Gurbandurdy Durdykuliev - Turkmenistan

Amnesty International is concerned that Gurbandurdy Durdykuliev, who is 61 years old and married with a four-year-old son, has been forcibly confined in a psychiatric hospital since February 2004 solely to punish him for peacefully exercising his right to freedom of expression. AI considers Gurbandurdy Durdykuliev to be a prisoner of conscience.

On 3 January 2004 Gurbandurdy Durdykuliev wrote to President Saparmurad Niyazov and the governor of the Balkan region, asking them to authorise a two-day demonstration. He wrote: 'We want to carry out a peaceful demonstration...to express our disagreement with the policies of the President...' On 13 February Gurbandurdy Durdykuliev was taken from his house in the village of Suvchy in western Turkmenistan, to a psychiatric hospital in the town of Balkanabad (formerly Nebitdag). Reportedly, a commission at the psychiatric hospital, chaired by an official of the Ministry of Health, pronounced him mentally ill. Shortly afterwards he was transferred to a psychiatric hospital in Garashsyzlyk district in the eastern Lebap region.

Several medical staff of the hospital in Garashsyzlyk district reportedly told Gurbandurdy Durdykuliev's relatives they could not find any signs of mental illness but that the authorities had pressurised them to diagnose him as mentally ill. The authorities have attempted to prevent information about Gurbandurdy from reaching international media and human rights organisations, including disconnecting the family's telephone line and pressurising his wife not to pass on information about her husband's case to media outlets. His wife has regularly travelled to see Gurbandurdy but was frequently denied access to him. The last reported meeting with him, in February 2005, lasted for 10 minutes. In March and in June, she was again not allowed to see him. She stayed near the hospital in June to pass on clothes, medication and lunches for him. She was told his legs were aching, in addition to his pre-existing heart condition and gastritis. AI is concerned by reports of his deteriorating health, and urges the authorities to ensure he receives adequate medical treatment.

Amnesty International is concerned that Gurbandurdy Durdykuliev, who is 61 years old and married with a four-year-old son, has been forcibly confined in a psychiatric hospital since February 2004 solely to punish him for peacefully exercising his right to freedom of expression. AI considers Gurbandurdy Durdykuliev to be a prisoner of conscience.

Follow up

Gurbandurdy Durdykuliev was released and returned home to his family in the early hours of Thursday 14 April 2006. He expressed thanks for the telegrams, postcards and letters that had been sent to him in the hospital, and his family also expressed their thanks for the support shown by Amnesty International members. Gurbandurdy Durdykuliev had been forcibly confined to a psychiatric hospital since February 2004 solely to punish him for peacefully exercising his right to freedom of expression. Durdykuliev was told that the letters of support which arrived at hospital included postcards from UK. Many thanks to all those who took action on this case.