Views on News - Brutality

Death of Niyazov reveals the extent of his brutality and the support of his backers

The death of Saparmurat Niyazov the dictator of Turkmenistan for the past 21 years will bring only temporary relief to the people of Turkmenistan. His legacy leaves a host of problems to the country which has seen it turn into a playground for competing nations and western multinationals eager to usurp its rich natural resources.

Niyazov was a brutal despot who was nurtured by the Communist Party of the Soviet Union to become its head in Turkeminstan in 1985. The collapse of the Soviet Union saw the need for a strong man to control the former Soviet republics and with Russian backing Niyazov became Turkmenistan’s first leader in 1991.

Niyazov’s crimes against the majority Muslim population of Turkmenistan were on a par with any of the tyrant rulers of the Muslim world. He tolerated no opposition or criticism of his regime with opponents being assassinated, exiled, imprisoned or simply ‘disappeared’.

People who dared challenge him were arrested and tortured, sentenced to long prison terms. The majority were political opponents but among his more recent victims were journalists and one human rights activist. Ogulsapar Muradova, 58, who worked for Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, died in prison. Her body showed obvious signs of torture.



His infamous secret police were notorious for striking fear amongst the people with teachers, amongst others, being used to test children’s, and their parent’s, allegiance towards the State and Niyazov. His grip on power was cemented by rigged election results which regularly returned a 99.5% vote in his favour and in 1999 all effective limits were removed when his sycophants in Parliament voted him ‘President for Life’.

In 2002 Niyazov announced his intention to officially rename all 12 months of the year in commemoration of the country's heroes and most potent national symbols. He renamed January ‘Turkmenbashi which was his official name.

Despite the abundance of oil and gas within Turkmenistan, holding the fifth largest proven reserves of gas in the world, an estimated 20 trillion cubic metres, none of this wealth produced any prosperity for the people. Food and housing shortages were evident outside the capital city. Earlier this year thousands of medical staff were sacked and hospitals closed down, education for schoolchildren restricted and payments to the elderly curtailed. By contrast foreign companies from the West, Russia and China were feted by the regime with lavish ceremonies far removed from the lives of ordinary people.

The misappropriation of monies by Niyazov and his cronies was staggering. In similarities with the rulers of Saudia Arabia, Kuwait and the Gulf States, he built palatial palaces for himself and spent millions on personal tributes such as gold statues. Niyazov is said to have amassed a personal wealth of $3bn.

Niyazov’s ties with Western powers as well as Russia and China were cordial to say the least in his years of ruthless power. European nations tolerated the dictator for the stability he provided in supplying cheap oil and gas via Russia. Silence over the brutal practises his regime conducted were the price to be paid for dealings with this energy rich country.

The US interests with the Niyazov regime were equally pernicious. The US had curried favour with Niyazov as firstly part of its global war on terror and secondly as a means to covert the abundant gas reserves of Turkmenistan away from Russia and China by building a series of pipelines from the Caspian sea to Europe.

According to the British Foreign Office, UK exports to Turkmenistan in 2005 totalled £13,810 million. Turkmen imports to the UK in 2005 totalled £4.036 million. British companies active in Turkmenistan include: Burren Energy and Dragon Oil which have oil Production Sharing Agreements to operate oilfields in the west of Turkmenistan.

The US and UK attacks on Afghanistan in 2001 were welcomed by Niyazov and Turkmenistan airspace continues to be used by US aircraft. In recent months US officials have visited the region to discuss prospects of opening a US base in Turkmenistan.

Indeed, Niyazov’s funeral on Sunday 24th December saw a litany of influential attendees keen to ensure their respective interests are progressed in the post Niyazov era whilst concerned that any power struggle does not effect the supply of oil and gas. Those who attended included the Russian Prime Minister, US Secretary for State Richard Boucher and officials from Gazprom, the Russian oil oligarchy.

The death of Niyazov highlights the dire situation within the Muslim world, which despite its strategic depth and energy resources continues to be plagued by the tyrannies of dictatorship and colonial exploitation.