Turkmenistan: A state where horses seem more important than citizens

Turkmenistan has long been regarded as the North Korea of Central Asia. The state exerts tight control over almost all areas of life, and opposition is not tolerated. The country"s prisons and labor camps are filled with tens of thousands of people who have drawn the ire of the regime. Three recent events show that President Berdymukhammedov has no intention of making even the slightest change to how the country is run:

1. While the rest of the world has admitted suffering from the COVID-19 outbreak, the government in Turkmenistan has simply stated that there have not been any registered cases in the country. Even mentioning the virus has been labelled a crime. Instead, the government organized National Horse Day on 26 April 2020, an annual holiday particularly loved by the authoritarian president (Radio Free Europe, 26 April 2020). Indeed, against all international recommendations aimed at preventing the virus from spreading, Turkmenistan has continued to host crowded festivities and sports competitions.
2. When on 27 April 2020 a devastating storm hit the eastern regions of Lebap and Mary, the regime decided to ignore the scale of the disaster and blocked any aid entering from abroad (Radio Free Europe, 12 May 2020). Aid workers were arrested where discovered filming and trying to help those residents not receiving government assistance.
3. According to Radio Free Europe reporting on 8 May 2020, when the World Health Organization (WHO) announced that a delegation was planning to visit the country to discuss anti-COVID-19 measures, Ashgabat simply refused them entry.

Rolf Zeegers, persecution analyst at World Watch Research, is perplexed by these examples which reveal the true heartlessness of the regime in Turkmenistan: "Major disasters like the COVID-19 pandemic and the storm in Lebap and Mary have been totally ignored. The government is showing no compassion at all for the hardships experienced by the population. Horses are obviously much more important than human beings! Under such a regime, it is clear that Christians - who are known for biblical standards of truth and honesty - are not welcome."