OPEN LETTER On the Occasion of the International Day of Remembrance and Solidarity with Victims of Transnational Repression Against Citizens of Turkmenistan

OPEN LETTER On the Occasion of the International Day of Remembrance and Solidarity with Victims of Transnational Repression Against Citizens of Turkmenistan 19 June 2026 To the leaders of democratic nations, governments, parliaments, diplomatic missions, the United Nations, the European Union, the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe, the Council of Europe, international human rights organizations, media outlets, and the global democratic community Dear Ladies and Gentlemen, On 19 June 2026, the Democratic Choice of Turkmenistan (DCT), the Coordination Council of Democratic Forces of Turkmenistan (CCDFT), the Human Rights Platform of the Civic Movement “Dayanch” / Turkmenistan, civil activists, human rights defenders, and members of the Turkmen diaspora are holding an International Day of Remembrance and Solidarity with the victims of transnational repression. We address you not only on behalf of the victims but also on behalf of thousands of citizens of Turkmenistan who continue to live in fear of persecution beyond the borders of their country. The recent statement by United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk regarding the growing threat of transnational repression confirms what we have been warning about for many years. The international community is finally acknowledging that authoritarian regimes increasingly pursue critics, journalists, human rights defenders, and civil society activists far beyond their national borders. However, we are compelled to state openly: While international forums discuss the problem, victims continue to disappear. While powerful speeches about human rights are delivered in international institutions, citizens of Turkmenistan continue to be detained, forcibly returned, unlawfully deported, abducted, intimidated, and persecuted in various countries around the world. While world leaders speak about protecting human rights, the families of victims of transnational repression continue to wait for answers regarding the fate of their loved ones. We see a serious contradiction between words and reality. International organizations repeatedly declare that they will not leave human rights defenders and civil activists alone in the face of dictatorship. Yet repression continues. The number of victims continues to grow. Impunity remains the norm. We are also deeply concerned by another reality. Despite extensive evidence of human rights violations, political persecution, enforced disappearances, and transnational repression, representatives of the international community continue to maintain normal diplomatic engagement with the authorities of Turkmenistan. We respectfully emphasize that symbolic gestures, official visits, public displays of friendship, and the acceptance of gifts from a government accused of serious human rights abuses send the wrong message to both victims and perpetrators. When senior international officials meet with representatives of the Turkmen government without publicly and firmly addressing ongoing human rights violations, such actions may be interpreted by the authorities as a sign that there will be no meaningful consequences for their actions. As a result, transnational repression does not diminish. It becomes stronger. It becomes more systematic. And it becomes more dangerous for those who dare to speak out. Today, every Turkmen human rights defender, civil activist, independent journalist, and political exile understands that he or she may become the next target of transnational repression. Any one of us may become the next victim of an unlawful deportation, enforced disappearance, politically motivated detention, or cross-border persecution. For this reason, we call upon the international community to move beyond statements and take concrete action. We call on democratic governments, international organizations, and diplomatic missions to: Recognize transnational repression against citizens of Turkmenistan as a serious and ongoing human rights crisis; Demand independent investigations into all cases of enforced disappearances, abductions, unlawful deportations, and politically motivated returns of Turkmen citizens; Strengthen safeguards against the political misuse of international mechanisms, including Interpol; Provide effective protection to human rights defenders, journalists, civil activists, political exiles, and their families; Raise the issue of transnational repression during all bilateral and multilateral engagements with the authorities of Turkmenistan; Demand the release of political prisoners and an end to the persecution of dissenting voices; Utilize available diplomatic, legal, and international accountability mechanisms to address serious human rights violations. We firmly believe that silence contributes to impunity. Every day of inaction creates new victims. Every failure to respond strengthens those responsible for persecution. Without meaningful international pressure on the authorities of Turkmenistan, these abuses will not stop. Without accountability, there will be no justice. Without solidarity, those who defend human rights and fundamental freedoms will remain at risk. Today, we appeal to you with a simple but urgent message: Do not stop at statements. Take action. Behind every case of transnational repression is a human life. Behind every disappearance is a family. Behind every act of political persecution is a person who believed in freedom, justice, dignity, and the universal values that democratic societies claim to defend. Stop Transnational Repression! Freedom for All Victims of Political Persecution! Freedom of Expression Is Not a Crime! 19 June 2026