engaged in such dirty business in Turkmenistan, a peaceful country where justice is ruling and where nobody is disgraced... Let people condemn the traitors. The entire population is proud of their motherland, whereas they are trying to harm it" Niyazov said.[1]
On August 25, 2006 the three activists were sentenced to between six and seven years in jail on charges of illegal possession of weapons.[2]
The trial reportedly lasted less than two hours and defence lawyers were reportedly not given the indictment before the trial commenced. [3]
Muradova died in prison before September 14, 2006 of "natural causes", according to Turkmen officials, but her children are quoted as saying that her body had "marks on the neck" and a "large wound" on the head.[4]
International human rights groups have expressed outrage over her murder and called for an independent investigation into the circumstances that led to her death.[5]
[edit] References
- ^ "CPJ alarmed by reports of abuse in journalist's detention", Committee to Protect Journalists, 2006-08-14.
- ^ "Government condemned over jailing of two journalists and a rights activist", Reuters Foundation AlertNet, 2006-08-28.
- ^ "Ogulsapar Muradova, Annakurban Amanklychev, Sapardurdy Khadzhiev", Amnesty International, 2006-08-31.
- ^ "Journalist dies in Turkmen jail", BBC, 2006-09-14.
- ^ "International outcry over journalist's death", IFEX, 2006-09-20.
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