Leaving comments on opposition videos on YouTube, sentenced to 2 years for distributing pornography

In Turkmenistan, Sergei Babaniyazov , a resident of Balkanabat, was allegedly sentenced for two years for distributing pornography . However, according to Turkmen news , the real reason Babaniyazov was imprisoned is because he watched videos of the Turkmen opposition on YouTube and left comments under them.

43-year-old Babaniyazov was charged under Article 164 "Making or distributing pornographic objects." He has been serving his sentence in the colony LB-E / 12 for about eight months, the newspaper writes.

It is a regular practice in Turkmenistan that citizens who interact in any way with opposition groups or independent publications are sentenced to prison terms on trumped-up charges.

For example, in 2020, 26-year-old Nurgeldy Khalykov was sentenced to four years in prison for fraud , who sent the publication a photo of members of the WHO delegation who were resting at a hotel during their visit to Turkmenistan.

Gaspar Matalaev was also convicted of fraud in 2016 . This happened a few days after the publication of his photo report from the cotton fields.

In July of this year, Khursanai Ismatullayeva was detained , who told the newspaper about her illegal dismissal. She is accused of fraud.

In August 2021, activist Murat Dushemov was sentenced to four years in prison under Article 108 "Intentional infliction of moderate harm to health" and Article 232 "Extortion". Two months before his arrest, he posted a video in which he asked the workers of the Ashgabat polyclinic about the rules for vaccination against coronavirus and asked to show him the order on the basis of which it is being carried out.

Source: Chronicles of Turkmenistan

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