The government of Turkmenistan has enacted new measures to monitor former law enforcement officials and impose travel restrictions, particularly affecting retired officers and students. The Ministry of Justice is collecting data to track those who have left the country, citing security concerns related to emigration. Additionally, students are required to surrender their passports upon enrollment, revealing broader efforts to regulate citizens’ travel rights.
Turkmenistan’s Ministry of Justice has initiated a systematic approach to monitor former officials from the Interior Ministry, aiming to track their overseas movements. This strategy represents a continuation of government efforts to exert control over citizens’ travel rights, reflecting heightened concerns regarding emigration and potential security risks associated with former law enforcement personnel.
Since February 2025, the Ministry of Justice has been gathering data on ex-law enforcement officers of the rank of major and above, who served from 1991 to 2024. Collaboration with the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the Ministry of National Security, the Migration Service, and the Prosecutor’s Office is underway, expecting completion by the end of April, to ascertain which retired officials have moved abroad. This initiative may have originated from inspections revealing retiree relocations or concerns related to prominent cases involving former officials like Rustam Inoyatov.
Authorities are particularly focused on retired officers with professional connections to Inoyatov, necessitating detailed reports regarding their current locations and employment statuses. In instances of deceased ex-officers, relatives must provide appropriate official documents to confirm their passing and burial arrangements.
New travel restrictions have also been enacted for retired law enforcement members, who are now limited to leaving Turkmenistan solely for medical treatment, contingent on official approval from the Ministry of Health. This escalates previous actions taken in September 2024, where public sector employees were forced to surrender their biometric passports as part of restrictions against citizens emigrating for better opportunities.
The clampdown on travel is not exclusive to former law enforcement personnel; students in Turkmen universities are also affected. Reports have emerged indicating that students must relinquish their passports upon enrollment to prevent international travel. Those who resist this policy may lose their chance of admission, with university faculty retaining the passports for the duration of their studies. This measure, active for two years, reflects heightened governmental apprehensions about student migration, evolving from mere acknowledgments of passport surrender to outright confiscation.
In summary, the Turkmen government has implemented stringent measures to monitor and restrict the travel of former law enforcement officials and students. The initiative to track former officers is motivated by concerns over emigration and potential security threats, while the confiscation of student passports aims to inhibit mass youth migration. These developments illustrate an ongoing effort by authorities to maintain control over citizens’ mobility both domestically and internationally.
Original Source: timesca.com
