10 Years Later Ashgabat Still Afraid of Truth About Turkmenbashi “Assassination Attempt”
Ten year have past since the alleged attempt on life of the former Turkmenistan’s dictator Saparmurat Niyazov, or Tukrkmenbashi, and it is still unclear what exactly happened on November 25, 2002, in Ashgabat, and what are the fates of those accused of involvement in it. According to official statements published in Turkmenistan’s state-run mass media on November 25 2002, the President’s motorcade was attacked and shot at right in the center of Ashgabat. It was also reported that the President was not injured and the attackers were caught and arrested.
During an interview with Deutsche Welle, German expert on Central Asia, Michael Laubsch, said that there were and still are many reasons not to trust the official version. Independent observers seem to think that Turkmenistan’s special services organized this mass provocation to get rid of all dissidence in the country.
Source: dw.de
D.Kuliev: Turkmenistan – Presidential Clan is Dividing the Country
An article for Centrasia.ru site, which publishes a lot of anonymous or pseudonymous materials that are scandalous and which often cannot be verified, unknown author writing under the name Durdy Kyliev tells about Berdymukhamedov’s relatives taking over the country’s business. He says that while the Turkmen authorities claim that they are pursuing and uncompromising fight with corruption, President Berdymukhamedov’s circle of relatives and close friends continue to abuse their positions. His many relatives use administrative resources for their personal benefit, monopolizing the most profitable areas of the national economy.
Apparently, the President’s sister Gulnabat is most successful in exploiting her connections to the Turkmen leader. Having already accumulated huge fortunes, now she continues to gain wealth building a mobile communication business in the country. In his article Kuliev gives a number of examples, which, in his opinion, demonstrate Berdymukhamedov’s relatives’ growing appetites. “They are trying to take over the Republic. Possibly, in the near future the Turkmen economy will have no sectors uncontrolled by the Presidential family,” – says the author.
Source: centrasia.ru
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