Turkmen authorities have banned the word «coronavirus» and ready to arrest those who wear masks

The word «coronavirus» has been deleted from the Turkmen items. The assumption that is made for distortion or concealment of information about the pandemic was expressed by the publication of «reporters without borders» (RSF).

The state media are no longer allowed to use that word. It was even removed from the information brochures on health, distributed in schools, hospitals and workplaces, according to RSF, citing «the Turkmen Chronicles».

In Turkmenistan, close to Iran, people wearing face mask or talking about the coronavirus in the street, at bus stops or in queues outside the shops, can be arrested by the police in plain clothes, the reporters from Ashgabat in the interview to Radio Azatlyk (the Turkmen of Radio Liberty).

«Turkmen authorities lived up to its reputation, having adopted this extreme method of destruction of all information about the coronavirus, said Jeanne Cavelier, head of RSF’s Bureau for Eastern Europe and Central Asia. — This denial of information is not only endangering the citizens of Turkmenistan at risk of infection, but also reinforces the authoritarianism of the authorities.»

Turkmen citizens have access only to one-sided information about the epidemic of coronavirus, although, according to the authorities in Turkmenistan are still not identified a single case. The President, also known as the «Father-protector» on March 13, was ordered burned in public places of a plant called «Harmala» as a protective measure.

Measures to combat the virus in Turkmenistan, however taken. In the country restricted movement, people everywhere measure temperature. The authorities attributed these measures are not with the coronavirus, and SARS.

Turkmenistan, ranked last in World press freedom index for 2019, is one of the most closed countries in the world. The government controls all domestic media. A few users unable to access the Internet, which is subjected to strict censorship. Network access you can get to the Internet cafe, where the entrance you need to present ID.

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