The abolition of exit visas, as official press notes, is linked to “the completion of investigation into the terrorist act, established in Ashkhabad on November 25th 2002”. In a special statement, the Minister of Foreign Affairs for Turkmenistan emphasises that citizens are now “absolutely guaranteed the preservation of their rights of freedom of movement, including unimpeded exit beyond the borders of the country”. However, a series of incidents that have taken place over the last month clearly demonstrate that a large number of Turkmen citizens were not permitted rights to freedom of movement despite previous law, and that the statements by the government are little more than propagandist slogans.

The most notable manifestation of this was the recent withdrawal of the Russian and Turkmen passports from 78 year old writer and journalist Rakhim Esenov, who has dual citizenship.

According to information received from Human Rights centre “Memorial”, the problems with exit abroad started for Esenov last year. On May 6th 2003, the writer underwent a three-hour interrogation concerning his acquaintance with several of those who took part in the events of November 25th. This questioning took place at home, as Esenov had still not recovered from a heart-attack that took place in March. Investigator Gubanch Akhmedov concluded with his interrogative statement that in future Esenov would be a law-abiding citizen “upholding the policy of President Niyazov”.

In May 2003, Esenov appealed twice to the consular office of the Foreign Affairs minister with a request to grant him a visa for travel to Moscow for medical treatment to have taken place at the Principal Military Hospital of Ministry of Russian Internal Affairs, where in November 2001 he had an operation on adenomas and his right kidney. The request to issue a visa was refused without any reason given. An appeal to the representative for the commission of travel overseas vice-president Rashid Meredov and telephone calls to president Kramov’s aides did nothing to assist matters.

The government also declined a request for an exit visa from the writer’s daughter who was trying to get to Moscow with her sick child for medical consultations. The analogous refusals were received by doctor of geological and mineralogical sciences E. M. Esenov (brother of Rakhim Esenov) and his wife L. G. Matrosov, who were planning to travel to Russia for their grandchild’s birthday.
It should also be noted that all the aforementioned people have dual Russian-Turkmen citizenship, lawful reasons stopping their travel abroad were absent, and not one of them received an explanation as to the refusals. A written appeal to the Consulate of the Russian Federation didn’t help E. Esenov and his wife.

Of course, in order to avoid further complaints, representatives of the Ministry of National Security and of the police came on July 12th and 13th with a far-fetched excuse to try to confiscate the passports of brothers R. and E. Esenov and their wives.

The profile of the unlawful refusal to issue an exit visa to R. Esenov rose in September 2003 during a transmission by Turkmen radio station “Svoboda”, and also in November – in the Russian State Duma at hearings on the situation in Turkmenistan.

Following the declaration by President Niyazov about the abolition of exit visas, the writer succeeded in flying to Moscow on January 18th 2004. On the morning of February 1st, he returned to Ashkhabad. Further events were described in his letter to the American Embassy in Turkmenistan:

“Around the aeroplane’s gangway, two unknown characters met me – one was dressed in normal clothes, the other in the uniform of a border-guard. They escorted me away and at the checkpoint they took from me both of my passports – Russian and Turkmen, in exchange for, after my persistent demands and my indignation with their unlawful behaviour, the report explaining the reasons for the confiscation…
At the customs office their colleagues, in border-guard uniforms and surrounding more than ten young people in civilian clothes, meticulously rummaged through my travel bag, resulting in them taking from me four copies of my novel “Ventsenossniy Skitalets”, my notes…”
In accordance with report No 4 from 01/02/2004, signed by a colleague Mamedovy N from the customs office, “upon inspection of the luggage of passenger Rakhim Esenov, travelling on flight No 710 Moscow to Ashkhabad”, were claimed:
4 copies of “Ventsenossniy Skitalets” book, author Rakhim Esenov, 9 newspapers of Russian origin, a brochure printed with words from 10 pages out of “Erkin Turkmenistan”, personal notes – 5 pages.” Pages from “Erkin Turkmenistan” (a magazine from the opposition, produced in Moscow) “confiscated for verification to prevent import into Turkmenistan”. Details of the removal of other items and personal notes was not documented in the report.
“They…detained me at the airport for more than one and a half hours. I got home at just about 5 o’clock on the morning of February 1st. Due to such a “movingly-solemn meeting as this” that was, worse still, on my birthday, I felt faint, I took nitro-glycerine twice”, writes R. Esenov.
After the unlawful confiscation of the writer’s passports, who is a member of the Russian Society of writers, he was not only once more deprived the right to travel abroad, but he could not even move freely around the city, since any policeman could detain him because of the absence of his documents. He will hardly be able to fly to Moscow for his operation, as Russian doctors have recommended to him.
Inside Turkmenistan, the publication of the works of R. Esenov is forbidden, his books removed from the archives of school libraries. Due to his cooperation with the Turkmen radio station “Svoboda” the writer is under the scrutiny of the special services for many years to come.