Sapardurdy Khadzhiev is a

Turkmenistan Turkmenistan is a landlocked country in Central Asia bordered by Kazakhstan to the northwest, Uzbekistan to the north, east and northeast, Afghanistan to the southeast, Iran to the south and southwest and the Caspian Sea to the west. Ash ...

human rights Human rights are universally recognized Morality, moral principles or Social norm, norms that establish standards of human behavior and are often protected by both Municipal law, national and international laws. These rights are considered ...

activist who served a prison sentence in Turkmenbashi from 2006 to 2013.

Amnesty International Amnesty International (also referred to as Amnesty or AI) is an international non-governmental organization focused on human rights, with its headquarters in the United Kingdom. The organization says that it has more than ten million members a ...

designated him a

prisoner of conscience A prisoner of conscience (POC) is anyone imprisoned because of their race, sexual orientation, religion, or political views. The term also refers to those who have been imprisoned or persecuted for the nonviolent expression of their conscienti ...

and named him a 2011 "priority case".

Arrest and trial

Sapardurdy Khadzhiev is associated with Turkmenistan Helsinki Foundation (THF), an organization that publicized human rights violations in Turkmenistan. In June 2006, he was arrested along with

Annakurban Amanklychev Annakurban Amanklychev is a human rights activist notable for serving a prison sentence (2006-2013) in the dictatorial regime of Turkmenistan on charges, widely believed to be fabricated. Amnesty International had considered him a prisoner of cons ...

, another THF worker, and Khadzhiev's sister Ogulsapar Myradowa, a correspondent for

Radio Liberty Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) is a media organization broadcasting news and analyses in 27 languages to 23 countries across Eastern Europe, Central Asia, the Caucasus, and the Middle East. Headquartered in Prague since 1995, RFE/RL ...

. The three were initially charged with spying for foreign intelligence services; these charges were later changed to "the illegal acquisition, possession or sale of ammunition or firearms". Amanklychev's family allege that law enforcement planted cartridges in his car to manufacture evidence. Amnesty International,

Front Line A front line (alternatively front-line or frontline) in military terminology is the position(s) closest to the area of conflict of an Military, armed force's Military personnel, personnel and Military technology, equipment, usually referring to ...

Reporters Without Borders Reporters Without Borders (RWB; ; RSF) is an international non-profit and non-governmental organisation, non-governmental organization headquartered in Paris, which focuses on safeguarding the right to freedom of information. It describes its a ...

, and

Human Rights Watch Human Rights Watch (HRW) is an international non-governmental organization that conducts research and advocacy on human rights. Headquartered in New York City, the group investigates and reports on issues including War crime, war crimes, crim ...

have all described the charges as fabricated.

Imprisonment

Sapardurdy Khadzhiev and Annakurban Amanklychev were sentenced to seven-year prison terms. Ogulsapar Muradova was sentenced to six years but died two weeks into her sentence; her children reported that one of her legs was broken, her arms bore evidence of injections, and marks on her body indicated she had been strangled.

believes Amanklychev and Khadziev to currently be located in a high-security prison in Turkmenbashi known for poor conditions: "the region is extremely hot in the summer and bitterly cold in the winter, and inmates are forced to do agricultural work in such conditions... the inmates spend their time in filthy, overcrowded cells with no access to drinking water. The quality of what little food they receive is poor." On 11 December 2010, the United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention called for the immediate release of Khadziev and Amanklychev, stating that their detention was a violation of international law. Amanklychev and Khaziev were released from prison on 16 February 2013, after nearly seven years imprisonment.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Khadzhiev, Sapardurdy Year of birth missing (living people) Living people Amnesty International prisoners of conscience held by Turkmenistan Turkmenistan journalists Turkmenistan prisoners and detainees Turkmenistan human rights activists Journalists imprisoned in Turkmenistan 21st-century Turkmenistan writers