Freedom of Expression and the Enigma of State Authoritarianism in Turkmenistan: A Historical Appraisal of Saparmurat Niazov’s Policies

Authors

  • Hina Khan

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.46568/jmcd.v15i0.60

Abstract

 Since the independence of Central Asia in 1991, the five Soviet successor states in the region have been grappling with the birth pangs of a pre-mature liberal democracy and the death pangs of a seventy-four-years old authoritarian system. The result is a centralized authoritarianism under the veneer of a superficially democratic edifice. Among the five Central Asian states Turkmenistan has stood out in dictatorial rule of particularly under the personality cult of the Turkmenbashi –the father of Turkmens, President Saparmurat Niazov. Among other victims the media and the freedom of expression seems to be a permanent casualty. In this context, this paper attempts to explore the situation of media control in Turkmenistan particularly during Niazov’s era and its impacts on the perpetuation of authoritarianism in the region.

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Published

2019-06-19

How to Cite

Khan, H. (2019). Freedom of Expression and the Enigma of State Authoritarianism in Turkmenistan: A Historical Appraisal of Saparmurat Niazov’s Policies. Journal of Mass Communication Department, Dept of Mass Communication, University of Karachi, 15. https://doi.org/10.46568/jmcd.v15i0.60