BAYRAMALY, Turkmenistan -- Dozens of people have blocked a major highway in the Turkmen province of Mary after police tried to dismantle a makeshift bazaar, a rare protest in the tightly-controlled Central Asian country.
The temporary market for clothes and household goods was set up in mid-January by local vendors after the authorities closed down the central bazaar in Mary's Bayramaly district as part of measures to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.
"Two weeks later, on January 31, local government officials accompanied by police officers came to the temporary market and tried to disperse merchants and customers," a Bayramaly resident who witnessed the incident told RFE/RL.
According to the resident, who spoke on condition of anonymity, people began to "openly criticize the authorities and express their displeasure," a rare event in a country where the government doesn't tolerate dissent.
People "refused to obey" the authorities and argued that the government hadn't offered them any compensation for their lost income after the main bazaar was closed, eyewitness added. Customers, meanwhile, complained that they had nowhere else to buy household goods.
"The vendors then began putting their goods on the Medeniyet highway and blocked it," the resident said.
"Although this spontaneous protest didn't have a leader, people acted in a fairly organized manner and insisted that they wouldn't allow the makeshift market to be dismantled."
Confronted by the angry crowd, officials sought to appease people and promised to reopen the central bazaar soon, the eyewitness said.
The protest lasted several hours. The vendors cleared the highway after the officials finally gave in to their demands and allowed the temporary market to remain open until the main bazaar reopens in the Bayramaly town center.
Medeniyet is an important highway that connects the capital, Ashgabat, to Mary and Lebap provinces. The makeshift market is located along the highway and consists of dozens of stalls.
RFE/RL tried to contact Turkmen officials for comment, but didn't receive any response. Turkmen state media didn't report the protest in Bayramaly.
Anti-government protests are extremely rare in Turkmenistan, where the authorities brutally crack down on critics and activists. Critics often end up in prisons or are forcibly placed in psychiatric hospitals.
Despite the risks, however, growing poverty, unemployment, and food shortages in recent years have prompted some Turkmen to voice their discontent with the government.
On May 14, 2020, hundreds of people took part in a demonstration in the city of Turkmenabat after the government failed to help them to repair damage caused by strong winds and rainstorms that devastated the eastern parts of the country.
SEE ALSO: In Turkmen Disaster Zone, Officials Are Quick To Scrub Phones But Slow To RebuildThe protesters demanded the government provide assistance to people to repair their homes, organize the cleanup, and restore electricity.
That protest marked the largest demonstration in Turkmenistan since independence in 1991 and prompted local authorities to meet with the protesters to discuss the situation.
Earlier that year, some three dozen women staged a rally in the city of Mary to protest against shortages of subsidized flour and vegetable oil.
The women briefly blocked a highway before marching toward the regional government headquarters on April 3, 2020. The rally ended after officials met with the group and arranged for each demonstrator to receive a 2-kilogram bag of flour.