Fast Facts RFE/RL's Turkmen Service is the only independent source for news and information in the country. Language: Turkmen Coverage: Eight hours daily Established: 1953 Distribution: Radio (AM, SW, Satellite), Internet Locations: Prague headquarters Staff: 9 (Prague), 12 stringers

Media Environment

• Freedom House Freedom of the Press Index, 2012: Not Free (196/197)
• Reporters Without Borders Press Freedom Index, 2012: 177th/179
• Turkmenistan remains a strict authoritarian state, where not only media but many institutions and public activities remain under tight government control.
• RFE/RL is not allowed to have a bureau or accredited journalists in Turkmenistan. Stringers and freelancers work under routine surveillance, and are often called in for questioning. In some cases, entire families are banned from travelling abroad or re-entering the country.
• Internet access is controlled strictly through state bodies. Radio Azatlyk's website, azathabar.com is blocked, and visitors must use proxy server software to access the site.

Highlights

• Radio Azatlyk’s extensive coverage has helped to release several activists and journalists from prisons or psychiatric clinics. Amangelen Shapudakov was released after 43 days in a psychiatric hospital due to pressure from the Turkmen public.
• In 2011, Radio Azatlyk’s breaking news about a massive arms warehouse explosion forced the Turkmen government to reverse its story. After initially claiming that the explosion was a set of stray fireworks that hadn’t harmed anyone, the government admitted that 15 soldiers died and that the explosion was worse than their initial estimate.
• During the Kyrgyz revolution in 2010, Radio Azatlyk was the only media outlet in the Turkmen language to cover the evacuation process of the Turkmen students studying in Kyrgyzstan. Radio Azatlyk’s coverage helped to overcome the students’ and their parents’ panic and to get them safely home.
• In 2010, Azatlyk correspondent Ashyrkuli Bayriyev received the David Burke Distinguished Journalism Award from the Broadcasting Board of Governors in recognition of his dedication to the advancement of freedom and democracy.
• Azatlyk correspondent Oguljamal Yazliyeva addressed the OSCE Review Conference in Astana, Kazakhstan, in 2010, calling on the OSCE to urge the Turkmen government to allow free media and recognize Radio Azatlyk by permitting a bureau in Ashgabat.
• Radio Azatlyk regularly reports on social issues and trends that other Turkmen media will not. Reports on topics including homelessness, poor housing construction, and travel bans for Turkmen citizens have sparked government action to improve facilities and social services.

​​
Population
5.04 million (2008 World Bank estimate)

Most Common Languages:
Turkmen, Russian, Uzbek

Press Freedom Index (Freedom House):
Not Free, ranked 196 out of 197 (2012)

Press Freedom Index (RSF):
173 out of 175 (2012)

Corruption Index (Transparency Int.):
177 out of 183 (2011)

Global Peace Index (IES):
117 out of 149 (2011)

Human Rights Watch:
Report on Turkmenistan (2010)

Amnesty International:
Turkmenistan Report (2010)