Khudayberdy Allashov has been helping us get a balanced picture of the situation in northern Turkmenistan; his version of events does not necessarily match the sanguine narrative of Turkmenistan’s government. On December 3, the police arrived at Allashovs home, reportedly beat Allashov, and arrested him and his mother. The charge was possession of “nasvai,” or “nas,” a form of chewing tobacco.
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