Turkmenistan
Turkmenistan ranks among the most
repressive and closed societies in the
world. The Internet is heavily regulated and available only to a small
fraction of the population. Among
the countries of the CIS, it has the
lowest penetration rate of Internet access and the highest degree of firstgeneration controls. Censorship is
ubiquitous and extensive. Surveillance is significant, and the few citizens who benefit from access to the Internet
are closely monitored by state agencies.
Background
A Central Asian republic with a population of around 5 million and land area of
488,100 square kilometers, 1 Turkmenistan is a country rich in natural gas and oil
resources. 2 The government has undertaken efforts to develop the gas and cotton industry but has failed to encourage development in other economic sectors.
Turkmenistan was a closed society under the proclaimed ‘‘President for Life,’’ Saparmurat Niyazov. 3 To nourish his personality cult, Niyazov—in power for 15 years—
frequently rotated, dismissed, or brought charges against government officials and
RESULTS AT A GLANCE
Filtering
No Evidence
of Filtering
Suspected
Filtering
Selective
Filtering
Substantial
Filtering
Pervasive
Filtering
Political
Social
Conflict and security
Internet tools
Other Factors
Low
Medium
High
Not
Applicable
Transparency
Consistency
Turkmenistan ranks among the most
repressive and closed societies in the
world. The Internet is heavily regulated and available only to a small
fraction of the population. Among
the countries of the CIS, it has the
lowest penetration rate of Internet access and the highest degree of firstgeneration controls. Censorship is
ubiquitous and extensive. Surveillance is significant, and the few citizens who benefit from access to the Internet
are closely monitored by state agencies.
Background
A Central Asian republic with a population of around 5 million and land area of
488,100 square kilometers, 1 Turkmenistan is a country rich in natural gas and oil
resources. 2 The government has undertaken efforts to develop the gas and cotton industry but has failed to encourage development in other economic sectors.
Turkmenistan was a closed society under the proclaimed ‘‘President for Life,’’ Saparmurat Niyazov. 3 To nourish his personality cult, Niyazov—in power for 15 years—
frequently rotated, dismissed, or brought charges against government officials and
RESULTS AT A GLANCE
Filtering
No Evidence
of Filtering
Suspected
Filtering
Selective
Filtering
Substantial
Filtering
Pervasive
Filtering
Political
Social
Conflict and security
Internet tools
Other Factors
Low
Medium
High
Not
Applicable
Transparency
Consistency