Activists refute Turkmenistan's claim of recording 'zero case' since pandemic outbreak

In nearly two years since the COVID-19 pandemic began, Turkmenistan claims that it has not reported even a single case of coronavirus. According to CNN, the former Soviet Republic, which is home to nearly six million people, is actually one of the five countries that have not yet reported any cases of COVID-19. Turkmenistan’s President Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov, who has been ruling the nation since 2006, has also refuted reports of any COVID-19 cases in the country as “fake” and told the United Nations that the pandemic shouldn’t be “politicised”.  

In contrast to the President's claim, experts, including journalists and independent organisations, have said that there is evidence that Turkmenistan is battling a third wave which is overwhelming hospitals and killing dozens of people. While President Berdymukhamedov has downplayed the threat of the deadly virus, Ruslan Myatiev, an exile from Turkmenistan and editor of the Netherlands-based Turkmen News, said that he personally assembled the names of more than 60 people who he claimed had died of coronavirus inside the secretive nation. Myatiev said that he verified all the recorded deaths with health records, revealing medical treatment consistent with coronavirus victims. 

Myatiev revealed that his sources in Turkmenistan began contacting him about COVID-19 cases around May 2020. He said that the first message he received talked about a “weird lung disease, flu-like” which was spreading across the country. However, he noted that it was at least 40 degrees Celsius back then, which is not a usual flu season. 

Health alert warning dismissed as ‘fake news’

Deputy Europe and Central Asia Director at Human Rights Watch, Rachel Denber, noted that Iran, which shares a long land border with Turkmenistan, has recorded one of the world’s largest coronavirus outbreaks. Denver said that considering what’s happening in other countries in the region, “how different could Turkmenistan possibly be?” But the Central Asian nation has insisted that it had no cases, even though it is bordering with countries that have reported skyrocketing outbreaks. 

In June 2020, the US embassy situated in Ashgabat, issued a health alert warning of reports of local citizens with symptoms related to COVID-19. However, the Turkmenistan government termed the reports as “fake news”. It even suggested its citizens take bizarre public health measures, such as adding spicy soup in their diet plan. 

Experts said that despite the Berdymukhamedov administration’s claims that Turkmenistan is "COVID-19 free", the reality inside the nation is starkly different. According to the WHO's website, Turkmenistan’s tally of coronavirus cases and deaths are registered as “0”. But interestingly, the country has recorded 41,993 vaccine doses as having been administered, the health organisation said.

(Image: Pixabay/AP)