Free Republic

The president of the Central Asian republic of Turkmenistan, Saparmurat Niyazov, died early Thursday after 21 years of authoritarian rule. The president-for-life passed away at the age of 66 after a cardiac arrest at 1.10 a.m. local time (8.10 p.m. GMT Wednesday), following several years of heart trouble, which had been kept secret from the desert nation's population.

The government of Turkmenistan has for years practiced a domestic policy that can only be described as "Turkmenization." Most non-ethnic Turkmen officials have been purged, and authorities have gone further in insisting, unofficially, that residents speak Turkmen and dress in what is regarded as a Turkmen fashion. Even schoolchildren are subject to the unwritten policies, which have led to the emigration of ethnic Russians, Kazakhs, and Uzbeks. The latest manifestation is the arrival in neighboring Uzbekistan of young women who married Turkmen citizens but were rejected registration and tossed out of the country, along with their children. Ziyoda Ruzimova lived...

Relations between Gazprom and Turkmenistan have come to an open conflict over natural gas. Yesterday they annulled their agreements on gas supplies to Russia for this year and next. Gazprom's monopoly on Central Asian gas is thus broken. The conflict is to the advantage of Ukraine, which can now obtain 17 billion cubic meters of gas, more than half of its import needs for the second half of the year. It also strengthens Ukraine's position in negotiations with Gazprom that are to take place on July 1.

In the wake of the "gas war" between Russia and Ukraine in early 2006, and the brief interruption it caused in supplies to Europe, the world awoke to the increasing importance of Central Asian natural gas for European energy security. After all, the bulk of the natural gas that Ukraine imports through Russia comes from Turkmenistan. Now, with international ratings agency Fitch warning that the elements are in place for a "perfect storm" of an energy crisis, news comes on July 30 that talks between Turkmenistan and Ukraine over an independent agreement for gas supplies in the fourth quarter of...

Ruhnama (or The Book of the Soul from Persian: ruh (soul) and nâma (book), sometimes spelled Rukhnama) is the combination autobiography, historical fiction, and spiritual guidebook written by Turkmenistan's President for Life, Saparmyrat Niyazov. The text is composed of many stories and poems, including those by Sufist poet Magtymguly Pyragy. Niyazov issued the first part of the work in 2001, saying, "Ruhnama was issued to eliminate all shortcomings, to raise the spirit of the Turkmen." The second part, which covers morals, philosophy, and life conduct, was issued in 2004. The book is a substantial part of Niyazov's personality cult, is...

PRAGUE, June 29, 2006 (RFE/RL) -- Turkmenistan's Foreign Ministry warned in a statement today after a suspension of talks on gas deliveries to Russia that supplies will be cut off in September if Moscow and Ashgabat fail to reach a new import deal. Russian gas giant Gazprom said today that it has been unable to reach agreement on price in a new import deal with Turkmenistan and that negotiations have been suspended. The announcement of the negotiations' collapse came after a meeting between Turkmen President Saparmurat Niyazov and Gazprom chief Aleksei Miller. Turkmenistan wants to raise the price of its...

The E.U. is isolating one dictator while proposing concessions for another. Guess which one sells gas. THIS WEEK the European Union took an important step toward sanctioning Europe's last dictator, Alexander Lukashenko, banning the Belarusan president and 30 of his aides and political collaborators from entering any of the union's 25 countries. Mr. Lukashenko staged a rigged election last month extending his term in office and arrested many of the people who tried to protest. While Mr. Lukashenko's regime is hardly likely to collapse under pressure from Brussels, the E.U. foreign ministers at least delivered the message that the union...

Long hair or beards will no longer be tolerated in Turkmenistan, following a presidential decree. President Saparmurat Niyazov said on Thursday that the Education Ministry should be in charge of checking people's hair and facial arrangements. The self-styled "Turkmenbashi the Great" also announced the launch of a textbook on good behaviour to add to a school curriculum already dominated by his "philosophical" works. The volume, entitled Upbringing, is based on the "wisdom of the ancient traditions of the Turkmen people who through the ages developed clear-cut norms of behaviour and socialisation". Dictator Niyazov has clung to power since the end...