The public was recently made aware of several incidents that occurred since summer in Turkmenistan connected to photojournalist and human rights advocate Soltan Achilova (Солтан Ачилова / also written Gurban Soltan Achilova / Soltan Açylowa / Gurbansoltan Achilova), born 1949. She has publicly disclosed a chilling attempt on her life in Turkmenistan, revealing that she was several times since summer allegedly targeted with poisoned food, last time just days before a planned trip to Switzerland. The attack highlights the continued repression faced by independent journalists in one of the world’s most authoritarian states.
According to Achilova, a man presenting himself as a victim of police misconduct came to her home in mid-November 2024. Achilova listened to his story with empathy, promising to help him document his experience and agreed to record his story on video. Days later, he returned with juice and pastries as a gesture of thanks. A neighbor visiting Achilova that day ate one of the pastries and soon after suffered a severe health crisis, displaying signs of a stroke and requiring emergency medical care. Suspicious of the incident, Achilova checked other food items left by the man and found an oily liquid in the juice. She accused the Service of National Security of trying to poison her.
You can listen to her story that was published on Chronicles of Turkmenistan (Хроника Туркменистана – ХТ – https://www.hronikatm.com/) here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cp5de93Vi3s . The news portal reported about this case on 20 December 2024.
Reaction came on 9 January 2025 from Mary Lawlor, UN Special Rapporteur for human rights defenders. She said over her Facebook profile: •I am deeply concerned by recent reports of alleged attempts to poison WHRD Gurbansoltan Achilova just before she was set to travel from #Turkmenistan to Geneva for the Martin Ennals Award for Human Rights Defenders in November 2024. These serious allegations must be urgently and effectively investigated.
The case is connected to other pressure she had in November 2024, about what SEEMO reported in a statement published on 2 December 2024: https://seemo.org/ressources/02-12-2024-turkmenistans-soltan-achilova-faces-harassment/
Harassment is not new for Achilova. She remains one of the few independent journalists in Turkmenistan who reports openly without hiding her identity. Her fearless reporting has made her a constant target of intimidation, surveillance, and physical attacks since she began her career in 2006. In 2014 she was attacked by several people while she was reporting from a market and in 2016 she was attacked and robbed by a group of people who took away her camera after police questioned her regarding taking photos at a shop. In 2023, border officials deliberately damaged her passport to prevent her from traveling abroad.
The South East Europe Media Organisation (SEEMO) condemns the attempted poisoning and continued harassment of independent journalist Soltan Achilova by Turkmen authorities. The targeted attacks against Achilova, including her forced detention and systematic intimidation, represent a blatant violation of press freedom and human rights in Turkmenistan. Such actions are part of a disturbing pattern of state repression aimed at silencing independent voices. SEEMO urges the international community to hold Turkmen officials accountable for these oppressive measures and demands immediate guarantees for the safety and freedom of all journalists in the country. SEEMO will closely monitor Achilova’s case and the broader situation in Turkmenistan to ensure transparency and accountability.
South East Europe Media Organisation (SEEMO) is a regional non-governmental, non profit network of editors, media executives and leading journalists in Southeast, South, East and Central Europe. SEEMO members are in Albania, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Estonia, Georgia, Greece, Hungary, Kazakhstan, Kosovo, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Moldova (with the territory of Transdnestria), Montenegro, North Macedonia, Poland, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Türkiye / Turkey, Ukraine and Uzbekistan. Austria, Italy, Vatican and San Marino have a special status in SEEMO. SEEMO has over 3000 individual members, and additional media as corporate members.
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