Turkey Cancels Visa-Free Travel For Turkmen Citizens At Ashgabat's Request

Turkey has canceled visa-free travel for Turkmen citizens at the request of the Central Asian nation's government.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan signed the government's decision into law on September 13.

The Turkmen Foreign Ministry said in early September that it had asked Ankara to "temporarily" require visas for Turkmen nationals "to improve the system for regulating the stays of Turkmen citizens in the Republic of Turkey."

Many Turkmen citizens residing in Turkey said they see the move as an attempt to curb the presence of Turkmen human-rights activists in the country.

Before the change, Turkmen citizens could stay in Turkey without a visa for 30 days. However, it was easy for Turkmen to extend their legal stay in the country by obtaining work permits or long-term visas while in the country.

According to the Turkish State Migration Service, as of September 1 there were about 230,000 Turkmen citizens permanently residing in the country. However, unofficial sources say the number may be several times higher as there are many illegal Turkmen immigrants there.

The Turkmen Foreign Ministry's request came less than three months after a group of Turkmen nationals in Turkey filed a lawsuit against former Turkmen President Gurbanguly Berdymukhammedov and other top officials of the isolated and tightly controlled Central Asian nation, accusing them of violating their human rights.

Last month, five Turkmen rights activists were attacked on the territory of the Turkmen Consulate in Istanbul as they tried to submit a letter addressed to President Serdar Berdymukhammedov to protest the human rights situation in the energy-rich former Soviet republic.

For many years, Turkmen citizens residing in Turkey have faced problems renewing their Turkmen passports and obtaining documents required by Turkish immigration authorities.

Turkmen nationals permanently residing in Turkey have also complained that they have been subjected to pressure by Turkmen authorities in Turkey.

Turkmenistan is one of the most repressive countries in the world.

In 2020, dozens of Turkmen activists residing abroad held protests in Turkey, the United States, and the European Union to urge the international community to pay more attention to the situation regarding human rights and civil liberties in Turkmenistan.