The Case of Turkmen Bloggers: Returning the File to the Edirne Prosecutor’s Office Does Not Answer the Main Question — Where Are They?

The Case of Turkmen Bloggers: Returning the File to the Edirne Prosecutor’s Office Does Not Answer the Main Question — Where Are They? The Human Rights Platform of the Civic Movement “DAYANÇ” / Turkmenistan expresses serious concern regarding new information in the case of Turkmen bloggers Alisher Sakhadov and Abdulla Orusov, who disappeared in Turkey. According to a publication by the Turkmen Helsinki Foundation for Human Rights, the case of the missing bloggers has once again been returned for review to the Prosecutor’s Office of the city of Edirne. Their lawyer has submitted a motion requesting the seizure and examination of CCTV recordings from the Temporary Detention Center for Foreign Nationals and the surrounding area, as well as other surveillance recordings related to the location of the incident. Previously, as reported by the Turkmen Helsinki Foundation, on December 16, 2025, the Edirne Prosecutor’s Office decided to transfer the case for review to the Prosecutor’s Office of the city of Sinop. In January of this year, Alisher Sakhadov’s wife was informed that the case materials had been returned to the relevant authorities in Edirne. It is also known that DNA samples were taken from family members by order of higher authorities. Meanwhile, Alisher Sakhadov’s father traveled to Ashgabat and personally appealed to the President of Turkmenistan, asking for assistance in locating his son. The father demands only one thing — to establish the whereabouts of his child and to obtain the truth. This appeal became an act of desperation by a family that has been living for many months in a state of uncertainty and pain. However, despite the procedural transfers of the case from one prosecutor’s office to another, the main and fundamental question remains: Where are Alisher Sakhadov and Abdulla Orusov? We remind that the bloggers disappeared on July 24, 2025 — immediately after they were released from the deportation center in the Turkish city of Edirne. Since that moment, their whereabouts remain unknown. Transferring the case from one jurisdiction to another cannot replace a transparent, effective, and independent investigation. The lack of public information only increases the anxiety of the families and the human rights community. We emphasize that in such cases, state authorities are obliged to: ensure a prompt, thorough, and impartial investigation; secure and analyze all available surveillance footage; keep families informed about the progress of the investigation; exclude any possibility of enforced disappearance or unlawful transfer to third countries. The disappearance of activists immediately after leaving a deportation facility is a circumstance that requires special scrutiny. Under international law, enforced disappearances constitute a grave violation of human rights. The Human Rights Platform “DAYANÇ” will continue to closely monitor developments and calls on the Turkish authorities to ensure transparency in the investigation, and on international human rights institutions to keep this case under constant review. We once again state: Activism is not a crime. Disappearance is unacceptable.