Turkmenistan
| Right | Question | Contents |
|---|---|---|
| Freedom of Expression | What is the oldest written source in this country that mentions this right? | Turkmenistan’s 1992 constitution was the first legal document to protect the freedoms of conviction and expression in the state’s history, with the rights outlined in Article 26. That said, during the 1980s when the country was a Soviet Republic there were some opportunities for freedom of expression as a result of Mikhail Gorbachev’s glasnost (“openness”) and perestroika (“restructuring”) policies. “Constitution of Turkmenistan.” University of Minnesota Human Rights Library. Accessed June 26, 2023. http://hrlibrary.umn.edu/research/turkmenistan-constitution.html “Revelations from the Russian Archives - Internal Workings of the Soviet Union.” Library of Congress. Accessed June 28, 2023. https://www.loc.gov/exhibits/archives/intn.html |
| Freedom of Association | What is the oldest written source in this country that mentions this right? | Turkmenistan after independence from the Soviet Union had multiple constitutions; the earliest instance of the right of freedom of association is the 1992 Constitution which states in article 28 'Citizens have the right to form political parties and other social associations which operate within the framework of the Constitution and laws'. There are 3 constitutions which existed as the Turkmen SSR. Turkmenistan. 1992. “Constitution of Turkmenistan.” Web.archive.org. 1992. https://web.archive.org/web/20150414030847/http://www.uta.edu/cpsees/TURKCON.htm. |
| Freedom of Religion | What is the oldest written source in this country that mentions this right? | In the 2008 Constitution of the Turkish Republic, Freedom of Religion is covered under Section I, Article 12. This constitution established the state as secular, and guaranteed equality regardless of religion, separation of church and state, and the right to declare any religion or none under Article 12. Constitute Project. Constitution of Turkmenistan 2008. https://www.constituteproject.org/constitution/Turkmenistan_2008 |
| Voting Rights and Suffrage | What is the oldest written source in this country that mentions this right? | Under Article 119, citizens of Turkmenistan who are at least 18 years old can vote for the President of Turkmenistan, the deputies of the Mejlis, and members of the People’s Council. (Constitute Project, “Turkmenistan’s Constitution of 2008 with Amendments through 2016”). |
| Freedom of the Press | What is the oldest written source in this country that mentions this right? | Article 42 of Turkmenistan’s 1992 Constitution protects press freedom: “Everyone shall have the right to free search of information and to receive and disseminate information in ways not prohibited by law, if it is not a state or other secret protected by law" (Constitute Project, “Turkmenistan’s Constitution of 2008 with Amendments through 2016”). |
| Privacy Rights | What is the oldest written source in this country that mentions this right? | The 1992 Constitution protects against arbitrary interference of privacy in Article 25 (International Committee on the Red Cross, “Constitution 1992, as of 2008”). Today, Article 37 of the 2008 constitution grants “the right to private liberty, personal and family secrets and their protection from arbitrary interference in their privacy” while Article 38 prevents the “Collection, storage and dissemination of information about private life of an individual” without consent (Constitute Project, “Turkmenistan's Constitution of 2008 with Amendments through 2016”). https://ihl-databases.icrc.org/applic/ihl/ihl-nat.nsf/0/D9E58AFB0C841166C1256FFD0034016C https://constituteproject.org/constitution/Turkmenistan_2016.pdf?lang=en |