Sazak Durdymuradov, a frequent contributor to programs on RFE/RL’s Turkmen Service, has given his first interview after being released by Turkmen authorities following two weeks in detention, part of the time in the infamous mental hospital in the remote east known as the "Turkmen Gulag."
Durdymuradov said he believes he was released as a result of the international pressure placed on Turkmen authorities.
"A [security service] officer told me: ‘The whole world knows about you and is watching your [case], that’s why you must tell the truth. Go and tell the world whether you were tortured or not,’" Durdymuradov said. "I said I had not been tortured physically but there was a lot of moral pressure. A normal person was put in the psychiatric clinic. That damaged me.”
Read the full interview with Durdymuradov here.
Durdymuradov said he believes he was released as a result of the international pressure placed on Turkmen authorities.
"A [security service] officer told me: ‘The whole world knows about you and is watching your [case], that’s why you must tell the truth. Go and tell the world whether you were tortured or not,’" Durdymuradov said. "I said I had not been tortured physically but there was a lot of moral pressure. A normal person was put in the psychiatric clinic. That damaged me.”
Read the full interview with Durdymuradov here.