Nurgeldi Halykov (Nurgeldi Halykow), a correspondent for the independent news platform Turkmen.news (https://en.turkmen.news/), registered in the Netherlands, was barred from traveling out of the country by the police in Aşgabat / Ashgabat, capital of Turkmenistan.
On 12 January 2025 Halykov was prevented from boarding a flight abroad at Ashgabat International Airport. He was detained and interrogated at the airport for several hours. Halykov’s luggage underwent multiple checks and invasive questioning about his travel plans and personal history. Officials cited no legal basis for their actions, leaving Halykov to seek answers from Turkmenistan’s State Migration Service, which has yet to provide clarity. He was informed of a “temporary travel ban” without further explanation.
Halykov had recently resumed life outside prison after serving a four-year sentence on fabricated fraud charges widely believed to be retaliation for his critical journalistic work. He was arrested 2020.
The South East Europe Media Organisation (SEEMO) condemns the travel ban imposed on journalist Nurgeldi Halykov by Turkmen authorities, a clear act of retaliation against his work and an infringement on his fundamental rights. Preventing Halykov from leaving the country without any legal justification is a blatant attempt to suppress independent journalism and restrict his freedom of movement and livelihood. SEEMO urges Turkmen authorities to immediately lift the travel ban and cease all forms of harassment against media professionals. We will closely monitor this situation and continue advocating for press freedom and the protection of journalists in Turkmenistan.
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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