
Turkmenistan Escalates Crackdown on Citizens Looking to Emigrate Abroad
Publication: Eurasia Daily Monitor Volume: 22 Issue: 107
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Executive Summary:
- Turkmen migrants are facing increased restrictions on their freedom of movement, with countries such as Türkiye and Russia assisting the Turkmen government in cracking down on Turkmen citizens outside the country.
- Ashgabat has made moving abroad increasingly difficult for its citizens by arbitrarily removing passengers from flights, instituting new visa restrictions, and imposing financial difficulties.
- Turkmenistan appears to be indifferent to the U.S. ban on Turkmen citizens, announced in June, despite initial criticism from Ashgabat, instead signaling a deepening pattern of control that extends far beyond its borders.
Over the past few months, numerous Turkmen dissidents have been detained in Türkiye for intended deportation back to Turkmenistan. Umidajan Bekchanova was detained on May 29, and Alisher Sakhatov and Abdulla Orusov were detained on April 28, on claims that they were “a threat to Türkiye’s public order and public security” (Human Rights Watch, April 30, June 3; Hronika Turkmenistan, June 3). These cases are the latest in a series of heightened efforts by the Turkmen government to crack down on Turkmen citizens outside the country. Turkmenistan has been working closely with partners, including Türkiye and Russia, in recent months to repatriate emigrants and retain them in the country. The country’s policy regarding its citizens’ freedom to move and live abroad reflects the government’s broader disregard for international conventions (Human Rights Watch, November 11, 2024).
Leaving Turkmenistan as a citizen is notoriously difficult, both financially and legally. In 2024, Turkmenistan reportedly began confiscating the passports of citizens attempting to leave the country if they had outstanding bank loans. This is especially damaging to migrant workers who move abroad for the specific purpose of earning more money than they can in the challenging Turkmen economy (Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, October 8, 2024). Independent Turkmen media also reported earlier in 2024 that Turkmen citizens were arbitrarily no longer allowed to enter Russia via Uzbekistan, a route commonly used due to flights between Uzbekistan and Russia being approximately five times cheaper than direct flights from Ashgabat (Turkmen.news, March 13, 2024; Kun.uz, May 14, 2024).
With a population of 7 million people, Turkmenistan is a country with a significant emigration rate. In 2024, 366,000 people emigrated compared to 194,000 immigrants. Media reports indicate that between 2008 and 2018, approximately 1.9 million Turkmens left the country (Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, June 8, 2019; Prague Process, August 20, 2024; UN Population Division, 2024).
Turkmen citizens have long sought a better life beyond the borders of Turkmenistan. Many Turkmen citizens seek opportunities to move abroad due to severe limitations on basic personal freedoms, a lack of economic prospects at home, and a lack of clear paths for improvement. Türkiye is a popular destination due to its cultural similarities and historic visa arrangements, and Russia is a popular destination for its perceived economic strength. Belarus has recently introduced reforms that facilitate easier access to legal status for migrant workers. Uzbekistan is popular due to its perception as an emerging power (Eurasianet, May 21).
Turkmen migrants face life challenges in both their home country and the host countries where they reside. A report from the Turkmenistan Helsinki Foundation and Human Rights Watch revealed that Turkmen authorities regularly and arbitrarily refuse to issue or replace passports to citizens through embassies, forcing them to return to Turkmenistan. Living abroad without a valid passport puts Turkmen citizens at risk of deportation and renders them unable to acquire official legal status (Human Rights Watch, November 11, 18, 2024).
Türkiye is a particularly precarious destination for Turkmen migrants, with over 200,000 Turkmen nationals residing there legally, and many more undocumented. Over 70,000 illegal Turkmen migrants have been detained by Turkish authorities since 2018 (PATurkey, May 26). In recent months, Turkmen authorities have denied exit to Turkmen citizens who are the wives of Turkish citizens when they attempt to return to Türkiye (The Times of Central Asia, December 23, 2024). This policy was later reversed after online reports of the practice surfaced (Radio Azatlyk, April 16).
Turkmen authorities regularly violate the freedom of movement of critics of the Turkmen regime. Türkiye frequently cooperates with the requests of Turkmen authorities regarding migrants and critics. In 2022, Ankara revoked visa-free travel for Turkmen citizens and detained thousands of Turkmen migrants awaiting deportation (Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, October 9, 2023). Russia has also extradited Turkmen activists who protest against Ashgabat and its policies, including students opposing the severe restrictions on money transfers imposed on Turkmens studying abroad (BBC Russian Service, September 19, 2024). In Turkmenistan itself, journalist Nurgeldi Halykov was issued an indefinite ban on leaving the country earlier this year (Radio Azatlyk, March 11).
On June 4, the White House included Turkmenistan in its new list of restrictions on foreign nationals entering the United States. The grounds given for this ban were the percentage of Turkmen citizens overstaying their U.S. visas, with 15 percent overstaying B-1/B-2 visas and 22 percent overstaying F, M, and J visas (The White House, June 4). The Turkmen government called this decision “a hasty step that does not take into consideration the high outcomes of bilateral Turkmen-American cooperation … as well as its current positive development” (Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan, June 10). A few days later, Deputy Foreign Minister Myahri Byashimova spoke about the need for a complex, human-oriented, and preventive approach to migration at an international conference in Ashgabat (Turkmenportal, June 13). In practice, however, the Turkmen government has not demonstrated much concern over the new U.S. policy, nor has it appeared to have followed through with the “human-oriented” approach referenced by Byashimova. This lack of concern corresponds to Ashgabat’s own attempts to keep Turkmen citizens in Turkmenistan, and to bring emigres back home.
Turkmenistan’s efforts to restrict emigration reflect a deepening pattern of control that extends far beyond its borders. Ashgabat remains largely unmoved by the recent U.S. travel ban while continuing to crack down on Turkmen migrants living abroad, particularly those in Türkiye and Russia, and pressuring those living in the country to stay put. As it stands, the lives of Turkmen migrants abroad are likely to become increasingly desperate and precarious.