This update covers developments affecting the freedoms of expression, association and peaceful assembly in Turkmenistan from June to November 2025.  International Partnership for Human Rights (IPHR) and the Turkmen Initiative for Human Rights (TIHR) have prepared it as part of their cooperation with the CIVICUS Monitor.

Public expressions in Turkmenistan remain tightly controlled, with the government enforcing official narratives of well-being and prosperity despite widespread economic hardship and serious ongoing rights violations. Feeding into this narrative, the Ombudsperson concluded in its annual report released in August that human rights observance is “steadily improving” thanks to the president’s “large-scale reforms” aimed at enhancing citizens’ well-being. In another example, an elder claimed at a September 2025 meeting of Khalk Maslahaty – a high-level body chaired by ex-President Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov – that the population enjoys a “high” standard of living and proposed a freeze on wages and benefits, illustrating how citizen voices are orchestrated to reinforce government messaging.

In summer 2025, Turkmen.News reported a new escalation in Turkmenistan’s already strict internet censorship, with tens of thousands of additional sites blocked. As independent media, social networks, and other government-critical platforms have long........

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