Turkmen journalist Ruslan Myatiev banned from entering Turkey

September 12, 2024 – Turkey –

In a troubling show of cross-border repression, independent Turkmen journalist Ruslan Myatiev, editor-in-chief of the Netherlands-based Turkmen. news, was abruptly denied entry into Turkey on July 25, 2024, while traveling with his family for vacation. Turkish authorities detained him for four hours at Antalya airport before deporting him back to the Netherlands. He overheard officers say his entry ban—cited as “activity against state security” (code G‑82)—was imposed at the request of Turkmenistan’s government.

A Netherlands-based exile journalist blocked from travel by a second country based on Turkmenistan’s demand signals a deeply concerning form of transnational repression, said Gulnoza Said, CPJ’s Europe and Central Asia coordinator. CPJ formally condemned Turkey’s action and has called on Turkish authorities to revoke the ban, urging Turkmenistan to stop persecuting exiled journalists.

“This is a startling suggestion of Turkey’s complicity in transnational repression,” CPJ added, reinforcing that Ruslan had no official explanation or documentation regarding the ban. The Turkish Deportation and Entry Ban Directive was applied silently, without due legal process.

This case is emblematic of Turkmenistan’s systematic targeting of independent media. Turkmen news has long been subject to cyberattacks and harassment. Its correspondent, Nurgeldi Halykov, endured four years in prison for sharing a WHO delegation photo and was later barred from leaving Turkmenistan—underscoring a pattern of reprisals against exile-based outlets.

Turkey’s refusal to admit Myatiev—based solely on Turkmenistan’s influence—establishes a dangerous precedent. It suggests that autocratic regimes can extend their control over diaspora journalists by pressuring ostensibly democratic countries.

Reference – 

https://en.turkmen.news/spotlight/turkey-refused-entry-to-turkmen-news-editor-at-request-of-turkmenistan-s-authorities/

https://fom.coe.int/en/alerte/detail/107641455;globalSearch=false

Turkmen journalist Ruslan Myatiev banned from entering Turkey – Committee to Protect Journalists (cpj.org)