A Turkmen NGO has opened in Türkiye. In the city of Istanbul, Turkmen migrants registered the non-governmental organization “Hak Hukuga Daýanç” (Reliance on Rights and Law)
Goals of “Hak Hukuga Daýanç” (ННD): to monitor the observance of the constitutional rights of Turkmen citizens in Turkey and Turkmenistan who have been persecuted and subjected to rights violations by the authoritarian Turkmen regime in order to prevent and protect the rights of Turkmen citizens.
Dursoltan Taganova was elected the head of the organization. We asked her to comment on this event.
THF - It is known that there are already several Turkmen societies in Türkiye. What is the difference between “Hak Hukuga Daýanç” and them?
Dursoltan Taganova - Yes, a couple of associations were opened here, but they are not human rights and, like in Turkmenistan, they hide the truth from the people, they can only celebrate and praise the regime.
But in Türkiye, according to some reports, there are more than half a million Turkmen citizens, and many of them are in a desperate situation. For example, hundreds of thousands cannot exchange their passports, receive a residence permit, because of this they are deprived of the right to employment, treatment, education, children cannot go to kindergartens, etc. Because of this, hundreds of Turkmens end up in deportation centers for many months. While they are there, they lose their jobs, housing. According to the stuffs of these centers, they call the consulates, but they do not reply the calls or do not react at all. Due to their indifferent attitude to the problems of compatriots abroad, we were forced to cooperate and create “Hak Hukuga Daýanç” (HHD) to learn how to protect our rights.
Every day we receive messages from Turkmens and keep in touch with them. We will also be happy to cooperate with local human rights activists and lawyers in order to improve the situation through joint efforts. Our e-mail address: hakhukugadayanc@gmail.com; YouTube channel - @hakhukugadayanc7641; Tik Tok – @hakhukugadayanc
Commentary by the Chairman of the THF Tajigul Begmedova - We are all witnesses of how the world is changing, the goal of human rights activists is to make it change for the better. Turkmens abroad, especially in Türkiye, where the largest number of our compatriots, are in dire need of protection of their rights, monitoring and public coverage of the problems and challenges that they face every day - at work, study, in society and at home.
In general, we all need to re-raise the Turkmen civil society, which for decades has been leveled by the authoritarian regime. It is gratifying that young people are trying to learn how to protect their rights, help each other and fight for their rights together.”
Turkmen Helsinki Foundation for Human Rights
