Perspectivas / Perspectives

Erevan, Apr. 15 (DPnet).– Turkmenistan stands as a stark example of a "post-Soviet totalitarian theme park," where oppression is rampant, the economy is strictly state-controlled, and extreme personality cults echo the darkest days of Soviet tyranny. The remnants of this oppressive regime manifest in a centrally planned economy heavily dependent on cotton and gas, a media landscape entirely controlled by the state, the use of forced labor, relentless suppression of dissent, and the troubling practice of using psychiatric hospitals to detain activists who dare to speak out.

Following the collapse of Soviet rule in 1991, independence for Turkmenistan did not bring about meaningful change. Instead, the shadows of the old system lingered, as former Communist Party Secretary Saparmurad Niyazov seized power and proclaimed himself Turkmenbashi, or "Great Leader of all Turkmen." This consolidation of power has perpetuated a legacy of repression and control that stifles progress and undermines the very essence of freedom for the people of Turkmenistan.

Widely recognized as an eccentric, megalomaniacal dictator, Niyazov constructed a cult of personality around himself during his 15-year tyle as president through a series of bizarre and oppressive policies. He renamed months of the year after himself, family members, and Turkmen heroes and poets, and he ereted a golden statue of his likeness in the center of Ashgabat, the nation capital. He also published a spiritual and philosophical work titled Ruhnama (The Book of the Soul), which became compulsory reading for schoolchildren.

Although Niyazov died in 2006, his legacy of authoritarian rule continues to persist today. Since March 2022 Serdar Gurbanguliyevich Berdimuhamedow has been the president of Turkmenistan. Previously he served as vice-president of the council of ministers under former President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedow, his father. On 25 March, he presented his cabinet, basically confirming his father’s ministers in their posts.

Puerto Príncipe. Apr. 2 (AP).– Al menos 30 personas murieron y decenas más estaban desaparecidas el lunes después de que una banda reanudara su ataque contra una localidad del centro de Haití, según activistas de derechos humanos.

Gran Grif atacó Petite-Rivière de l’Artibonite a primera hora del domingo, incendió viviendas y dejó cuerpos esparcidos en las calles. La banda volvió a atacar el lunes, informó Bertide Horace, portavoz de la Comisión para el Diálogo, la Reconciliación y la Concienciación para Salvar el Artibonite, un grupo activista.

March 10 (DPnet).– DemocraciaParticipativa.net pays a well-deserved tribute to the peaceful Tibetan people by honoring and spreading a message of recognition to the Tibetan Uprising Day, commemorating when Tibetans rose up to protest China’s invasion of their homeland.

In 1950, China sent in thousands of troops to enforce its claim on Tibet and systematic repression on Tibetan sovereignty started. On March 10, 1959, thousands of people rose up but were swept by Chinese forces. Finally, thousands gathered outside His Holiness the Dalai Lama's summer residence in Lhasa. There, they formed a protective barrier to prevent his capture by Chinese Communist Party forces. They succeeded in protecting him and the Dalai Lama fled and set up a government in exile in India. In that singular act of courage, our Tibetan brothers and sisters proclaimed to the world: "We alone have the right to decide our future."

The Dalai Lama (this title means in their language "Ocean of Wisdom") is the leading spiritual figure; the Panchen Lama is the second most important figure. Both are seen as the reincarnations of their predecessors. However, the Dalai Lama and Beijing have been at odds over the 11th incarnation of the Panchen Lama – identifying different youngsters for the role. The Chinese government does not espouse the beliefs of Buddhism, but has arrogated to itself the right to appoint at will a new Pachen Lama supposedly "reincarnated" undeer thjeir control. The Dalai Lama's choice, Gedhun Choekyi Nyima, has not been seen since his detention by the Chinese authorities in 1995. 

• Se había reportado que los agresores le habían cortado la lengua con un arma cortopunzante y lo habían amenazado explícitamente por su profesión tras cubrir un acto electoral en El Alto. 
• El Gobierno condenó el ataque y afirmó que no quedará impune. No obstante, la Fiscalía descartó posteriormente la mutilación de la lengua al periodista F. Jesús Z.S. y lo tipificó como lesiones graves y robo agravado.

La Paz, Feb. 18 (DPnet).– El Ministerio Público de La Paz descartó oficialmente las versiones de secuestro, tortura y mutilación de lengua contra el periodista F. Jesús Z.S., un caso que generó conmoción nacional. La víctima  fue secuestrada en la madrugada del pasado jueves en la ciudad de El Alto, la segunda más poblada de Bolivia.

Los principales gremios de prensa del país, la Asociación Nacional de Periodistas de Bolivia (ANPB) y la Confederación Sindical de Trabajadores de la Prensa de Bolivia (Cstpb), según lo denunciaron el pasado domingo, calificaron el hecho como un intento de asesinato premeditado para silenciar su labor informativa. 

No obstante, tras las investigaciones preliminares y la declaración de la propia víctima, el fiscal departamental, Luis Carlos Torrez, aclaró que el incidente no está vinculado a represalias por su labor informativa. Se trata de un hecho de inseguridad ciudadana tipificado como lesiones graves y robo agravado.