Reuters AlertNet Full site
Homepage | Newsdesk | NGO Latest | Crisis briefings | Country profiles | MediaWatch | Jobs | Alerting | Login

NEWSDESK

Turkmenistan: Environmental Advocate Freed
07 Nov 2009 23:43:11 GMT
 Source: Human Rights Watch
(New York) â€" Turkmenistan’s release of the environmental activist Andrei Zatoka from prison on November 6, 2009, is a welcome development, but reports that the authorities effectively forced him to leave the country and may have confiscated his apartment, having already brought false charges against him, are troubling, Human Rights Watch said today.
The Dashaguz Province Court commuted Zatoka’s five-year sentence to a fine of the equivalent of about $350.
“We are very happy that Andrei Zatoka is no longer behind bars,” said Holly Cartner, Europe and Central Asia director at Human Rights Watch. “The charges against him were completely bogus, and he should never have been in prison in the first place.”
Zatoka had been sentenced to five years in prison on charges of “causing bodily harm,” following an incident in which a man attacked him in a market on October 20.

According to Zatoka, he was given to understand by the authorities that he would have to give up his apartment and immediately leave the country that had been his home for 27 years. Friends who had been helping him to pack were summarily kicked out of the apartment by the authorities, leaving Zatoka and his wife to pack on their own.
On November 6, the United States government issued a statement expressing concern about Zatoka’s trial.
“We continue to be deeply concerned about the safety and well-being of activists and their families in Turkmenistan,” Cartner said. “We urge the international community to support this jeopardized community.”




AlertNet news is provided by
Email this article       Send comments

NGO latest

•  MSF vaccination used as bait in unacceptable attack on civilians
MSF International

•  G20: Tax havens debate extends to developing countries as billions of pounds are robbed from the poor
ActionAid

•  Lanka's displaced return home - time to honour funding pledges says World Vision
WV - International

•  Great Lakes: Red Cross moves to address humanitarian aftermath of albino killings
IFRC - Switzerland

•  Children in Vietnam hit by second devastating typhoon in five weeks
Save the Children - International Alliance

MORE >>

Latest news

•  Turkmenistan: Environmental Advocate Freed

•  Haiti's new prime minister wins confirmation

•  Cuba: Prominent Blogger Abducted, Beaten

•  Obamas to attend Fort Hood memorial Tuesday

•  G20 makes little progress on climate financing

MORE >>

HRW news


Related articles

Breaking stories
 Haiti's new prime minister wins confirmation (1 minute ago)

Cuba: Prominent Blogger Abducted, Beaten (1 minute ago)

AlertNet insight
 Urgent need for plans to adapt to climate shifts - researchers (1 minute ago)

Aid agency news feed
 MSF vaccination used as bait in unacceptable attack on civilians (1 minute ago)

Blogs
 Frustrations mount as Copenhagen climate summit nears (1 minute ago)

Maps
 Hurricane Ida (1 minute ago)


Del.icio.us Del.icio.us  |   Digg Digg  |   NewsVine NewsVine  |   Reddit Reddit   
Thumb for /thefacts/imagerepository/RTRPICT/2009-11-07T210628Z_01_HNR04_RTRIDSP_2_HONDURAS-ZELAYA_mainimage.jpg|/thenews/pictures/HNR04.htm
Thumb for /thefacts/imagerepository/RTRPICT/2009-11-07T205940Z_01_HNR05X_RTRIDSP_2_HONDURAS-ZELAYA_mainimage.jpg|/thenews/pictures/HNR05x.htm
Thumb for /thefacts/imagerepository/RTRPICT/2009-11-07T204447Z_01_CAR14_RTRIDSP_2_VENEZUELA_mainimage.jpg|/thenews/pictures/CAR14.htm
Thumb for /thefacts/imagerepository/RTRPICT/2009-11-07T204316Z_01_CAR12_RTRIDSP_2_VENEZUELA_mainimage.jpg|/thenews/pictures/CAR12.htm
Thumb for /thefacts/imagerepository/RTRPICT/2009-11-07T204137Z_01_CAR11_RTRIDSP_2_VENEZUELA_mainimage.jpg|/thenews/pictures/CAR11.htm

A clown gestures near soldiers and riot policemen as he take part in a rally of supporters of Honduras' ousted President Manuel Zelaya outside the National Congress building in Tegucigalpa November ...


More pictures | Galleries
Disclaimers |  Copyright |  Privacy |  Contact Us |  Feedback |  About Us |  RSS XML

Last updated:Sun Nov 8 00:24:41 2009